Before my accident we were very active hiking , bike riding , almost anything that kept us outside. Besides keeping us in good shape, these activities were free. We also liked history exhibits and museums and we tend to do a lot more of that stuff now but the admissions can be expensive. However by shopping around it's possible to buy passes for a minimal amount of money and then get free admission to hundreds of different attractions around the country.
The ones I bought this year include history museums , art museums , gardens , science museums , zoos and aquariums. It's easy to buy the memberships on-line or at one of the museums but either way you will have to wait about three weeks for your official membership card to come in the mail. Plan accordingly. None of the museum membership programs have a way to get a card at the museum or over the internet. National Parks and Texas Parks pass cards are issued at the park when you buy them. Entertainment book memberships can be applied for on-line and do not require a card.
https://eol.entertainment.com/custom/eol/default/jsp/content/pages/eol/registration.epi?affiliateId=EOL_BTB
Garden and Art Museums Pass - This one is a little expensive -$150.00 for two people but with the membership you get free admission to over a hundred gardens - http://www.ahs.org/events/reciprocal_events_online_directory.htm
and free admission to hundreds of art museums -http://sites.google.com/site/northamericanreciprocalmuseums/north-american-reciprocal-museum-listing
Buy it here- http://www.winterthur.org/?p=717
Zoos , Aquariums and Science Museums Pass - Another good bargain - $45.00 for two people. The pass gives you free admission to hundreds of science museums. These vary a lot. Some are geared towards small children , others are full science museums and some are a combination of science and history. http://www.astc.org/members/passlist.htm
The pass will also give you free or half price admission to zoos and aquariums. http://www.aza.org/uploadedFiles/Education/Kids_and_Families/Special_Admissions_Program/Reciprocity%20Chart.pdf
Buy it here- http://www.wildwnc.org/support-the-center/donor-levels
History Museums - This is the most varied pass as far as benefits and types of museums. Included are state and county history museums , gardens , houses and living history villages. http://constitutioncenter.org/ncc_sup_Time_Travelers_Reciprocal_Benefits_Program.aspx Sometimes the ticket sellers do not know anything about the pass program so it's a good idea to carry a copy of the list. The pass is $50.00 for two people. http://constitutioncenter.org/ncc_sup_Membership_Levels.aspx
National Parks Access Pass - I think that most people are familiar with the national parks pass but just in case - anyone 62 and over or disabled can get a lifetime pass which gives them and anyone in the same vehicle free admission to all national sites. It also can be used for a 50% discount on camping and other fees. Everybody else can purchase a annual pass for $80.00. The pass gives free admission for four adults in the same car (kids are always free) to all federal sites. http://store.usgs.gov/pass/index.html
Texas State Park Pass- This is a new one for us. It is good for free admission into more than 90 state parks. Admission varies from zero dollars to five dollars per day per person even if you pay for a campsite. We haven't stayed at many Texas state parks because of these additional fees so this pass is an experiment. Will we stay at enough of them to make it worthwhile? http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/parkinfo/passes/
I was starting to get very confused trying to keep all of the pass information straight , especially in Florida , so I decided to make a Google Map with all of the locations marked.
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=210711839070103512786.000497751cf1bc48fdd94&z=6
It's been very helpful so far. I'll add other states as I get time. The order that I add them will depend on our travel route so it may be awhile before I get to some of the states. Please keep in mind that the benefits may change so check with the websites of the passes for current information.
