NARM Yourself with the Museum Facts

NARM, or the North American Reciprocal Museum Program, is a good option if you are into art and history and travel a bit. Get a membership card from one, and flash it to get into others around country.

The above link lists all particpators alphabetically, but you must call each one to find out their policy.

 I think it clever of the Springville Utah Art Museum, which has free admission, to list themselves.

Salt Lake City lets you ZAP it up

Salt Lake City has a regular free day to several fun family destinations.
It can be will be crowded, but you can't beat the price, and it can be a good time to determine the value of a repeat visit or membership.

The Zoo, Arts, and Parks program in Salt Lake City sponsors these scheduled free days at places such as:

• Tracy Aviary
• Utah Museum of Fine Arts
• Red Butte Garden and Arboretum
• Hogle Zoo
• Living Planet Aquarium
• (the new) Natural History Museum of Utah
• Discovery Gateway (children's museum)
• and Sundance Film Institute does some outdoor shows

Community Exploration cards, free through the SLC library system, is another tempting program.

Tracy Aviary reciprocity

Agreements change every year, but Tracy Aviary of  SLC gives you two great deals for your membership- national AZA reciprocity and local reciprocity.

Depending on your family size,  memberships to the Aviary and Hogle Zoo are about the same since their price increase. But Tracy Aviary allows you to visit more places within Utah, and the AZA nationally. And there are birds there.

So if you love day trips, the Tracy Aviary's local participators are

• Odgen Nature Center
• Hogle Zoo in SLC
• Dinosaur Park in Ogden
• Ogden's Union Station
• Red Butte Gardens
• Willow Park Zoo in Logan
• Thanksgiving Point Farm

Spelling Test

I was doing the dishes.
Mr. Owl was at work, leading a group for recovering addicts.
Bowery Bird was writing a story.

"Mom, how do you spell heroin?"

I focus on the soap bubbles a second longer, stalling. What do I do? What do I say? Why is she writing about drug use at 9 years old? What have I been missing?! Do I even know my own daughter!!? Deep breath. Game Face. I look up cautiously,
" ....W-hy?..."

"Why are you looking at me like that?!"

What does my face look like? Play dumb.
"What do you mean."

"You know, like--the girl that saves the day."

I blink. To bring my safe-world fully back, I blink again.
"Oh. Right... Oh, 'her-oine'! (chuckling of relief to myself)... I don't know, you'll have to look it up."

Bowery Bird might be spared a few more years, but I'm jaded for life because of my husband.

ASTC Passport to Here and Beyond

 

My sister is terrified of anything taxidermy.

I did not know this until I took her to the Bean Museum of BYU which is nothing but.
She was a good sport but I was glad it was a very slow day there workers stared and she cowered inside her hoodie as my 3y/o kept saying "It's OK Auntie, they're not alive."
"I know! That's what bothers me..." my wimpered.

But if taxidermy doesn't freak you out, a membership to a ASTC participating museum is for you.

Association of Science and Technology Centers  Passport Program works for, obviously those into science. Get a membership and one and get into smilar museum for free.

This group hasa fair amount of clearly stated stipulations, so do your research. Most museums only participate when your membership museum and home are 90 miles (as the crow flies) from the new one you want to visit. The Passport Program does not apply to special exhibits, big screen shows, or store discounts.
ASTC is probably the most restrictive program, but then, these museums are some of the best.

In Utah these museums participate:

• Clarke Planetarium
• Discovery Gateway
• the Leonardo
• Natural History Museum of Utah
• Thanksgiving Point