Why we LOVE Memberships: Zoo Edition!

How can you save money with Zoo Memberships?

You may have seen our earlier Science Center Edition post—we’re fans of zoo memberships too!  We’ve actually held memberships to Pittsburgh Zoo, Akron Zoo and Columbus Zoo and they’ve all been well worth the price.  Seeing the cost of the membership may scare some people away, but I can assure you, it’s worth it!  As with a science center membership, it typically pays for itself in two visits.  Our family will easily visit the zoo twice in a year. 

Pittsburgh Zoo, Pittsburgh PA

Right now, we hold a membership to the Pittsburgh Zoo.  We actually purchased a membership when we went last summer because we had our family of five, plus my mother-in-law and cousin with us.  We purchased the Family Plus Membership, which includes 2 adults and all children plus an additional 10 guest passes.  The price for this membership was $175. 

It would have cost us $117.65 for just one day of admission for our family and our extra family who came with us.  Since we purchased a membership, we were able to use two of our guest passes for our extra guests.  

We’ve already paid for our membership because we went back in the fall with a couple of our kids’ friends. Plus, we still have guest memberships left for this year so we’ll likely head there when the weather warms up and maybe again in the summer before our membership expires.  It’s such a fun day trip to spend the day seeing the animals and getting some exercise and fresh air!

Other Zoo Membership Perks

You’ll have to look up your local zoo to find the membership prices and details since each one is different. We’ve had memberships to several different zoos in Ohio and PA including the Columbus Zoo, Cleveland Zoo and Akron Zoo.

Each zoo has their own set of perks. For instance, the Columbus Zoo has a waterpark. The waterpark is an extra fee, but members get a nice discount and free parking making it worth the cost.  It was a nice weekend trip for us—we were able to stay at a local hotel and go to the zoo and waterpark!  We paid for our membership in just one weekend trip!

The Akron Zoo is a smaller zoo, but it’s perfect when you don’t have a ton of time, but want to do something fun.  It’s less than an hour from our house so it’s a perfect day trip for our family.

Zoo vs. Science Center Membership

Zoos, like science centers, offer reciprocal memberships that allow you to use your membership at other locations. The big difference between the zoo membership and the science center membership is that the zoo does not offer free admission to other zoos.  However, they do offer 50% discounts on other zoos throughout the country, which is still a good deal.

I would highly suggest comparing the benefits to a family membership over just a one-day activity cost.  There are a variety of places that offer memberships such as children’s museums, aquariums, pools, waterparks, etc.  See what is closest to your home and decide if a family membership is worth it for you!

Have you been to a “can’t miss” zoo?

What zoos would you recommend? Share your experience with us!

Check out other ways to save!

Check out our post on How to save with Science Center Memberships, Credit Cards and how to budget your vacation!