By Kate Antoniades

To make sure that the gifts you give your kids this year
won’t be outgrown, forgotten, or broken by the time the holiday season rolls
around again, consider presenting them with a family membership offered by a
local museum or organization. With perks like free admission and discounted
classes, family memberships keep on giving all year long. Listed
below find several places around town that offer such memberships. If
you know of others, submit them as comments at the bottom of this article on
rochestercitynewspaper.com.

National Museum
of Play at The
Strong

The National Museum of Play offers several membership levels
that start at $76 per year. The minimum benefits include unlimited free
admission for family members (up to two adults plus kids under 18) for a year
and a $1 discount on general admission for guests, in addition to discounts on tickets
to the DancingWingsButterflyGarden,
the Making American Music concert series, and museum-shop
merchandise; six free carousel or train rides; and a newsletter. Families who
pay $130 or more will also get free or discounted admission to more than 170
children’s museums in the U.S.
and Canada — the
perfect excuse for a road trip. The museum is located at 1
Manhattan Square. For more information, call
263-2700 or visit museumofplay.org.

New YorkMuseum
of Transportation

The New York Museum of Transportation, which is run by
volunteers and open only on Sundays, shares the history of getting from point A
to point B, with exhibits and historical vehicles (like a 100-year-old trolley
car). From mid-May through October, visitors can also explore the nearby Rochester
& GeneseeValleyRailroadMuseum, which is connected to the Museum
of Transportation by a two-mile
railroad. A family membership to the NYMT costs $35 a year and includes free
admission, a 10 percent discount on gift-shop items, and a subscription to the
museum’s quarterly journal. The NYMT is located at 6393
East River Road in Rush. For more information,
visit http://nymtmuseum.org.

SenecaPark
Zoo

The popularity of our local zoo can mean big crowds, but from
April through October, members can visit the animals a half-hour earlier than
everyone else: 9:30 a.m. rather than 10 a.m. Other benefits include free admission
year-round; discounts on gift-shop merchandise, classes, events, birthday
parties, and camps; coupons for the zoo’s café; and a quarterly newsletter.
You’ll also get free or discounted entry to more than 170 other zoos and
aquariums around the U.S.
and Canada.
Family membership levels begin at $75 per year. The zoo is located at 2222
St. Paul St. For more information call 336-7200 or
visit senecaparkzoo.org.

GeneseeCenter
for the Arts & Education

Classes at the GeneseeCenter, which houses the Community
Darkroom, Genesee Pottery, and the Printing and BookArtsCenter,
are open to anyone in the community. However, only members can gain access to
the building’s facilities and equipment (like the darkroom, computer lab,
kilns, and offset press). Members also receive discounts on classes. Recent
course offerings included “Street Photography,” “Smush
and Smash” (a clay class for toddlers), “No Time for Squares: The Art of
Precision Cut Mosaics,” and many more. A household membership costs $80 per
year. The center is located at 713 Monroe Ave.
For more information, call 244-1730 or visit geneseearts.org.

Ganondagan

The historic site of Ganondagan covers 619 acres and contains
five miles of hiking trails and a bark longhouse. Its visitor-center services,
events, and programs — which share the history of the Seneca and Haudenosaunee (Iroquois)
people — are offered from May through October, while the trails are accessible
all year long from 8 a.m. to sunset. The $60 family membership offers free
admission to the longhouse, admission to the summer Native American Dance and Music
Festival, 10 percent off selected merchandise in the gift shop, and a quarterly
newsletter. Ganondagan is located at 1488 State Route
444 in Victor. For more information, call 742-1690 or visit ganondagan.org.

RochesterMuseum
& ScienceCenter

A membership to RMSC means that you won’t have to pay a dime
to enjoy the Museum & ScienceCenter,
Strasenburgh Planetarium star shows and
“giant-screen” films, the CummingNatureCenter, and more than 270 other
science museums around the world. Members also receive invitations to special
events, a $5 discount on classes for adults and kids, a 10 percent discount on
gift-shop items and RMSC research publications, and a quarterly newsletter.
Family membership costs $83 per year, and the “Family Plus” level ($108) lets
kids celebrate birthday parties at the museum. RMSC is located at 657
East Ave. For more information, call 697-1942 or
visit rmsc.org.

GeneseeWaterwaysCenter

The GWC, based at the Genesee Valley Park Boathouse and the
Lock 32 Whitewater Park, offers classes and equipment rentals. (The whitewater park is only open to those under 18 if they are
registered for a program.) A family membership costs $87.50 for the first
adult, plus $65 for a second, plus $25 per child, with additional equipment
fees. It includes rowing and canoeing access at the GWC facility, kayak or
canoe rental, and other rowing and kayaking benefits. Members also receive a 10
percent discount on class fees. The boathouse is located at 149
Elmwood Avenue, and the whitewater
park is at 2797 Clover Street
in Pittsford. For more information, call 328-3960 or visit http://geneseewaterways.org.

 

MemorialArtGallery

Two kinds of family memberships are available at the MAG, and
the additional benefits of the higher level are a nice perk for parents. The “supporter”
level ($90/year) includes free tickets to opening parties for gallery
exhibitions — great opportunities for nights out without the kids. Both the supporter
and “associate” ($70)levels include unlimited free
general admission to the museum, along with two guest passes; and discounts on
Creative Workshop classes, Clothesline Festival admission, gallery store
merchandise, and meals at Max at the Gallery. Members can also borrow from the
gallery’s library and will receive a bimonthly newsletter. The MAG is located
at 500 University Ave. For
more information, call 276-8939 or visit http://mag.rochester.edu.

Rochester
Orienteering Club

Orienteering is an outdoor activity based around navigation;
participants use a map, and sometimes a compass, to find certain marked points
in an outdoor area. The Rochester
club, which welcomes newbies and the experienced alike, holds timed meets
throughout the year (except during the winter) at local spots like EllisonPark and MendonPondsPark.
The group has also set up permanent courses in area parks that can be enjoyed
outside of scheduled events. Family membership benefits include $3 discounts at
meets and a quarterly newsletter. A one-year term costs $25. For more
information, e-mail membership@roc.us.orienteering.org or visit the club’s
website at http://roc.us.orienteering.org.

This article appears in Nov 22-22, 2011.