I know, it’s a museum, and discounts aren’t likely, but I thought I’d ask. My daughter is crazy about horses, and I’m partial to whales, so I thought it’d be a good father/daughter excursion before she’s off to camp.
But money’s kinda tight, and I’d really feel $58 for two people’s admission right now.
So, are there discounts anywhere?
How old is your daughter? If she’s a student of any kind (college/university included), her admission is $5 cheaper than the adult rate, and if she’s under 11, her admission is $9 cheaper. And, of course, if you can give up on seeing the whales, you can buy the “Discovery Pass” instead of the all-access pass, which is $22/$18/$15 for adult/student/child.
There are also discounts for teachers, Chicago residents, and active military. Also, last year, the second Monday of each month was free basic admission. I don’t know if they are still doing that or not.
Did you check the Chicago Public Libraries for the free museum passes?
Please elaborate. I live in the suburbs.
If you have a Chicago Public Library card you can check out museum passes. I don’t know if any of the suburban libraries do this, but I would call the library to find out if I were you.
Here’s a list of towns that belong to a reciprocal agreement with CPL–if you live in one of these and have a library card in good standing, you can get a CPL card for free.
The Library passes are great but there’s only one per branch. I’ve had the best luck with the west side libraries. They always seem to have them available. North and northwest side ones are always checked out.
Not true; it depends on the branch. Our local branch has up to six for some museums, only one for others.
Call around, and keep calling. They won’t put one on Hold for you, but they will tell you if one is in at that moment. And there are so many little mini-branches in storefronts now that there are probably at least 3 in a 15 minute drive. It only took us three phone calls and one drive (to Belmont and somewhere west of Cicero) to find a Brookfield Zoo pass the Tuesday before the Kratt Brothers were making a special appearance on the weekend. The check-out period is a whole week (and I felt kinda bad that I had the thing in my pocket all week when we weren’t going until Sunday, but with a No-Hold system, them’s the brakes.) - so there’s plenty of time to find one before you have to use it and return it.
Here’s the schedule of “discount days”. The next one isn’t until August, which unfortunately sounds like it’s too late for the OP.