As moms, we value the gift of experiences for our children. We are very lucky to have quite a few places right here in Columbus that are perfect for creating experiences with our families. Many of these places offer memberships, which make GREAT gifts to give and receive {hint, hint grandparents, aunts and uncles!}. So, we reached out to each of these places to get some info to share with all of you. Feel free to share this article with your family and friends to give them the idea of giving or receiving the gift of experience to one our local gems this Holiday Season.
Happy Holidays!
Wendy, NE Columbus Macaroni Kid and Robbi, NW Columbus Macaroni Kid
p.s. One of our favorite membership bonuses is that most of these have some reciprocal benefits at like places in other cities nationwide!
Franklin Park Conservatory:
Want to see the joy on your loved one's face when they receive their membership? Purchase a Gift Membership and you can print a gift voucher to give during your holiday celebrations!
Looking for the perfect gift? Give a year of memorable experiences, events and activities! It’s the gift they’ll use again and again! Annual membership prices begin at $35. Purchase your gift membership by December 31, 2017 and your gift recipient will receive a 2018 at-a-glance calendar at their next visit. You can purchase gift memberships online at https://www.fpconservatory.org/get-involved/membership/
Member benefits include:
- BOTANICA GIFT SHOP AND GARDEN CAFÉ DISCOUNT
- FREE ADMISSION AND PARKING
- GREEN THUMB PROGRAM - Show your Conservatory membership card at local landscapers, greenhouses, garden centers and nurseries for special discounts. See discount information online. Subject to change each year.
- LOCAL TICKET DISCOUNTS - ProMusica Chamber Orchestra and BalletMet
- MEMBER’S ADVANTAGE - Enjoy Buy One, Get One Free admission to select Columbus museums and attractions through the Columbus Member Advantage program. No coupon necessary. Simply show your valid Conservatory Membership card each time you visit!
- RECIPROCAL GARDEN ADMISSION PROGRAM - Enjoy admission benefits at more than 300 gardens, arboreta and conservatories throughout North America with The American Horticultural Society.
Questions? Contact the membership office Monday through Friday 9am-5:30pm at 614.715.8054 or by emailing membership@fpconservatory.org. To guarantee deliver by December 25, please submit a membership form by Friday, December 15.
Ohio History Connection:
Family membership ($55) includes 2 adults and all children in that household or all grandchildren ages 18 and under, or consider a Plus Family membership ($85) to bring along 2 additional guests of any age anytime you visit.
Member benefits include:
- Memberships also include free general admission at more than 50 historic sites and attractions all year. Our sites include presidential homes, American Indian Earthworks, battlefields, nature preserves and more.
- Discounts on admission to special events like All Hallows’ Eve, Dickens of a Christmas and Night at the Museum.
- First access to tickets for popular events like Night at the Museum, Pleasures of the Cup and our Dickens of a Christmas dinners (sold out for 2017).
- Free admission to our popular First Friday film series.
- Education opportunities for all ages from Sunday Storytime to Ohio History Learning Labs.
- Enjoy reciprocal benefits in central Ohio with Columbus Member Advantage. Show your Ohio History Connection membership card to get BOGO general admission (max buy 2, get 2) at Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus Zoo & Aquarium, Wexner Center for the Arts, COSI and Franklin Park Conservatory.
- Use your membership for admission discounts at more than 250 museums and historic attractions nationwide through the Time Travelers reciprocal network.
HOLIDAY SPECIAL:
For the holiday season, enjoy 20% off gift memberships AND a free gift* (while supplies last) when you purchase a gift membership between Nov 24, 2017 and Jan 7, 2018. (*choice of Wright in Ohio, featuring gorgeous photography of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture or a free ladybug plush).
To purchase a gift membership, visit us online here, email membership@ohiohistory.org, call us at 614-297-2332 or visit the Ohio History Center. You can learn more about Ohio History Connection membership at ohiohistory.org/join.
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium:
All Zoo memberships and Zoombezi Bay Season Passes can be purchased either at the Zoo or online at www.columbuszoo.org and www.zoombezibay.org - SAVE TIME AND MONEY BY PURCHASING ONLINE
Zoo Membership Categories
Individual: admits one adult
Individual Plus: admits one adult and one unnamed* guest
Family: admits two primary adults in the same household plus either dependent children OR grandchildren up to age 21 (not both).
Family Plus: admits two primary adults in the same household plus either dependent children OR grandchildren up to age 21 (not both) and two named* or unnamed* guests
Zoo Membership Benefits:
- FREE admission and parking
- Priority registration and discounts on education programs
- FREE or reduced admission to more than 100 AZA accredited Zoos
- Member only events
- Member Only magazine
- Discounted
- 4-D theater admissiono gift shop purchases
- Safari Golf Club
- Wilds Add-on Memberships
- Zoombezi Bay Season Passes
Individual Gold Membership: is an individual membership that includes FREE admission into the Zoo and Zoombezi Bay, FREE rides, FREE animal feedings and FREE admission to the 4-D theater as well as all other membership benefits.
Zoombezi Bay Season Passes: Season pass: admits one individual into Zoombezi Bay and the Columbus Zoo during the Zoombezi Bay operating season
Zoombezi Bay Season Pass Benefits:
- FREE admission and parking during operating season
- Season Pass holder early entry*, every Monday and Wednesday enter the park at 10am to claim your favorite spot
- Season Pass holder Late Nights*, one Thursday a month (2018 dates June 21, July 12, August 2) enjoy exclusive access to Zoombezi Bay after the park closes to the public until 11pm
- Bring-A-Friend Discounts, every Monday and Wednesday for $12.99 ( up to 2) and they can enter the park early too!
- FREE entry into all Water Park after Dark Events, featuring Dive In Movies
- Exclusive access to the season pass entrance and member’s only picnic cove
Columbus Museum of Art:
Memberships are good for 12 months and the Household and Reciprocal levels are great for families with children or grandchildren under the age of 18. The Reciprocal level also includes the additional benefit of free admission for two named adults into over 800 Museums around the country, so if you like to travel and visit Museums, this is a great option. In addition to some great art museums, it also includes other non-art museums like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum and Holden Arboretum and Botanical Gardens in Cleveland, and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati. All levels of membership include unlimited admission to our permanent collection and special exhibitions for named members and children/grandchildren under 18. Plus, each level includes a varying range of guest privileges. Members also receive free or discounted admission to many CMA programs, invitations to member-previews, free parking, discounts in the shop or café and are always the first to hear about upcoming opportunities.
Starting the week after Thanksgiving, people can check the Museum’s Facebook page for a gift membership discount we’re running through the end of December. Purchase a New Gift Membership at the Friend, Household or Reciprocal levels and use code MEMBER17 for 15% off. See pricing for membership HERE
Families will especially love our annual LEGO exhibit, and the newly imagined Wonder Room, plus our current special exhibition Beyond Impressionism (Columbus is the only stop for this exhibition). Here’s additional info about each:
- Think Outside the Brick: The Creative Art of LEGO® returns to the Columbus Museum of Art on November 10, 2017 for the sixth annual holiday season! Families, artists, and enthusiasts are invited to celebrate the creative potential of LEGO® building blocks that engages the people of all ages and promotes imaginative play. Experience the city of Columbus in LEGO® form that you have come to know and love, updated with spectacular surprises by local builders from the Ohio LEGO® User’s Group (OhioLUG). Spot your own neighborhood, your favorite places to hang out in Columbus, or perhaps a favorite superhero scaling the Huntington building! Related Programming: LEGO® Design Challenge Day December 30, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM - Visitors of all ages can compete in fast-paced creative challenges using LEGO® bricks. After each new round of competition, occurring every 30 minutes, prizes will be awarded to winning teams. And Open Studio -Throughout December, stop by Open Studio any Saturday, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM, and create your own inspired sculptures with LEGO® building bricks. Open Studio is included with general admission, no registration requested.
- In partnership with the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Spain, Columbus Museum of Art presents Beyond Impressionism – Paris, Fin de Siècle: Signac, Redon, Toulouse-Lautrec and Their Contemporaries. CMA is the only U.S. venue for this extraordinary exhibition. Featuring approximately 100 paintings, drawings, prints, and works on paper, the exhibition explores the Parisian art scene, focusing on the most important French avant-garde artists of the late 19th century, including Paul Signac, Maximilien Luce, Maurice Denis, Pierre Bonnard, Félix Vallotton, Odilon Redon, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.
- Wonder Room: The Wonder Room is an experimental, one-of-a-kind gallery in the JPMorgan Chase Center for Creativity. Works of art are displayed in unexpected ways, and custom, hands-on activities are featured prominently near great works of art to inspire creativity in this family-friendly space. The new Wonder Room showcases CMA’s rich textile arts collection. Artists were commissioned to create textile-based works and hands-on activities for the gallery including artist Leila Gueramian’s ultimate version of a blanket fort; former Project Runway contestant, and local fashion design Kelli Martin’s Mad Max inspired fashion station; and artist Susie Underwood’s web party where visitors can make their own bugs.
