Letter to the Editor: Museum membership is a great bargain

Editor:

I am writing in hopes that my family's experience as longtime Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum members will prompt others to follow suit and join.

Thanks to our membership, my children (Will, 8, and Sara, 6) have been able to enjoy countless hours at reciprocal museums throughout their lifetime during our yearly travels to Charleston, S.C., Pittsburgh and Fort Lauderdale.

Our $100 membership fee since renewing in May has already saved us over $300 in admission fees to museums and science centers.

Last week alone, our two trips to the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Discovery and Science (at $13 per adult and $11 per child) would have cost more than $140, but admission for my family and our three guests was free when I showed them my SVDM membership card!

We live in Front Royal and aren't able to find time to visit the SVDM often, but our annual family membership is one of the best entertainment investments we make each year.

Not only are we supporting a good cause, we are saving money while educating our children by exploring other museums we likely wouldn't visit multiple times due to the expense.

All families who travel to areas with reciprocal museums should consider becoming SVDM members an essential part of their trip planning and should log onto www.discoverymuseum.net (click "about us") to see the hundreds of museums and memory-making that the membership provides.