All You Need To Know About Museum Memberships and Why They’re Worth It

Depending how often you visit museums, you may want to level up and consider a museum membership. Here’s why. 

Typically, a day pass to the museum will run you $10-25 depending on the museum. Sometimes, special exhibits will have an additional entrance fee as well. For one visit, all of the entrance fees can start to really add up, especially if you frequent museums like me.

Here’s my confession: I never considered becoming a museum member until I was gifted a membership for my birthday a few years back. This thoughtful gift was an absolute game changer and I ended up renewing the membership on my own. The benefits were too good to let go. Museum memberships include free general admission into the museum, free guest passes, discounted fees for special exhibits, previews to special events, discounts as you exit through the gift shop, and more. 

How much does a membership cost? Well, museum memberships can be priced from anywhere between $70 and $15k +. The higher tiered memberships include curated museum tours, exclusive invites to galas, and other lofty perks. 

I get it, you may not have $10k to shell out on an annual museum membership, but you can still affordably support the arts and reap the benefits. Take me for instance. I have a membership at the Museum of Contemporary Arts (MCA) Chicago. For $150 a year, I receive free admission for myself and 3 guests, 6 guest passes I can give to friends and an MCA tote bag. 

Perhaps my favorite perk of the membership is having access to these privileges at more than 100 museums across North America! I make it a point to explore the art scene wherever I travel, so being a member is beneficial because I get free general admission to contemporary museums across the country. With this membership, I have already visited the Art Gallery of Ontario during their Jean Michelle Basquiat exhibit, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, the Milwaukee Art Museum, Cranbrook Art Museum in Michigan and I’ll be exploring the Missoula Art Museum when I visit Montana later this year. Needless to say, my annual $150 pays for itself and then some. 

Here’s an insider tip: museum memberships are TAX DEDUCTIBLE, so whichever tier you select, keep your receipt! 

If the lower tiers are still too costly for your budget, get on museum email lists to get notified of free events and if you’re a student, always ask for student discounts since most museums have student membership rates.

Are museum memberships worth the annual fee? My vote is, yes, but only if you take advantage of the perks. I’d recommend investing in a membership if you visit museums once per month. The best part is that there is no commitment. You can try it out for a year and see if it’s something you enjoy and wish to continue. Visit your favorite museum’s website to learn more.

Do you have a museum membership or are you thinking about signing up for one? If so, what membership do you currently have or considering and what’s your favorite perk? Let me know in the comments below.