Give memberships to local museums
Compiled by Zachary Lewis
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Give a year of experiences with membership to an area museum. Many of the museums listed here are geared to families or have family-fun activites, making membership a yearlong gift for families looking for something to do (and to maybe sneak in a little learning). Up the fun factor by adding a gift from the gift shop.
• SEE Science Center (see-sciencecenter.org, 669-0400, 200 Bedford St., Manchester) Memberships are available as gifts and gift cards are available too. Membership plans range from $30 to $150 per year. All membership levels include priority admission and discounts to SEE special programs and summer camp; $50 discount on a child’s birthday party at SEE; 10 percent off purchases at the SEE gift shop over $10; and reciprocal membership with the Millyard Museum, which is in the same building. Membership also includes occasional special benefits; for example, in January 2025 SEE members may save on admission fees at the Seacoast Science Center in Rye, and in May SEE members can receive free admission for up to four people one time at the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center in Holderness.
The SEE Science Center is open from Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with last admission 3 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m with last admission at 4 p.m. SEE will be closed on Tuesday, Dec. 24, and Wednesday, Dec. 25, but will be open on select Mondays and holidays/school vacations including Mondays, Dec. 23 and Dec. 30. The SEE Gift Shop has science souvenirs, books, science kids and other toys.
• McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Drive, Concord, starhop.com, 271-7827) Membership packages range from $35 a year to $300 a year depending on the level; a family membership, for example, admits a member and four guests and costs $120 per year. All member levels are 10 percent off until Saturday, Dec. 14. They will have special shopping hours from Monday, Dec. 16, through Friday, Dec. 20, and the Science Store gift shop will be open from 10:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. each day (the exhibits and planetarium will be closed on those days).
According to their website, all membership levels include free admission to the Discovery Center exhibit halls, the Science Playground, and regularly scheduled planetarium shows; free admission to their monthly Super Stellar Fridays series; and free or reduced admission to more than 300 science centers that are part of the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) reciprocal program. Membership also includes discounts on Discovery Center workshops and programs, and discounts at the Science Store. For more information contact Kelly Thompson at [email protected] or call 415-1657.
At the Science Store, find a variety of space- and science-themed toys and items including stuffed spacecraft and space-themed socks.
• The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road, Londonderry, 669-4820, aviationmuseumofnh.org) This museum dedicated to the science, technology, history and culture of aviation features interactive exhibits and educational programs. Youth programs include the ‘Flights of Discovery’ Summer Camp as well as the high school student plane-building project.
Membership is open to anyone, and membership benefits include free admission to the Aviation Museum; a subscription to the quarterly Aeronaut publication; borrowing privileges in the Slusser Aviation Lending Library; regular email updates about museum activities and events; and a 20 percent discount at the Aviation Museum store, according to the Museum’s website.
Individual memberships are $50 and a membership for two is $100. Three premium levels of membership range from $250 to $1000.
The Aviation Museum is open Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m. It is open to appointments or private group tours as well. Admission costs $10 for adults, $5 for seniors age 65 and over, veterans, active duty and kids ages 6 through 12, and is free for kids age 5 and under, with a $30 maximum for families.
The gift shop will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily Monday, Dec. 16, through Sunday, Dec. 22. The shop features airplane and aeronautical themed toys and stuffed animals as well as museum merch.
The museum also sells Heritage Trail passports which cost $30 and offer one free admission each to 21 New Hampshire museums (see nhmuseumtrail.org).
• The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St., Dover, 742-2002, childrens-museum.org) This family museum features unique interactive exhibits with a focus on art, science and culture.
The Children’s Museum has various membership levels, according to their website. A family membership is $125 and allows unlimited visits to CMNH for one year for two parents and their dependent children under 18 living in the same household; 10 percent off museum shop purchases, classes, camps, and museum rentals; and pre-sale access and invitations to special events. Guest options can be added to a membership. You can also gift one-time passes for $12.50 each.
The museum offers a variety of special programs throughout the year. Coming up: Jingle Bell Extravaganza will take place on Sunday, Dec. 22, at 1 and 3 p.m. Participants will meet Santa for a photo opportunity and receive a special gift, and there will be hands-on holiday craft activities and a magical science experiment. Tickets are $18 for members, $22 for nonmembers, and free for kids under 12 months.
On Tuesday, Dec. 31, parents, children and extended families can “ring in 2025 together while the sun is shining” at the Museum’s Family New Year’s Eve Celebration. The countdown to midnight will be held at 10:30 a.m. during the morning play session and at 2 p.m. during the afternoon play session. Tickets are $6.50 for members, $13 for nonmembers, and free for kids under the age of 12 months.
Museum hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to noon, with an additional session from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. The gift shop features games, toys, a variety of kinds of putty, stuffed animals and more.
• Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester, 669-6144, currier.org) The Currier is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Children 12 and under always have free gallery admission.
The second Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. is designated for special art-making activities whole family designed to relate to an exhibition or the collection, complemented by a 20- to 30-minute interactive family tour devoted to the month’s theme.
Currier Museum membership grants special access to exhibitions, invitations to special events, and a behind-the-scenes look at art. Individual membership costs $65 and includes unlimited free admission; invitations to member-only openings and events; 10 percent discount at the Museum Shop, café, and art classes; a special price for Frank Lloyd Wright tours; and one free admission pass for a friend. College students with a valid ID and seniors 65+ save $5 on an individual membership.
Dual membership costs $100 and applies to two adult cardholders. Seniors 65+ save $10 on a dual membership.
Household membership costs $120 and includes unlimited free admission for two adult cardholders and all family members under 18; two additional free general admissions for accompanying guests for each visit; invitations to member-only openings and events for the two cardholders; a special price for Frank Lloyd Wright tours; a 10 percent discount at the Museum Shop, café, and art classes; and two free admission passes for friends. Other membership levels range from $300 to $900. The museum shop offers gifts for all ages.
• The Millyard Museum (200 Bedford St., Manchester, manchesterhistoric.org, 622-7531 ) The Museum has two games that can be printed off or picked up at the museum: the Millyard Museum Fun Book, which has word searches, drawing, and more, and Mystery Objects, which is an I Spy-type scavenger hunt.
Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and college students, $5 for children between the ages of 12 to 18, and free for children under 12; Manchester Historic Association members are admitted at no charge. The Millyard Museum is generally open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Membership categories range from $40 to $1,000. A family/duel membership (covering a household) costs $75. Membership benefits according to the website include unlimited visits to the Millyard Museum and MHA Research Center; notice of exhibits, lectures, walking tours, concerts and special events; free or discounted admissions to MHA programs and events; special invitations to exhibit previews and special members-only events; 10 percent or greater discount on research services, photocopies and photograph orders and on purchases in the Museum Shop, and more. The museum shop sells a variety of items including Manchester and New Hampshire history-related books and souvenirs, old-fashioned kids’ toys and the Association’s 2025 calendar (which costs $18).
Henry can be reached at [email protected]. His column appears here monthly.
