I'd hate myself if I wrote the words "museum hack," but I guess I already did it.
Most tourist passes are uninspired but museum lovers should take a serious look at joining the American Alliance of Museums. Though typically a membership for museum professionals, anyone can join. Better yet, members of the the AAM often receive free admission as a benefit to some truly stellar museums around the nation.
Though it is not a traditional "pass" per se, anyone can join and support the industry at large. Think of it as a museum pass that no one knows about.
Individuals can join for $90 per year; students and retirees are able to join for $50 per year. Fun fact: Most museums are part of networks, and the American Alliance of Museums is one of the biggest around, and includes everything from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in NYC to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum in Boston.
Generally, museum network members are often granted access to reciprocal museums, and this is where it gets fun with free admission to all museums part of the alliance.
Is it worth it? A simple case study in NYC: The Whitney Museum of American Art charges $30 and the The Morgan Library & Museum charges $25.50 for an adult. Tack on the Guggenheim ($30) and the price of individual admission has already almost surpassed the cost of the membership.
Most people will break even right around the four-museum-per-year mark.
If you're interested in a particular museum, some offer ticket reservations online. There also may be a discount for additional guests and visitors, but it is dependent on the museum and availability.
Either way, it's a lot better than general admission, in our opinion.
Some members report that they are also able to get shop or café discounts. Check this list for exact benefits (subject to change).
To sweeten the pot, Metafilter user mmmcmmm also notes:
Also, you often get a second person in with your membership, just ask. Not every museum does it, but most do (ICA and MFA in Boston, MoMA, the New Museum, the Whitney, the Gugg, etc). For MoCA in LA, it even gets you the free member parking. And you can skip the big lines at MoMA and go straight to members services. Only museum I've ever been to that isn't a member, for whatever reason, is MassMoCA.
Seems like a no brainer.
