Nashville gift guide: Give a year of fun with memberships to local attractions – Tennessean
If you want an easy, enduring gift for people on your Christmas list, consider giving a membership to a Nashville attraction.
Most of the memberships pay for themselves in two or three visits. They are easy to buy online, and they offer a year of entertainment and learning opportunities.
Plus, they are a great way to support local attractions.
Here are details on memberships to some of our top spots:
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
About the museum: Often referred to as the “Smithsonian of Country Music,” the not-for-profit museum offers a comprehensive look at country music history. The collection includes 2.5 million artifacts and showcases a vast array of items, from Elvis Presley’s solid gold Cadillac to Shania Twain’s outfit from her video “That Don’t Impress Me Much.” There are rotating exhibits, and the museum also operates the historic RCA Studio B — the recording home of Elvis Presley, the Everly Brothers and others — and Hatch Show Print, one of the oldest working letterpress shops in the country.
Gift ideas: Give experiences, not stuff, to make lasting memories
Cost of membership: $50 for an individual, or $100 for a family membership for two adults and children 12 and under. Troubadour Membership for young professionals ages 21-45 offers networking events and programs for $60 a year. A membership price increase is set for Jan. 1.
Regular admission: $25.95 general admission, $15.95 for youths 6-12, $23.95 for those 60 and older. Children 5 and younger get in free. Through the museum’s Community Counts initiative, youth ages 18 and under who live in Davidson and bordering counties get free admission. And there is a free admission deal for up to two Davidson County residents through the Community Counts Passport, available at Nashville Public Library locations.
Membership benefits: Free admission to museum galleries and programs, including hundreds of programs like weekly songwriter sessions, instrument demonstrations, screenings and member-only events and concerts, plus discounted tours of RCA Studio B and Hatch Show Print and a 10% discount on museum retail and dining.
Members: More than 6,000 member households
Reciprocals: None
Details: countrymusichalloffame.org
Coming in 2020: CMHOF exhibits to include Chris Stapleton, Martina McBride, Bill Anderson
Frist Art Museum
About the museum: The Frist, in the historic art deco former main post office building, is a nonprofit art-exhibition center, with rotating exhibits in four main galleries.
Cost of a membership: $50, $70 for dual membership, $50 for dual seniors (65 and older) and $75 for family membership, which includes general benefits for two adults and one caregiver, plus a birthday card and gift for children. The “Friend” level starts at $125, where contributors receive four single-visit guest passes and four free parking passes.
Regular admission: $15 for adults, free for kids 18 and younger. Discounts are available for seniors, college students with an ID and military with an ID.
Membership benefits: Unlimited free admission for a full year, free audio guides to select exhibitions, discounted parking in Frist lots, members-only events, 10% gift shop discount, reduced fees for classes and a subscription to the quarterly magazine.
Members: 12,800
Reciprocals: Reciprocal art museum relationships are offered to upper-level “Friend” members and give free and reduced-price admission to many art museums.
Details: membership@fristartmuseum.org or 615-744-4947
Nashville Zoo at Grassmere
About the zoo: Nashville Zoo offers a variety of exotic animals (2,674 animals representing 365 species), as well as animal shows, keeper talks, a carousel, train rides, a zip line, a historic home and farm and the Jungle Gym playground.
Cost of membership: $70 for single, $105 for dual, $145 for household (1 adult with an adult guest and children or grandchildren of the primary holder).
Regular admission: Saturdays: $19 adult, $14 child (2-12), $17 senior (65+), under 2 is free. Fridays and Sundays: $18 adult, $13 child (2-12), $16 senior (65+), under 2 is free. Save $1-2 on admission if visiting Monday-Thursday. Parking is $7.
Membership benefits: Members-only events and free and discounted admission to other events. Members get a 10% discount on concessions and purchases, member rates for camps and educational programs and free parking.
Members: 35,000
Reciprocal arrangements: Half off admission at many zoos and aquariums. See list at nashvillezoo.org.
Details: nashvillezoo.org/membership-information or 615-833-1534, ext. 125
Adventure Science Center
About the museum: This independent, not-for-profit science and technology center has nearly 75 years of service to the Nashville area and features 44,000 square feet of hands-on explorations into biology, astronomy, physics, music and sound.
Adventure Science Center is also home to the state-of-the-art Sudekum Planetarium, which presents daily programs on a wide range of sciences, history and culture, and offers monthly after-hours laser shows.
Cost of membership: Family memberships start at $139, which includes one or two adults and all children or grandchildren (ages 2-17) in the household. Discounts are available for Tennessee educators, seniors (65+), military, active first responders and Tennessee college students. There are subsidized memberships for those who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, WIC) and the Families First/Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
Regular admission: $18 for adults, $14 for youth (ages 2-12), free for children 2 and under. Daily planetarium shows are $8 for adults, $7 for youth (ages 2-12), free for children 2 and under. Discounts are available for Tennessee educators, seniors (65+), military, active first responders, and Tennessee college students, and subsidized admission for SNAP and TANF recipients. There is also a discount for admissions after 3 p.m.
Member benefits: Members get half-price Sudekum Planetarium and full motion simulator tickets, member priority check-in, invitations to member-exclusive events, a 15% discount in the gift shop, $2 discount on guest admission and discounts on camps, classes and special events.
Members: 10,000-plus households
Reciprocal arrangements: Free or discounted admission to 300-plus science museums worldwide, including the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
Details: adventuresci.org
Cheekwood Estate and Gardens
About Cheekwood: This 1930s Cheek family estate, with its Georgian mansion and 55 acres of cultivated gardens, is considered one of the finest American Country Place-era estates in the nation. Today it attracts about 225,000 visitors a year to see its botanical garden, arboretum and museum with historic rooms and art galleries, showcasing works from its 7,000-piece permanent collection, as well as traveling exhibitions. There are 12 distinct gardens and a mile-long woodland trail featuring modern and contemporary outdoor sculpture.
Cost of membership: $55, with several membership options up to the “Family Two,” which is $100, that is good for families and grandparents bringing children or grandchildren 17 and under. There is a $10 discount on memberships for seniors 65 and older, students, military members and educators.
Regular admission: $20
Membership benefits: Unlimited access throughout the year, as well as invitations to member-only events and previews and discounts for select special events.
Members: About 15,000 households
Reciprocal arrangements: Reciprocal admission to nearly 200 botanical gardens, arboreta and conservatories nationwide and over 60 museums in the Southeast.
Details: cheekwood.org
The Parthenon
About the Parthenon: The Nashville Parthenon, which is the centerpiece of Centennial Park, is a full-scale replica of the ancient Parthenon when it was a pagan temple to Athena in the 5th century BCE. Built as a temporary structure in 1897 as part of the Centennial Exposition, the permanent Parthenon was built on the original one’s foundation between 1920 and 1931. Inside is the Athena Parthenos statue, sculpted by Alan LeQuire in 1990, which stands 42 feet tall and is a full-scale replica of the Athenian original.
Cost of membership: Centennial Park Conservancy memberships start at $25 for students, seniors, teachers and military and $40 for individuals.
Membership benefits: Free admission to the Parthenon for a year, discounts at the Parthenon gift shop and select events and invitations to exclusive members-only previews and events. Higher levels receive complimentary tickets to the ECHO at the Parthenon chamber music series.
Regular admission: $6
Members: 700
Reciprocal arrangements: None
Details: conservancyonline.com or 615-862-8431
Nashville Shores
About Nashville Shores: The water park on Percy Priest Lake is offering season passes for $59.99 plus tax per person. If you purchase four or more, you get a free season parking pass ($29.99 value). There is also a five-payment plan if you purchase by Jan. 3, where you can pay approximately $12 a month for a season pass.
What you get: A season pass pays for itself in less than two visits. You also get three Bring-A-Friend Free one-day tickets to use on select days, a free souvenir bottle with $1.75 soft drink refills all summer and admission to special events, including fireworks, “dive-in” movies and concerts. Plus there are in-park discounts and discounts to the Treetop Adventure Park.
Details: You can purchase tickets online at nashvilleshores.com or at Nashville Shores offices between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Reach Ms. Cheap at 615-259-8282 or mscheap@tennessean.com. Follow her on Facebook at facebook.com/mscheap, and at Tennessean.com/mscheap, and on Twitter @Ms_Cheap, and catch her every Thursday at 11 a.m. on WTVF-Channel 5’s “Talk of the Town.”
Published 7:26 AM EST Dec 12, 2019
