Finally, summer is upon us, and after a very cool spring, a mild season may not be too much to ask for. As a single dad it can be something of a part time job just to find summer activities for my very vivacious five year old boy. About every summer or so we here at Tyler TX Directory post an article about local attractions for kids and families, and I don’t want to rehash an old article. There are however, several seasonal passes to area activities that are worth looking into. I’ll start with the one that appeals to me the least.
Splash Kingdom in Canton has been advertising its summer pass on local radio. The cost is $95.00 for a single person, and lasts through the summer months. At first glance this is a great deal. The normal adult fee is nearly $22.00, (fees for children under 42 inches tall are just under $17.00), so obviously, in order to make the pass pay for itself a pass holder need only visit 4 times in the course of the summer break. There are a couple downsides however. The first is particularly relative. Tyler residents have a bit of a drive to Canton, so the odds are actually pretty good that customers in our immediate area would fall short of that many visits. The other drawback is that the pass is non-transferable and additional passes cannot be added. If you’re a young person who drives, or has friends who do, neither of these things are necessarily drawbacks, as you only need to pay for yourself. If on the other hand you have guests or a family it can still amount to a considerable cost, and may make the necessary four visits unrealistic.
The Caldwell Zoo is really one of Tyler’s biggest sources of pride, and draws visitors from all over East Texas. Zoo memberships are of course most practical for residents. They can be pricey depending on the size of the family but as they last the entire year they quickly pay for themselves. Memberships for individuals cost around $40.00. To add a guest is another $30.00. They also offer a family package for around $90.00. (The names of the children / grandchildren are attached to the account). Other benefits include discounts for paying guests, and on food and concessions. I really love this pass, especially in the spring and early summer. The only real drawback for me is that as summer progresses the heat makes the visits shorter. Thankfully they are still good during the later months of the year.
Discovery Science Place offers one of the best values in our area, when it comes to memberships. For about $60.00 one adult can bring one child. For around $110.00 dollars customers can purchase a family package. $150 lets customers bring their family and another up to eight. There are a lot of additional benefits to a Science Place membership. I’m not going to list them all here, but they include four free guest passes a year and discounted or free admission to science museums all over the world. Discovery Science is not a large museum but it is a great educational summer stop, particularly as the season starts to heat up, and indoor activities preferred.
Tyler State Park offers the last season pass I wanted to mention. For $70.00 visitors are entitled to enter the park for the day for free. The daily rate without a pass is only $5.00 and children under twelve are free already, but if readers spend many summer days at the lake; this is really a great deal. Now, the pass doesn’t apply to overnight stays, but it does include a discount on camping fees. This is also a yearly pass, and holders can purchase an additional or “secondary” pass for only $25.00. One of the things I love about this membership is that it can be used throughout the state park system in Texas so it should be fairly easy for this pass to pay for itself.