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NARM - Benefits of Reciprocal Membership

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Battleship New Jersey In January we purchased a membership to a local museum ( Havre de Grace Decoy Museum ) because I knew we could get the NARM reciprocal benefits . Many museums are connected to various groups like NARM or ASTC and then members are able to use their membership at one museum to get into other museums. This is how our family is able to visit lots of locations affordably. To help you see the benefits of such a membership, here is where we have gone so far and how much it would have cost: Havre de Grace Decoy Museum ($12) Delaware Museum of Natural History ($36) Battleship New Jersey ($65) Penn Museum ($44) Hagley Museum ($27) Eastern State Penitentiary ($32) These visits would have cost $216 and I didn't even take the whole family on these outings. The Association Membership at the decoy museum cost $100. We still have almost 11 months left to use this membership and have already saved over $100. I also like being able to support a local

Friday Deal Tip- Priceless Art for Free (or a penny!)

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Do you like art museums? Are you intimidated by the idea of taking your kids to an art museum? Don't be. Art museums are for all ages and there are many art museums that are free, have free days, or pay-what-you-wish times. Many have a wide variety of art, so you may find pieces you love and pieces you detest in the same building. That's part of the fun! Pick your favorites and least favorites. Baltimore area residents:      We have 2 amazing art museums in Baltimore that are free!       The Walters Art Museum has a wonderful collection of ancient art, as well as European, Renaissance, Asian, and more. If you have kids that find ancient Egypt interesting, they will enjoy this museum. It has a variety of rooms and displays, so explore the various floors. They even have magnifying glasses for kids to use in some of the rooms to look at jewelry and smaller items. Walters Art Museum- Special Faberge exhibit on 1st floor       Baltimore Museum of Art is another large

Friday Deal Tip- WOW Air

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In case you haven't heard of WOW air yet, I want to let you in on the secret. If you have always dreamed of flying to Europe, but haven't been able to justify the cost of a plane ticket, this might be your chance. WOW air is a discount airline similar to Southwest, Spirit, or Frontier. You have the ticket cost and then you have to pay for everything else as add-ons, from luggage to seat assignments to food. This way you can have more control over your ticket price and not pay for things you don't need. WOW air has its hub in Reykjavik, Iceland and flies to several places in Europe, the U.S., Canada, and Israel. Right now, they are also running a special spring deal of 25% off (see below for code). I heard about WOW air from a friend who used it to fly to Germany from BWI and her family was very pleased with the price and planes. My husband and I have been wanting to do something for our 20th wedding anniversary, so I was able to get round trip tickets for us to fly

Friday Deal Tip- Amusement Park Season Passes

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I hate to leave people out of the loop on deals I find out about, but I also know I can't always remember to personally tell all my friends. So, I have decided to post deals on Fridays. (I have linked to most of the pages. Just click on the name to go to their website.) This Friday's deal is time-sensitive, so it takes priority. " Six Flags has 18 parks across the United States, Mexico and Canada with world-class coasters, family rides for all ages, up-close animal encounters and thrilling water parks." - from their website They are currently offering VERY good deals on their season passes. They do vary by park. Six Flags America (Baltimore/DC) has one of the best deals at $61.99/person. It also includes lots of extra benefits right now, including free admission and parking to all the other Six Flags parks. There is another Six Flags in NJ and that one has a safari area that looks similar to the safari ride at Animal Kingdom in FL. I rode my first roller

The Disappearing Taj Mahal in Atlantic City

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The darkness of the Taj Mahal and the well-lit Hard Rock Cafe. The past and the future of the property.   Most of it is for sale or will be removed. Next week all of the Taj Mahal-inspired facade will be removed. This will soon be just a memory. Soon the only way you will be able to see the Taj will be in old movies like The Long Kiss Goodnight, Snake Eyes, and Rounders. Just a few of the massive chandeliers. Some are for sale for hundreds of dollars. After being in other casinos on the Boardwalk, this empty floor felt rather post-apocalyptic. The main floor is just part of a $500 million renovation and rebranding plan. The back of the chairs display the iconic logo. The gaming tables and chairs are now being sold to anyone who is willing to pay. Even the irons are for sale. Supposedly this will all be redone and opened by Memorial Day next year by Hard Rock International. Another view further back of the casino floor.

Susquehanna State Park (Harford County, MD)

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This is a great park along the Susquehanna River near Havre de Grace, MD. There are numerous trails to give variety to your hikes. We often park near the old mill where it's free and there are bathrooms available in the bottom of the barn at the top of the hill. The trail along the river follows an old railroad track, but there are hilly trails as well that give you an opportunity to enjoy beautiful plants and trees as well as large rock groupings. There's also the occasional wildlife to come across. We recently saw a small deer that decided to follow the trail we had just walked on. We have also parked at Steppingstone Museum, but that means that you will be hiking downhill at the beginning and uphill at the end. You can find more information at Susquehanna State Park .

That Fish Place (Lancaster, PA)

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Just a small portion of the fish tanks there. Though some of my family was disappointed there were no dogs, there was plenty of interesting animals to see at That Fish Place or That Pet Place in Lancaster, PA. It costs nothing to look and it was interesting to see such a variety of fish, reptiles, and rodents. Of course, my favorite part was the sting ray touch tank. I love any opportunity to pet sting rays and all of my kids finally tried this time. This visit ended up inspiring my youngest to save up for a fish of his own. The sting ray tank. One of the sting rays. Check out  That Fish Place/That Pet Plac e .