With everything from gas to milk prices on the rise, saving money is more important than ever before. Skiing, snow tubing, amusement parks, even rides on the Metro, we’ve rounded up the 9 best free passes available to kids and their families in the DMV. They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch, but guess what, we even found that too!
Kids Ride Free Program
The Kids Ride Free program allows students to ride for free on Metrobus, Metrorail, and the DC Circulator while traveling within the District. Thanks to Mayor Muriel Bowser and the District Department of Transportation, students ages 5-21 who reside in the District of Columbia, and attend school in the District, are eligible to receive a SmarTrip card to cover their transit trips within DC. The 2021-2022 Kids Ride Free SmarTrip cards will remain valid through Sept. 30, 2022. Cards are sent to all DC public and charter schools for distribution.
Ticket to Discovery Book Club: Port Discovery Museum
Baltimore City children, 5th grade and younger, can earn free tickets to Port Discovery Museum by reading (or listening to) five books of their choosing. Books read are logged on the Ticket to Discovery Bookmark. Port Discovery is Baltimore's Children's Museum geared towards babies to 10 year olds. Kids will experience sensory play, music, story time and art, with activities separated by age groups. Children who complete the 5 book challenge will get 2 free admission tickets. They can be used through Aug. 31, 2022.
Online: portdiscovery.org
Read to Reef: Baltimore Aquarium
Kids in 5th grade or below that live in Baltimore City can earn up to 4 tickets for 1 visit to the National Aquarium located in Baltimore's Inner Harbor by enrolling in the Enoch Pratt's Read to Reef Bookmark program. Kids must read (or listen to) five aquatic or conservation themed books that are age-level appropriate and log them in their bookmark. Kids 2 & under do not need tickets, if not all 4 tickets are used for the visit the remaining tickets are forfeited. It's too late to register for the spring, but mark you calendar to register in early Oct. for the fall season. The National Aquarium is home to thousands of animals and hundreds of species. You can see ones that live in the depths of the ocean to the tops of the rainforest trees. Don't miss the resident dolphins in the Dolphin Discovery area with underwater viewing!
Insider tip: If you don't live in city limits, you can still score a deal. Every Fri. admission to the aquarium is half-priced and if you visit during the holiday season, the National Aquarium participates in $1 days.
Online: aqua.org
Kids Cheer Free Orioles Park
Take them out to the ballgame...for free! With the purchase of an adult Upper Deck ticket to a Baltimore Orioles game, adults can add up to 2 free kids' tickets for guests aged 9 & under (kids under 3 do not require a paid ticket to attend). You must book through the Kids Cheer Free link. Every Sunday kids aged 4-14 can run the bases after home games. There is also a Kids' Corner in the Park, located near Gate C, with a playground, kid friendly concessions, additional seating and televisions for keeping up with the game. All kids participating in the Kids Cheer Free program are eligible for any giveaway items available on the day they are attending.
Online: mlb.com/orioles
Kings Dominion Pre-K Pass
Kids ages 3-5 (at time of registration) are eligible for a free season pass to Kings Dominion & Soak City, located east of Richmond off 95 about 1 hour 45 minutes from DC. Parents must register online by Sept. 5, 2022 and take the printed pass to the park along with a passport or birth certificate (original or copy) to receive the Pre-K Pass. Free entry will be allowed with no restrictions through the end of 2022. Check out the season pass options for adults and children over 5 (kids 2 & under are always free) to make frequent visits a breeze. Don't miss the kid-sized replica of an authentic steam locomotive, Snoopy's Junction, located in Planet Snoopy. The entire family is sure to love Woodstock Whirlybirds (think teacup ride at Disney) and the wooden carousel that has over 66 hand carved horses. Look for Ruby, the special horse added to the carousel to celebrate Kings Dominion's 40th birthday in 2015.
Online: kingsdominion.com
Busch Gardens Williamsburg & Water Country USA Preschool Pass
A trip to Busch Gardens, located about 2.5 hours from DC, just got more affordable! So start planning a weekend trip and use the Preschool Pass for your kids ages 3-5 to get free tickets (kids 2 & under are free). You must register online and visit the park by May 31, 2022 to activate your pass (which grants unlimited free admission through Oct. 31, 2022). Pass numbers are limited so book soon. Busch Gardens is separated into lands based on Countries around the world. Your kids will love Land of the Dragons in Germany and you'll find some familiar friends in England at the Sesame Street Forest of Fun. Use the train and sky ride to give little feet a break when navigating around the park. Don't forget your Pre School pass also includes admission into Water Country USA, Virginia's largest water park! The H2O UFO, Cow-A-Bunga and Kritter Korral are all designed for little swimmer and splashers. Spray jets, waterfalls and slides will keep everyone cool this summer.
Online: buschgardens.com/williamsburg
Every Kid Outdoors National Park Pass
Calling all 4th graders! You can take your family to explore National Parks throughout the US with the Every Kid Outdoors National Park Pass. Just fill out the online diary entry about things you would like to do and see at National Parks, read it to someone and then print your pass (electronic passes are not accepted so make sure you keep that printed copy on hand). The current pass expires Aug. 31, 2022 and the new season will correspond with the 2022-2023 school year. Fourth graders were chosen for this park pass because research shows that kids ages 9 to 11 are beginning to learn about the world around them, are open to new ideas and likely to connect to nature and our history. Don't worry if you don't have a 4th grader yet, the program runs every year. Virginia is home to 22 National Parks. Great Falls National Park is right in our back yard and Shenandoah National Park is an easy day trip from the DMV. Use your park pass to visit Greenbelt Park in Maryland where you can camp just 10 miles from the Washington Monument and enjoy 9 miles of trails. Or plan a summer road trip and hit some of the iconic National Parks that dot our Country!
Online: everykidoutdoors.gov
Ski West Virginia Passport Program
Free skiing and snowboarding in West Virginia can be scored by fourth and fifth graders (almost free, there is a $35 administration fee for each passport). Designed to introduce 4th and 5th graders to winter sports in West Virginia, and open to everyone regardless of residency, the 2021/2022 season offered 3 lift ticket coupons at Winterplace, Oglebay, Canaan Valley and Timberline Mountain, while Snowshoe provided 1 lift ticket to pass holders. Canaan Valley and Timberline Mountain are the closest to DC. The program runs Jan.-Mar. and includes blackout days for holidays such as MLK and Presidents Day weekends. Anticipate the 2022/2023 program to begin registration in Nov. You can sign up for emails via the Sky WV website here to get the official word on the start of the new pass season.
Online: goskiwv.com
The Book It! Program
If you remember earning a pizza from Pizza Hut® for reading as a kid you are one of the first generation members of the Book It! reading incentive program, and now your kids are the second generation participants (how cool is that?). Founded by Pizza Hut® in 1984, it is the largest and longest-running corporate supported reading program (and for good reason...who doesn't love pizza?). Students in Pre-K through 6 grade in classrooms and homeschool are eligible for the program. Educators must sign up (let your school know if they aren't currently enrolled). Book It! also offers a Camp Book It! Summer Program designed to keep students reading through the summer. It is open to kids ages 4-12. Parents set reading goals online and kids earn an Award Certificate, good for a one topping Personal Pan Pizza® from Pizza Hut®, when met. Registration for Camp Book It! began in Mar. of 2022.
Online: bookitprogram.com
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