Unlimited Museum Visits for Your FamilyFrom $150 a Year.
A $150 membership covers one adult and one child, and pays for itself in 6 visits. A family of four is $250, and pays for itself in 5. Either way, every visit after that is on us.
Join the Idaho families who visit CMI each year.
Become a Member · $150/year (opens in a new tab)Opens sales.cmidaho.org in a new tab.
125,000+
visits a year
41
hands-on exhibits, plus a kids' planetarium
2018
serving the Treasure Valley since
Most families start here.
Base Membership
$150/year
1 adult + 1 child · unlimited visits · members-only mornings · free planetarium · 10% off birthday parties
Add another member of your household for $50 each, or an alternate adult for $75. See all options below ↓
How a CMI membership works.
Three quick answers.
Who's covered
The Base Membership covers one adult and one child. Add another member of your household (adult or child) for $50 each, or an alternate adult for $75: one unnamed slot, so a grandparent or a regular caregiver can bring the kids without you. Children under 12 months are always free at CMI, member or not.
How you use it
There's no card to carry. Bring a photo ID and we'll find you at the front desk. Unlimited visits, no reservations, no per-visit charges.
When it expires
One year from the day you purchase. We'll email a friendly reminder a few weeks before. No surprise charges, no auto-renewal you didn't ask for.
When a membership pays for itself.
At the front desk, general admission is $13 a person, ages 2–64.
Family of four, Annual + 2 ($250)
5
visits to pay for itself
2 adults + 2 children: $52 a visit
$52 × 5 = $260
Base Membership ($150)
6
visits to pay for itself
1 adult + 1 child: $26 a visit
$26 × 6 = $156
Every visit after that is on us.
Rainy Tuesday
Grandma's visit
Birthday week
Planetarium show
After preschool
Snow day
A year in the life of a CMI member family.
Four small scenes. This is what unlimited looks like.
Tuesday after preschool
Benefit: Unlimited visits.
School lets out at 3, it's raining, and there's an hour to fill before dinner. You come in, she builds a railway at the train table, you leave when she's ready. No tickets, no clock-watching, no pressure to stay until you've "earned" the visit.
Saturday morning, before the crowds
Benefit: Members-only mornings, 9–10am Monday through Saturday.
Doors open an hour early for members. The exhibits are quiet, and your shy four-year-old, who freezes in noisy spaces, actually walks up to the giant light-peg panel on her own. You hang back and let her take her time.
Or scroll on. There are two more scenes.
Grandma's visit
Benefit: Add an alternate adult ($75) and free planetarium shows.
Grandma drives in from Nampa. The alternate-adult slot isn't tied to one name, so whoever brings the kids that day is covered: she just shows her ID at the desk. She takes them to the planetarium (free for members, $2 per person in addition to museum admission for everyone else), and you get three hours to yourself.
Snow day
Benefit: The indoor place that's always there.
School's closed. Roads are icy, the grandparents are an hour away, and the house is approaching meltdown. You drive five minutes to CMI. They're open. You stay until lunch.
Pick the membership that fits your family.
Most families start with the Base Membership. Add adults or kids whenever you're ready.
Base Membership
$150/year
About $12.50/month · billed once annually
1 adult + 1 child · unlimited visits
- Unlimited visits for one year
- Members-only mornings 9–10am Mon–Sat
- Free planetarium shows
- 10% off birthday parties
Annual + 1
$200/year
About $16.67/month · billed once annually
One adult and two children, or two adults and one child
- Everything in Base
- One more named member of your household, any age
- Members-only mornings + free planetarium for everyone on the membership
- Add further household members for $50 each
Annual + 2
$250/year
About $20.83/month · billed once annually
Two adults and two children, the typical family of four
- Everything in Base
- Two more named members of your household, any age
- Pays for itself in about five visits at the front-desk rate
- Members-only mornings + free planetarium for everyone on the membership
Bigger household? The ladder keeps going: every extra named person is $50, up to seven. Ask at the front desk or call us and we'll build it with you.
Need a grown-up who changes week to week? Add an Alternate Adult for $75 to any level above. It's one unnamed slot that a partner, grandparent or sitter can each use, a different person every visit.
Already a member? Renew online (opens in a new tab).
Giving a membership as a gift? Choose “Gift For Someone Else” on the membership page (opens in a new tab).
There are no physical membership cards. Bring a photo ID and we'll find you. Memberships are non-transferable and non-refundable. Renewal is manual: we'll email a reminder, never a surprise charge.
Scholarship Memberships, for families who need a hand.
If your family qualifies for SNAP/EBT or is fostering, our scholarship membership is 6 months at $35 (one adult + one child), plus $10 for each additional household member (up to 6). To enroll, bring your Food Stamp Coverage Letter and EBT card (or your Foster Parent Certification Letter) to the front desk, and we'll get you set up in about five minutes. Angelica, our Visitor Services Manager, handles every one personally.
Planetarium shows are $2 per person in addition to museum admission (they aren't covered by the scholarship), but everything else in the museum is included. We built this scholarship so no Treasure Valley family loses access to the museum.
What your membership helps sustain.
A membership at a non-profit children's museum is part contribution, part subscription. Your $150 helps keep the doors open for the kids and families who walk through them every year, and it helps sustain the programs we're proudest of:
Museum on the Move
Our mobile outreach program for rural Idaho classrooms.
Community Appreciation Day
Every second Thursday: $5 admission for everyone over 12 months.
Scholarship Memberships
6 months at $35 for EBT and foster families.
Children's Museum of Idaho is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. EIN 37-1899670.
Coming just a few times a year?
A full membership pays off around the 5th or 6th visit, depending on your family size. If you're planning only a few trips this year, or you have out-of-town grandparents who'll visit, the 10-Visit Punchcard is probably a better fit.
10-Visit Punchcard
$100
10 admissions · 1 year to use them
- $10 per admission: each punch lets one person in (the walk-up rate is $13)
- Best for irregular visitors, out-of-town family, or families who aren't sure yet
- Ask at the front desk or call 208.345.1920. The front desk takes cash, card and digital wallets
After about your 6th visit, you'll come out ahead with a membership. If that happens, ask at the front desk and we'll credit your unused punchcard value toward joining.
Questions before you join?
If your first visit doesn't go the way you hoped, call us at 208.345.1920. Memberships are non-refundable and non-transferable, but we'd rather hear from you than leave you frustrated.
Ready to join?
Opens sales.cmidaho.org in a new tab.
We can't wait to welcome your family.
Children's Museum of Idaho · 501(c)(3) non-profit · EIN 37-1899670 · 790 S Progress Avenue, Meridian, Idaho 83642