by Catherine Vasko
In recent years, libraries across America have been rapidly expanding their museum pass programs. Did you know that Adams County Library System recently implemented one of their very own?
Museum passes within libraries are able to be checked out, granting you admission to museums, zoos, gardens, and cultural institutions. And the best part? They are free, helping break down accessibility barriers and reduce families’ admission costs. For those who have an Adams County Library System card, passes are available via our Library of Things and can be reserved in advance either online or over the phone using your Adams County Library System card. Options include:
The Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts: known as central Pennsylvania’s premier center for education and cultural enrichment. The Whitaker Center is a thought leader in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) engagement for all ages and backgrounds. Their Under the Canopy exhibit about the rainforest runs this summer until August 31st and includes live animals. Their next exhibit opening in September is titled Mission Aerospace: a love letter to the sky and all the cool things that fly through it, covering the history of rockets and flight, including everything from early airplanes and jet fighters to Mars rovers and space shuttles.
Located in central Pennsylvania’s very own chocolate town, Hershey Gardens is a 23-acre botanical garden set atop a hill overlooking Hershey. The gardens were built as a gift from chocolate magnate Milton S. Hershey for his community and to honor his wife, Catherine, and feature a breathtaking assortment of flowers and shrubs, a stately collection of rare, signature trees, and various programs designed to delight visitors of all ages. Highlights include an indoor, tropical Butterfly Atrium inside the Milton & Catherine Hershey Conservatory and the hands-on Children’s Garden. Check the gardens’ website to see what is in bloom. The rose season there is my personal favorite, but I’ve heard fantastic things about autumn in the gardens!
Lastly, passes to the Lake Tobias Wildlife Park provide fun family activities and animal attractions for all ages. At the 150-acre wildlife park and zoo, patrons can encounter exotic animals in immersive wildlife habitats to see giraffes, tigers, zebras, baboons, ostriches, gibbons, kangaroos, lions, and more: totaling over 1,000 animals from six continents! The park also has a separate Petting Zoo for both young children and adults who are young at heart, and a Reptiles & Exotics Building to see all things scaly and slithery, plus fascinating exotic mammals and tropical birds. Safari tours are also offered for a separate cost.
Each museum pass kit in the library’s catalog comes with a set number of passes on individual lanyards in a zippered bag. The Whitaker Center pass provides admission for 2 adults and up to 4 kids. Hershey Gardens admits up to four people; Lake Tobias includes entry for up to five people (Safari Tour not included). Passes have a one-week checkout period, and while they have been very popular, don’t let the wait list deter you! The experience each of these cultural institutions provides is worth the wait. You can request pick-up from any Adams County Library System location.
Catherine Vasko is Branch Manager of Trone Memorial Library of East Berlin, part of the Adams County Library System.