Summer Savings & Fun for Military Families

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Military DiscountsI’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, one of the things that can make military life enjoyable is getting out and exploring the area you are stationed in. Military days and programs like Blue Star Museums makes it easier to get out and enjoy participating museums here in Dayton and nationwide. If you are military and new to the area, you’ll want to check out this area institutions.

Military Family Free Dayz at Columbus Zoo is honoring members of the military by offering free Zoo admission and discounted Zoombezi Bay admission ($22.99/person) to all active duty members and veterans and their immediate families from June 29 through July 5, 2015.

Spending the day at the Columbus Zoo thanks to USO!
Spending the day at the Columbus Zoo thanks to USO!

Cincinnati Zoo is offering free admission on July 4th and Veteran’s Day for all members of the military, active and retired, and you are able to purchase up to 6 half-price admission tickets for immediate family.

Blue Star Museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 2,000 museums across America to offer free admission to the nation’s active-duty military personnel and their families, including National Guard and Reserve, from Memorial Day, May 25, 2015 through Labor Day, September 7, 2015.

Locally, America’s Packard Museum, Aullwood Audobon Center and Farm, The Dayton Art Institute, and Brukner Nature Center are participating this year. If you want to travel a little further, cities throughout the nation can be found at the Blue Star Families website. Nearby participants include Cincinnati Art Museum, Columbus Museum of Art, and, also in Columbus, Ohio History Center and Ohio Village.

Exploring at Brukner Nature Center
Exploring at Brukner Nature Center

For the those of you that like to be able to complete a checklist, The Dayton Art Institute has a Museum Kidd’s Club where your child can earn an art kit and you can visit Armstrong Air & Space Museum in Wapakoneta on your way to earning Wilbear Wright teddy bear from Aviation Trail, Inc. Be sure to join Blue Star Families to find out about arts events and to enter the Way Cool Creativity Contest.

There are also several other organizations serving the military in Ohio. Follow them on social media for information about events and camps for military kids throughout the year.

Want to get to a ball game this summer? The Cincinnati Reds have Military Appreciation Days and the Dayton Dragons have Hometown Heroes Celebration Nights.

Hiking at Aullwood Nature Center!
Hiking at Aullwood Nature Center!

 

Finally, if you are looking to explore the great outdoors this summer, be sure to pick up a free National Parks and Recreational Lands Pass from the National Park Service. Of course, the beautiful Five Rivers MetroParks and local city and county parks are available year round, too.

For year round discounts and information, the local Information Tickets and Travel (ITT) Office at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is the #1 place to go for discounted tickets for military. You’ll also want to follow Wright-Patterson AFB, Airman & Family Readiness Center and 88th Force Support Squadron on Facebook for unique opportunities.

If I didn’t touch on it…what local attractions are you hoping to visit this summer?

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Michelle
I am a mom of two little girls (a preschooler and a toddler), wife to a member of the US Air Force, and work full time for the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. After a few years as a stay-at-home mom, I recently went back to work and back into my first love, the performing arts. When I'm not at work, I am trying to figure out how to keep two little ones happy and entertained, and I blog at Domesticating Michelle. Originally from Miami, Florida, I first moved to Dayton when I got married in 2006. After a couple of years away, we returned with a child and a second on the way in 2013. One of the beauties of military life is that you never know how long you'll live somewhere so you might as well enjoy as much of it as you can. I love that Dayton has lots to offer families and kids with plenty for couples to enjoy on date night, too. I am often up way too late on Facebook or blogging and can be spotted with a cup of coffee nearby as a result. I usually have a camera around my neck and am more than happy to show you 100 pictures of what we did all weekend. What I like best about motherhood is getting to experience things through my kids eyes and that, in trying to expose my kids to new things, I have to be ready to do them, too.