Above: The Southborough Library offers passes to a wide variety of venues for some great day trips. (photos by Beth & Joao Melo, plus promo image from American Heritage Museum)
Occasionally, I like to remind readers of all the great museums and parks that the Southborough Library offers discount admission to. The passes are available to anyone with a library card.
Summer is an especially great time to take advantage of the options. And given the extreme heat forecast to continue through Saturday night, many of the indoor ones can be great options for 4th of July fun or celebrating the nation’s history. I took a look and I was surprised to discover that most are open for regular hours over the holiday weekend.
That said — some of the passes are physical ones that need to be picked up from the library. (That includes circulating passes that must be returned and printed 1-time use coupons.) Since the library is closed this Friday through Sunday, that means fetching them by 9:00 pm tonight.
But, if you miss that deadline, you may be able to find a museum with an e-pass available. (Those are digital coupons are automatically issued by email, even when the library is closed.)
Looking beyond this week, the Library is closed Saturdays now through August and Sundays year-round. That means that any physical passes for those days would also need to be picked up in advance.
Reusable passes need to be returned by 10:00 am the next day the library is open. (For the summer, that means passes for Fridays through Sundays can be dropped in the return box by Monday morning.) But some of the physical passes are coupons that don’t require that. (Details for each pass are noted on the library’s museum pass page.)
If you’re looking to honor the nation’s 250th this summer, you may want to visit the USS Constitution Museum or the American Heritage Museum (which does cover history and artifacts starting with the American revolution, even though that’s not clear from the website).
But if military history isn’t your thing, something else will surely pique your interest. The passes offer options for lovers of animals, art, science, nature, basketball, and more. There are venues geared to little tots and others more appreciated by adults. And there are outdoor ones that could help you make the most of a nice outdoor day later this summer, while others are perfect for escaping heat/rainy weather.
The 20+ passes help make affordable visits to far more museums and parks all across the state. (Below, I’ve identified which are have e-passes and which have holiday closures this summer):
- American Heritage Museum, Hudson
- Boston Children’s Museum, Boston (e-pass)
- Davis Farmland, Sterling (e-pass)
- Discovery Museum, Acton (closed July 4th & Labor Day)
- EcoTarium, Worcester
- Harvard Museums of Science and Culture, Cambridge
- The Icon Museum & Study Center, Clinton (closed July 4th)
- Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, Boston (e-pass, closed July 4th)
- Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston (e-pass, closed July 4th)
- Massachusetts State Parks, statewide
- Mass State Police Museum & Learning Center, Whitinsville (closed July 4th)
- Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (e-pass)
- Museum of Science, Boston (e-pass)
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Springfield
- New England Aquarium, Boston (e-pass)
- New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, Boylston
- Salem Witch Museum, Salem
- Trustees Go Pass
- Access/parking at many of The Trustees of Reservations properties
- Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, Ipswich
- Decordova Sculpture Park, Lincoln (Note: the Museum’s inside galleries are closed for renovations through spring 2028)
- Fruitlands Museum, Harvard
- USS Constitution Museum, Charlestown
- Worcester Art Museum, Worcester (closed July 4th)
- Zoo New England
- Franklin Park Zoo, Boston
- Stone Zoo, Stoneham
You can find details and reserve passes through the library’s website pass manager. Or you can make reservations by calling 508-485-5031 during library hours.
Most of the passes are made possible through funding from the Friends of the Southborough Library.* The Southborough Gardeners sponsor the Tower Hill pass.
*Full Disclosure: I am president of The Friends of the Southborough Library. If you are interested in supporting the Friends, you can learn more here.
