What's in My Wallet? Memberships to museums, aquariums and other places to run the kids

What's in My Wallet is a series of posts from WalletPop writers and editors that will help you maximize your financial self according to what you carry.

I was never one of those organized sorts who bought memberships to museums and other public places. Even when I found myself returning repeatedly -- the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC comes to mind -- the price tags on those membership cards always seemed too steep at first glance.

But then I had kids. And those kids started walking and running. And they needed to be entertained, often in wide-open spaces. The cost of memberships to large, public institutions began to make sense.

Now that my kids are in grade school, I have a number of memberships to places that serve two purposes: They are educational; and they're great places to run (read: exhaust) a couple of over-active kids.