Upsides to the Down Economy/ Join a Local Attraction

Yesterday we went to the Chocolate Festival at Fairchild Tropical Gardens. Zeke got a family membership because he did pro bono work for the Garden, so our membership was essentially free (if you don't count the hours of work he did on their behalf). Joining a local museum or attraction for a yearly membership is a great idea IF you use it often. Fairchild Tropical Garden is five minutes away from our house, so it is ideal for us to hop over there on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Normal admission for the Chocolate Festival was $20 for adults, $10 for kids so it would have cost us $60 to get in if we didn't have the membership (which normally costs $125). If you attend two events, the membership has pretty much paid for itself. Originally started by David Fairchild, the Garden is also a great place to take visitors from out of town. Since we've had the membership, we've gone to a Green Festival, The Ramble, The Mango Festival and The Chocolate Festival. I usually try to only join one organization a year, otherwise I don't really get enough use out of it. Next event, however, I will try to attend early in the day. Hitting the free chocolate demo section at midday, the last day of the festival, was a recipe for disaster. And not a sweet one, at that.