If your family has a membership at a science center, the ASTC Passport Program lets you visit hundreds of other science and technology museums across the country for free. The catch is the 90-mile rule: museums within 90 miles of your home science center or your home address are excluded. Use the map below to instantly see which museums you can visit for free on your next trip.
ASTC Passport Rule Checker
Explore science centers you can visit for free using the 90-mile rule.
How to Use This Map
- Enter your home science center, the one where you hold your membership.
- Optionally enter your home address to apply the second 90-mile exclusion.
- Museums inside the shaded zones are off-limits. Everything outside is fair game.
About the ASTC Passport Program
If you haven’t heard of the ASTC Travel Passport Program, it’s worth knowing about. It’s a reciprocal membership benefit run by the Association of Science and Technology Centers. Basically, if you’re a member at one participating science center, you can walk into hundreds of others around the world without paying admission. We’re talking well-known institutions like the Exploratorium in San Francisco, Liberty Science Center in New Jersey, Space Center Houston, the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, and the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, plus hundreds more across all 50 states, Canada, Europe, and beyond.
For families who travel, this can add up to serious savings. One membership at your local science center can quietly eliminate museum admission costs on trips all year long. For example, a Franklin Institute membership in Philadelphia excludes the New York Hall of Science at 88 miles away, but the Cradle of Aviation Museum on Long Island at 99 miles is fully eligible.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ASTC Passport Program?
It’s a travel benefit that comes with memberships at participating science and technology centers. Show your membership card at any other ASTC member institution while traveling and you get in free.
What exactly is the 90-mile rule?
Two exclusions apply: museums within 90 miles of your home science center are out, and so are museums within 90 miles of where you live. Both are measured in a straight line, not driving distance. A museum that’s a 2-hour drive away might still be excluded if it’s close as the crow flies.
Why does the 90-mile rule exist?
The exclusion around your home science center has been in place since 1999. It’s there so local institutions don’t lose paying visitors to their own members. The home address exclusion came later, in 2006, after people started gaming the system by buying cheap memberships at faraway museums just to get free admission to places near home.
Does my membership automatically include Passport access?
Not always. It depends on which tier you’re on. Some entry-level memberships don’t include the Passport benefit, so it’s worth double-checking with your home science center if you’re not sure.
Does it work outside the US?
Yes, there are participating museums in Canada, Europe, Asia, and elsewhere, though the US has by far the most locations.
How current is the data in this map?
ASTC updates its participant list every few months. The data here reflects the most recent list available at the time this was published.