If you were planning a summer outing to the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, grab your wallet.
Once free, entry into the garden will be $12 for adults, $10 for those over 65 and $6 for kids ages 6 to 15 starting July 19.
Why the sudden cost? Fort Worth City Council approved the plan back in November to help fill some budget holes, and they say the revenue from the fees will help new features move forward.
Annual membership levels were also given the OK by council members:
- Family (two adults and children under 18 years old living in the household), $100
- Lone Star Family (same as above), $30
- Individual (one person), $50
- Dual (two adults), $80
- Contributing (family plus one additional adult per visit), $200
- Supporting (family plus two additional adults per visit), $500
- Sponsor (family plus two adults per visit and two event tickets), $1,000
Still, there are some ways around the new fees:
- Lone Star Card discounts (SNAP/WIC Card). Discounted annual family membership would cost $30, or $2.50 per month. That includes reciprocal admission to other gardens.
- The Museums4All program allows for $1 per adult member; children under 18 get in free.
- MusePass. Free family passes available in Fort Worth Public Library branches, including the option to check them out electronically.
- Sponsored third-grade field trips for FWISD schools. One free family pass would be included per student.
- Families of active military members get in free through Memorial Day through Labor Day.
- Community-based free family passes. Free family admission vouchers would be distributed to locations that specialize in meeting the needs of underserved populations.
