As you get older, you should start gaining more free time to knock off more experiences from your bucket list. Your children move out and you no longer need to care for them. You partially or fully retire.
But you might also have a strict budget, which could limit your ability to enjoy that free time.
The good news? Many of the most sought-after experiences in the U.S. offer senior discounts. From sporting events to cruises to theme parks, you might be able to enjoy A-plus activities at a lower cost.
Today, I’m going to highlight some of the best discounted experiences for seniors that offer a discount based on your age. Let’s discuss some of the affordable adventures that await you.
Golden Years, Golden Deals: Spend Less on These Activities
Getting older doesn’t mean you have to sit at home every day. Far from it: Seniors typically have much more free time, and they actively seek out new fun activities to fill that time.
The following are some of the best experiences in the U.S. that also offer senior discounts. I’ll start with experiences in specific cities, then move on to discounts you can find across the country.
Importantly: The minimum age to be considered a senior varies by activity, so if a particular experience stands out, make sure you carefully verify the age limit before purchasing tickets to ensure you get your discount.
1. Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, often referred to as just “the Met,” is one of the most famous museums in the world. (And for what it’s worth, it’s my second-favorite museum as well, second only to The Louvre.)
It’s also enormous—by floor area, it’s the third-largest museum in the world. And the museum is so nice, it’s housed twice: The Met Fifth Avenue (Upper East Side) and The Met Cloisters (Upper Manhattan). The Met Fifth Avenue building alone has almost 14 acres of roof and could fit roughly 40 White Houses inside of it.
It’s often said that visitors can easily spend an entire day exploring the museum and still not see everything, and multiple Young and the Invested editors can confirm that was the case during their visits.
Fortunately, whether they’re trying to see it all in a day or spreading it out across multiple days, seniors can get into the Met for less. General adult admission, which you can purchase at metmuseum.org, is currently $30 per person, but seniors age 65 and over only need to pay $22. That’s an awfully big deal for all that museum acreage.
2. Madison Square Garden Tours
Madison Square Garden is home to the NHL’s New York Rangers, the NBA’s New York Knicks, professional boxing, college basketball, and other sporting events. It has also hosted legendary music acts from Elvis Presley to Madonna to Stevie Wonder, and more recently, Taylor Swift and Luke Bryan. This iconic NYC venue has even held political events and been visited by multiple popes.
MSG typically is open for public tours seven days a week. At the time of writing, standard adult tickets at the Ticketmaster Box Offices at Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall range from $37 to $43. Tickets purchased online range from $46 to $48.
Fortunately, seniors get a small discount. If you’re age 65 or older, you can get tickets in person at either location for between $32 to $38 or online for $41 to $43.
3. Yankees Tickets
Want to make your New York City visit complete? Why not catch a game at the new Yankee Stadium?
The 27-time MLB World Champion New York Yankees play in Yankee Stadium from April through September (and, of course, October and even November depending on whether they make a deep playoff run). And senior citizens who want to attend a game can get a home run of a deal on Yankees tickets.
Seniors can get up to 50% off advance ticket prices on select seats using XNow verification. To receive the discount, seniors need to do the following:
- Visit the Yankees’ senior-specials page.
- Click “Buy Now.”
- Log in or get verifified through XNow.
- Enter your unique code in the Offer Passcode box and press the “Unlock” button.
- View available seats using the interactive seat map.
- Choose and purchase your seats.
Hoping for last-minute tickets? You can text SENIORS to (917) 809-4227 to receive offers throughout the season.
Related: 10 Exclusive Hotel Discounts for Seniors
4. Art Institute of Chicago
Not everyone wants to travel to the Big Apple, however. If the Midwest is more your style, you could always enjoy time at the renowned Art Institute of Chicago.
This Midwestern gem is one of the oldest and most expansive art museums in the United States. The Art Institute of Chicago is packed with famous artwork, including American Gothic, Nighthawks, and paintings from Pablo Picasso.
General admission (which includes access to all of the museum’s galleries and nonticketed exhibitions) for standard adult tickets is $32. For seniors who are at least 65 years old, the cost goes down to $26. You can purchase tickets on the Art Institute’s website.
5. Brookfield Zoo
Chicago’s Brookfield Zoo has strong focuses on educational programming, breeding and conservation efforts, and research in veterinary science and husbandry. The zoo, which is open seven days a week, is home to a wide variety of interesting animals such as the Galapagos tortoise, black rhinoceros, and Humboldt penguin.
A standard adult ticket currently costs $29.95. Seniors aged 65 and older only need to pay $24.95. Tickets can be bought onsite or online. In-person tickets can be paid for with cash or card.
6. Monterey Bay Aquarium
The Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California, consistently ranks as one of the top aquariums in the United States. This oceanfront aquarium boasts more than 200 exhibits and 80,000 plants and animals. You can watch penguins waddle, sea otters swim, birds fly, and the giant Pacific octopus change colors.
All of that education and entertainment comes with a high price tag, though. If you want to visit the aquarium, standard adult tickets for anyone between the ages of 18 to 69 cost $65. However, people age 70 and older qualify for senior pricing and can get tickets for only $50.
7. Space Needle
Seattle’s Space Needle is a whopping 605 feet tall and one of the most recognized structures in the world. This iconic structure opened on the first day of the 1962 World’s Fair. Fast forward to today, and about a million people visit the Space Needle each year.
Want to step on The Loupe, the world’s only revolving glass floor, but not pay full price? You might be in luck. Tickets for people between the ages of 13 to 64 are $35 to $45, depending on the day. Older adults who are age 65 or older can get tickets for $30 to $40, depending on what day you want to visit.
Related: 10 AAA Discounts You May Not Know About
8. Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden
Botanical gardens are an easy way to immerse yourself in nature. Amongst the highest-rated botanical gardens in the United States is the Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden in Coral Gables, Florida.
In addition to its wide variety of tropical plants, this botanical garden attracts visitors with its Wings of Tropics exhibit, which houses hundreds of butterflies, the tropical fruit exhibit, and a conservatory of rare plants. With over 3,400 species of plants, there are plenty to see blooming no matter what time of year you visit.
The gardens are open daily. Standard adult tickets cost $24.95. Seniors can get discounted tickets for $17.95. You can purchase tickets on the garden’s website.
9. America the Beautiful National Parks + Recreational Lands Pass
The U.S. is home to some of the most famous national parks in the world. America’s national parks offers visitors picturesque views, a way to reconnect with nature, and numerous exercise opportunities.
The America the Beautiful—the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass (or, mercifully, just the America the Beautiful Pass) covers the entrance fees and standard amenity (day-use) fees at lands managed by the following:
- National Park Service
- U.S. Forest Service
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- Bureau of Land Management
- Bureau of Reclamation
A standard annual pass costs $80. But there are two special deals for seniors who are at least 62 years old: 1.) Senior Annual Passes cost just $20, while 2.) Senior Lifetime Passes cost just $80.
These special passes may also provide a 50% discount on some amenity fees charged for facilities and services. Passes can be bought in person or ordered online at nps.gov.
10. Carnival Cruise Line
A well-worn stereotype is that seniors love to go on cruises, but in truth, all generations love cruises—a recent YouGov survey shows they’re actually most popular among Millennials and Gen Z’ers.
But they’re especially well suited for seniors because of their relative ease. You can see many places throughout the world while cutting back on airfare and driving. And all-inclusive fares ensure seniors will have plenty to eat, see, and do. As long as you don’t get seasick, this can be an excellent way to travel.
Going on cruises is a bit of a stereotype for seniors, but for good reason! It’s a relaxing way to explore new places. There is no need to deal with excessive driving or airports and many offer an all-inclusive experience. As long as you don’t get seasick, this can be an excellent way to travel.
Better still? Seniors can sometimes get discounted cruise deals.
Carnival Cruise Line’s cruises include day and nighttime entertainment, both casual and fine dining, bars, and indoor and outdoor gathering places. They’re best known for Caribbean cruises, but offer more options, such as Alaska, Mexico, Hawaii, and Europe.
Carnival doesn’t offer senior discounts on every cruise, but it does for some of them. For example, the cruise line currently offers a four-day trip that leaves from Orlando and goes to The Bahamas. Carnival lists a standard price of $354 per person for a two-person room. Seniors age 55 and older can take that same cruise for $339 per person for a two-person room. You’ll want to visit Carnival’s site to purchase tickets.
Related: Retired But Too Young for Medicare? Health Insurance for Early Retirees
