18 Library VIP Pass Discounts (New for 2025!)

Check out the Monroe County Library System VIP Pass for discounted admissions or ticket purchases at various destinations. Visit their website for the most up-to-date list of VIPs (Very Important Places), discounts, and participating libraries where you can borrow a pass. Please note that the available passes may vary between libraries. Search the Catalog for VIP Pass availability at MCLS Member Libraries.

The display has an empty box you can take to the counter to redeem for an actual pass. You can borrow it for a week. If you don’t see the box you’re looking for, it may have already been loaned out. Please check with the staff to confirm. They can direct you to another library that has one.

1. Charlotte Genesee Lighthouse

Buy one adult admission ($5), get one free. Not to be combined with another offer.

Constructed in 1822, this lighthouse is the oldest surviving active lighthouse in the United States on Lake Ontario. To reach the 12-foot-high lantern room, visitors must climb a narrow 40-foot-high spiral staircase, followed by an 11-rung ladder, and then crawl through a small opening in the ceiling. The view from the top is worth the effort. The lighthouse is open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. through October.

2. Canandaigua Sailboard

15% off hourly kayak and paddleboard rentals

Take a seat and grab a paddle or keep your hands free! Single, tandem kayaks, and pedal kayaks are available.

3. Corning Museum of Glass

One free adult museum admission. Kids and teens 17 and under are always free! Live glassblowing daily. 10% discount on memberships.

CMOG is the perfect destination for a day trip. Roughly 90 minutes south of Rochester, the museum features over 50,000 objects that represent more than 3,500 years of history. There aren’t many places to make your glass, especially for beginners. But you can sign up for a “Make Your Own Glass” session at CMOG without experience. Sandblasted projects can be taken home the same day, but you’ll need to have your glass-blow creations shipped after a slow cooling process.

4. Finger Lakes Boating Museum

Good for Group Rate entry to the museum of $8/person

The Finger Lakes Boating Museum (FLBM) is located in Hammondsport, New York, at the southern end of Keuka Lake. It pays homage to Hammondsport’s 19th-century steamboat era and the region’s diverse boat-building traditions. The museum’s collection includes nearly 200 boats, 40 of which are on display. These boats represent various types, such as canoes, rowboats, luxury vessels, hydroplanes, and sailboats.

5. Genesee Country Village & Museum

$3 off admission for up to four people.

The Genesee Country Village & Museum is a living history museum with 68 structures on 700 acres. It is the state’s largest and most comprehensive museum, and the third-largest in the country. The 19th-century village features a range of buildings that were relocated to the museum starting in 1966, including frontier homesteads, Victorian mansions, churches, schools, shops, and taverns. Visitors can learn about the history of each building and take part in events such as Highland Days, Civil War Days, Novel Weekend, and Independence Day.

6. Genesee Waterways Center

$5 off kayak rental for up to 4 people

The Genesee Waterways Center offers weekend walk-up public kayak and canoe rentals from May through October. Upstream on the Genesee River from the Genesee Waterways Center is the intersection of the Genesee River and the Erie Canal; you can also immerse yourself in the plant and animal life along Red Creek.

7. George Eastman Museum

Buy one admission, get one of equal or lesser value free. Not to be combined with another offer.

The mansion and surrounding gardens of the George Eastman Museum offer numerous details to discover, and each season is uniquely spectacular. The museum is a beautiful tribute to the life and legacy of George Eastman and is the world’s oldest photography museum, boasting one of the oldest film archives.

8. Geva Theatre

50% off tickets in the first week of an eligible production, 25% off the remaining weeks. Good for select shows. *Excludes Opening Nights, A Christmas Carol, and other holiday or special events. V.I.P. Passes cannot be applied to previous purchases.

Geva is a vibrant theater that offers an intimate setting for classic and contemporary plays and musicals. The 522-seat Wilson Stage hosts significant productions, including the annual showing of A Christmas Carol and the 180-seat Fielding Stage. hosts smaller-scale productions, including improv comedy, one-actor shows, and readings,

9. Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum

Good for one free adult admission

Admission to this North Tonawanda museum gives access to all exhibit areas, including the interactive ride exhibits, the Number One Special, “The Big Carrousel,” and the Kiddie Carrousel. Admission includes two ride tokens, which can be used at either carrousel in the museum. Extra ride tokens are $1 each, and each carrousel ride requires one token per person.

10. The Little Theatre

Buy one ticket, get one free. Not valid for select special events or screenings.

Specializing in screening independent and foreign films, The Little Theatre also shows first-run movies, live-stream events, themed series, throwback features, and cult classics. In its cafe, you can enjoy food, live music, and art.

11. Memorial Art Gallery

Complimentary admission for two adults and any children/grandchildren under 18 years old. Pass restriction: not valid for surcharged exhibitions, Clothesline Festival, opening parties, MAGsocial, or other special events.

The Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester boasts a rich permanent collection, an impressive range of traveling exhibitions, and a diverse schedule of classes and events, like third-Thursday DeTOURs. On the museum’s grounds, wander through Centennial Sculpture Park, which features world-renowned artists alongside whimsical photo-ops, including some best viewed at night.

12. Mount Hope Cemetery Tour

One free adult admission to any general or theme tour (Not valid for special events: Voices from the Beyond and We’ve Hauled Some Barges in Our Day).

The knowledgeable tour guides who give tours of both the north and south sections can teach you quite a bit. On a walking tour of Mount Hope Cemetery, you’ll hear the stories about the cemetery’s history, its residents, and the land on which it was created. They are also helpful in assimilating you to the lay of the land, helping you to navigate independently.

13. National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House

Two free admissions from March through December and four free admissions during January and February.

The docent-led tour brings to life Anthony’s mission to secure inalienable rights for all Americans, and most notably, the right of women to vote. Her Rochester home served as headquarters for the National American Woman Suffrage Association. In Anthony Square, just down the street, you will find a life-sized sculpture of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass having tea, discussing the day’s news, or perhaps sharing a birthday celebration—Anthony was born on February 15, and Douglass chose February 14, not knowing his birthdate. While they did not always agree, they shared a lifelong friendship and rest near each other in Mount Hope Cemetery. 

14. New York Museum of Transportation

Buy one admission, get one of equal or lesser value free. Limit one admission per visit. Not valid for special events with special admission prices.

The New York Museum of Transportation is open year-round on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with special events and periodic trolley rides during the non-winter months. Their impressive collection and engaging events are managed by dedicated volunteers excited to share stories of Rochester’s rich transportation history.

15. Rochester Museum & Science Center

Buy one admission, get one of equal or lesser value free. Not available on School holiday, winter, spring, and February breaks.

The Rochester Museum and Science Center campus comprises the Science Museum and the Strasenburgh Planetarium, each with its own unique schedule and admission requirements. The Planetarium offers a robust Saturday schedule of star shows, laser shows, movies, and free telescope viewings on clear Saturday nights from the Observation Tower.

16. Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra

Buy one, get one half off in zones 1-3 on Philharmonics, Pops, and Nutcracker concerts.

The grand Eastman Theater, built by George Eastman in 1922, features several stages, the largest of which is the 2,326-seat Kodak Hall. This is the principal concert hall for the world-renowned Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO). A stunning 20,000-piece crystal chandelier hangs above the auditorium.

17. Seward House Museum

Buy one admission and get one of equal or lesser value free. Pass restriction – not valid on special ticketed events.

This museum, next door to the Heritage Center in Auburn, is the historic home of William H. Seward, who served as Secretary of State under Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. Seward’s most notable achievement as Secretary of State was the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867, often referred to as “Seward’s Folly” by his contemporaries, who saw little value in the acquisition. Seward’s family and Harriet Tubman had a supportive relationship, and their lives intersected in their mutual commitment to the abolition of slavery and the pursuit of equal rights.

18. Sonnenberg Gardens

$3 discount on $16 (Adult) admission for up to four people.

Located in the City of Canandaigua, Sonnenberg Gardens is an exceptional example of the lavish wealth and philanthropy of the Gilded Age. Like the mansions in Newport, Rhode Island, Sonnenberg was a summer home for Frederick, the founder of First National Bank (now City Bank), and his wife, Mary, who grew up in Canandaigua and whose father was Governor of New York State.

BONUS! Empire Pass for New York State Parks

In addition to the VIP Pass, patrons of Monroe County Libraries can also borrow an Empire Pass, which grants free admission to hundreds of New York State Parks.

Have you borrowed a VIP or Empire Pass from the library before?

I’d love to hear from you—please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.