13 Library VIP Pass Discounts

Remember to 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.

The display has an empty box that 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, so check with the staff to be sure. 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, the Charlotte Genesee Lighthouse is Lake Ontario’s oldest active surviving lighthouse. It was much closer to the shoreline at the time of its construction. You can climb the 40-foot tower in the Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse and enjoy the view of Lake Ontario, the Genesee River, and Ontario Beach Park.

2. 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 showcases over 50,000 objects representing over 3,500 years of history. There aren’t many places to make your own 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 to you after they go through a slow cooling process.

3. Finger Lakes Boating Museum

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

Located in Hammondsport, NY, at the southern end of Keuka Lake.

4. Genesee Country Village & Museum

$3 off admission for up to four people. Valid July 1– Oct 10, 2023, & May 13 – June 30, 2024.

Open roughly May through September, this engaging living history museum (NY’s largest and most comprehensive) hosts themed weekend events, such as Highland Days, Civil War Days, and a Fiddler’s Fair. Visit on weekdays for a more casual stroll through 18th-century village life. There are also special events in the off-season around Halloween and the December holidays.

5. George Eastman Museum

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

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

6. Geva Theatre

Buy one ticket at regular price and get 50% off the price of a second ticket.

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

7. Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum

Good for one free adult admission.

The museum is located in North Tonawanda.

8. National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House

Up to two free admissions on the weekend, or up to four free admissions January–February and on weekdays. Not valid for programs or special events.

The docent-led tour brings to life Anthony’s mission to secure inalienable rights for all Americans and, most notably, women’s right 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. 

9. New York Museum of Transportation

Buy one admission, get one of equal or lesser value free. This offer is limited to one admission per visit and is 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 who are excited to share stories of Rochester’s rich transportation history.

10. Rochester Museum & Science Center

Buy one admission, get one of equal or lesser value free. This offer is not available on holidays, winter, spring, or February breaks.

The Rochester Museum and Science Center campus includes the Science Museum and the Strasenburgh Planetarium, each with unique schedules and admission. 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.

11. Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra

Buy one ticket and get half off your second ticket of equal or greater value. Seating zones 1-3 only, subject to availability.

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

12. Seward House Museum

Buy one admission and get one of equal or lesser value free.

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.

13. 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?

Your insights and experiences are valuable. Please share them in the comments.