Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian

by Jamie Hale | The Oregonian, OregonLive

A group of Portland-area attractions is once again joining forces to offer free admission as part of its reciprocal membership program, but in 2018 their ranks will grow to include four more destinations – expanding as far out as the Oregon coast.



That means if you buy a membership to any one of the 12 attractions, you can get free admission to the other 11 over the course of the year.

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Elephants at the Oregon Zoo. (Kristyna Wentz-Graff/The Oregonian)

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Every month in 2018, one attraction will waive admission to members of any of the 12 in the program. The participating attractions are the Oregon Zoo, Oregon Coast Aquarium, Lan Su Chinese Garden, World Forestry Center, Columbia River Maritime Museum, Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks & Minerals, Washington County Museum, Oregon Historical Society, Deepwood Museum & Gardens, Architectural Heritage Center, and the Clark County Historical Museum.



Now in its fourth year, the reciprocal membership program has for the first time filled the calendar with 12 attractions, adding the aquarium and maritime museum on the coast, as well as the architectural center in Portland and historical museum in Vancouver. In its first year, the program included the Portland Japanese Garden and Portland Children's Museum, but both backed out after an overwhelming response in 2015.

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Boats docked at the Columbia River Maritime Museum. (Michael Lloyd/The Oregonian)

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Since its inception, the program – organized by the Portland Attractions Marketing Alliance – has helped membership sales across the board, especially at the smaller attractions involved in the deal. Rachel Randles, marketing manager for the Oregon Historical Society, said it's been a win for both attractions and visitors.



"It's definitely got people excited," she said after last year's announcement. "We don't see a downside to it."



Remember that your membership won't work for all of the participating attractions year-round. Only one location per month will offer free admission to members from the others. Here's the full schedule for the 2018 program:

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Lan Su Chinese Garden. (Motoya Nakamura/The Oregonian)

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January: Oregon Zoo

February: Oregon Historical Society

March: Deepwood Museum & Gardens

April: Lan Su Chinese Garden

May: Architectural Heritage Center

June: Columbia River Maritime Museum

July: World Forestry Center

August: Clark County Historical Museum

September: Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks & Minerals

October: Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum

November: Oregon Coast Aquarium

December: Washington County Museum



--Jamie Hale | jhale@oregonian.com | @HaleJamesB

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Inside the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum. (Stephanie Yao Long/The Oregonian)

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Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals. (Oregonian file photo)

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Oregon Historical Society. (Sean Meagher/The Oregonian)

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