The public libraries on the Main Line lend passes that get a family into museums, zoos and gardens free. The rules depend on which county library system issued your card. Lower Merion’s six branches hand passes out first come, first served, with no reservations. Radnor and Haverford, in the Delaware County system, take reservations through a site called MuseumKey. Tredyffrin, Paoli and Easttown, in the Chester County system, take them through the county’s LibCal page. Narberth lends its own passes at the front desk. These details come from each library’s pass page, checked October 6, 2026.
How borrowing works at each library
| Library | Who can borrow | How to get a pass | Loan | Late fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Merion Library System (Ardmore, Bala Cynwyd, Belmont Hills, Gladwyne, Ludington, Penn Wynne) | Adults with a Lower Merion card, one pass per household | At the branch that owns the pass, first come, first served; no holds | 3 days | $10 a day, up to the cost of a membership |
| Radnor Memorial Library | Delaware County cardholders 18 and older with $20 or less in fines | Reserve on MuseumKey up to 30 days ahead; up to 3 reservations on different dates | 3 days for a physical pass; 1 day for a printed one | $5 a day for a physical pass |
| Haverford Township Free Library | Adults with a Delaware County card in good standing | Reserve on MuseumKey; passes from any Delaware County branch | 3 days for a physical pass; printed passes are for one date | Not listed |
| Narberth Community Library | Cardholders, one pass each | Ask at the circulation desk; the catalog shows which passes are in | 3 days | Not listed |
| Tredyffrin Public Library and Paoli Library | Library cardholders | Reserve on the county’s LibCal page up to 60 days ahead; 2 reservations at a time; the same pass once in 30 days | 3 days for a physical pass; 1 day for a printed one | $25 a day for a physical pass |
| Easttown Library | Chester County cardholders 18 and older with $10 or less in fines | LibCal or by phone at 610-644-0138, up to 60 days ahead; the same pass once in 30 days | Not listed | $5 a day for an Easttown physical pass |
A physical pass goes back to the library that owns it. At Easttown, two no-shows in a row suspend pass borrowing for 30 days.
Which libraries list which family passes
A cell reads “Yes” when the library’s pass page listed that pass on October 6, 2026. A blank cell means the page did not list it that day. Radnor and Haverford cardholders can reserve passes owned by other Delaware County branches, and the Chester County column covers Tredyffrin, Paoli and Easttown, which share one list.
| Attraction | Lower Merion | Radnor | Haverford | Narberth | Chester County | Admits, on the Chester County list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Please Touch Museum | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6 people |
| Academy of Natural Sciences | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Elmwood Park Zoo | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Brandywine Zoo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 2 adults and 4 children | |
| Chanticleer | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 2 people; Chanticleer admits children 12 and under free |
| Tyler Arboretum | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Up to 4 people | |
| Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 4 people; 2 and under free | |
| Lancaster Science Factory | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5 people | ||
| Museum of the American Revolution | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 2 adults and 4 children ages 6 to 17; 5 and under free |
| National Constitution Center | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 2 adults and 4 children |
| Hands-On House | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| American Helicopter Museum | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Battleship New Jersey | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Independence Seaport Museum | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Delaware Museum of Nature and Science | Yes | Yes | 6 people | |||
| John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove | Yes | Yes | Yes |
How many people a pass admits can differ between library systems. Lower Merion says most of its passes admit two adults and four or more children. Radnor says the number differs for each pass and shows it on MuseumKey.
Notes by library
Lower Merion lists 33 attractions, and the list shows which branches own each pass. Ludington in Bryn Mawr holds three Please Touch Museum passes and three Chanticleer passes, and Penn Wynne also holds three Chanticleer passes. Because there are no holds, call the branch before you go to ask whether a pass is in.
Narberth’s pass page, posted October 1, 2026, marks four passes as new: Chanticleer, the Please Touch Museum, the National Constitution Center and the Academy of Natural Sciences.
Tredyffrin has stopped carrying an Elmwood Park Zoo pass, and Paoli Library’s Elmwood pass is available until February 2027. On the Chester County list, the Elmwood pass can be reserved only 30 days ahead, half the usual window.
Easttown is the only Chester County library with a Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve pass, which admits 2 adults and 4 children.
Discounts without a pass
Chanticleer charges Radnor Memorial Library cardholders $8 instead of $15, and children 12 and under get in free with or without a card. A Chanticleer pass still needs a parking reservation at busy times. See Nature centers, gardens and parks for families on the Main Line for the garden’s hours.
Sources
- Lower Merion Library System, Museum Pass Program, accessed
- Radnor Memorial Library, Museum Passes, accessed
- Haverford Township Free Library, Museum Passes, accessed
- Narberth Community Library, Check out our museum passes, accessed
- Tredyffrin Public Library and Paoli Library, Museum Passes, accessed
- Easttown Library, Museum Passes, accessed
- Chester County Library System, Institution Passes, accessed
- Chanticleer, Plan Your Visit, accessed
- Tyler Arboretum, Library Pass, accessed