Memberships & Perks

Thank you so much for visiting Park Lore! Our worlds of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy are yours to explore! This is a one-of-a-kind community for Armchair Imagineers, themed entertainment design enthusiasts, California Adventure apologists, and EPCOT nerds alike, where you can spend a rainy afternoon, a snowy evening, or a late night diving deep and uncovering the stories and connections between rides, parks, and industry icons.

There are enough “Breaking News” sites covering Disney and Universal Parks, right? That’s why Park Lore is about something different! It’s a growing collection of in-depth, quality-over-quantity, inclusive theme park storytelling, history, memories, and art. Instead of being supported by ads (and the pageview counts and clickbait that sometimes follow), this project is ad-free and supported by Members who want to preserve and grow a collection of thoughtful theme park stories, “armchair Imagineering” art, and unique ways to see theme parks differently, open and available to all!

Become a Member

You can join the story with a free Member account to gain access to comment sections and community tools. Or, choose a supporting Membership level below to empower this ad-free, in-depth, quality-over-quantity theme park story collection for a few dollars a month (and receive extras & perks in exchange)!

Bronze Membership
($2 / month)

Reveal rare in-story concept art, podcast extras, and exclusive articles!

By supporting Park Lore as a Bronze Member, you’ll empower in-depth, ad-free, quality-over-quantity theme park writing and “plus” Park Lore’s Main Collections with plenty of must-have perks.

  • Select unlocked EXTRA FEATURES (our Member-exclusive collection of thoughtful countdowns, add-on quick-reads, and “listicles” woven into stories);
  • Unlocked RARE CONCEPT ART and construction photos in every story;
  • Exclusive “I Need You To Imagine” PODCAST EXTRAS, episodes, and minisodes (debuting summer 2023);

Bronze Membership
($2 / month)

Silver Membership
($4 / month )

Unlock 100+ Extra Features, stream songs, and get a mailed membership card!

10% off Dole Whips? If only. By supporting Park Lore as a Silver Member, you’ll unlock hundreds of hours of new content including exclusive stories, audio streams, and real merch in the mail!

  • Complete access to 100+ EXTRA FEATURES (our Member-exclusive collection of interconnected quick-reads with new content monthly);
  • Collectible Silver MEMBER CARD† design shipped to you annually*;
  • Unlocked story-plussing attraction AUDIO STREAMS in select features;
  • RARE ART & PODCAST EXTRAS

Silver Membership
($4 / month)

Gold Membership
($8 / month)

Access it all with in-depth Special Features and receive a postcard art set!

We’d throw in free parking if we could! The Gold Member level unlocks every Member perk on Park Lore, with complete access to hours and hours of content with new exclusive material every month:

  • Two Member-exclusive collections: 100+ quick-read EXTRA FEATURES and Gold-only SPECIAL FEATURES;
  • Gold-only POSTCARD ART SET and Gold MEMBER CARD† in the mail*;
  • Exclusive “I Need You To Imagine” PODCAST EXTRAS & Gold-only named SUPPORTER CREDIT;
  • RARE ART & AUDIO in every story

Gold Membership
($8 / month)

($12+ / month)

Platinum Membership

Support this in-depth, ad-free park history project!

No pressure! The Platinum Membership is a E-Ticket-level tier for those who want to support Park Lore’s unique quality-over-quantity, ad-free, positive theme park writing. Platinum Members’ “one little spark” makes Park Lore possible, and we offer every perk we can in exchange! You can choose any monthly support level of $12 or more to unlock these Platinum Perks:

View Platinum Perks
  • All Bronze, Silver, and Gold Perks, including…
    • Complete access to two Member-exclusive collections: 100+ EXTRA FEATURES and SPECIAL FEATURES
    • Collectible Platinum† MEMBER CARD* shipped to you annually;
    • Unlocked RARE CONCEPT ART and AUDIO STREAMS;
    • “I Need You To Imagine” podcast extras
  • Exclusive Platinum Perks, including…
    • COMMISSION-A-STORY on your favorite attraction, local park, or lost ride and it’ll be preserved on Park Lore for all;
    • Receive a complete eight-piece Park Lore POSTCARD ART SET* in the mail (with all Member Card art from 2020 and 2021);
    • “BRING-A-FRIEND FREE” BRONZE PASS code to gift;
    • Access to DRAFTS and WORKS-IN-PROGRESS of new stories via the Member Hub;
    • HANGOUT, NERDOUT, and LUNCH at local attractions if our paths cross near a must-see attraction, theme park, or museum;
    • Named “MADE POSSIBLE BY” CREDIT on the “I Need You To Imagine” podcast (debuting late summer 2023)

Gift Memberships

You can support Park Lore’s inclusive, interconnected storytelling and give the biggest theme park nerd in your life a unique holiday gift with year-long membership access to Park Lore at the Bronze, Silver, or Gold Member level! To purchase a Gift Membership to Park Lore, expand the area below!

Expand to explore Gift Membership options

To purchase a Gift Membership, simply select the Membership level you’d like to gift below! Note that to check out with the Membership, you’ll need to walk through the set-up of an account on Park Lore and purchase via PayPal.

From there, you’ll receive a confirmation message and email containing a redemption code. That code is what your giftee will need! Once they have it, they can visit this page (parklore.com/join), select the membership level above that you’ve gifted them, and use that redemption code at check-out to make the membership free for a year!

Gift a Year
(Bronze)
($24 / year)

Gift a Year
(Silver)
($48 / year)

Gift a Year
(Gold)
($96 / year)

Note that Gift Memberships are valid for one year, do not automatically renew, and begin only when your giftee redeems their Membership by registering using the custom-generated redemption code you’ll receive at check-out!

Frequently Asked Questions

Which pass is right for me? Can I compare passes? What kinds of perks will I unlock? How do I read _____ feature?

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Each subsequent Pass tier adds its own unique benefits to the tier before. Here’s a detailed breakdown:

Feel free to browse the Extra Features and Special Features collections to see if the content might be of interest to you! You can count on new material in the Extras and Special Features collection every month! Don’t forget you can upgrade your tier◊ at any time under “Passholders” and “Manage My Pass” in the main menu.

Why do I need to pay to read certain articles or see certain images?

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Have you noticed what’s missing from Park Lore? Ads! That’s because Park Lore is not ad-supported. You won’t find pop-ups, banners, or intrusive videos that interrupt the story or muddy the site’s readability. And that’s not all! Because we don’t rely on ad revenue, we don’t count or care about pageviews! As a result, Park Lore is also missing clickbait, inflammatory headlines, and the kind of rage-stoking discourse many sites rely on to drive clicks.

Instead, Park Lore relies on a steady group of supporting Passholders whose monthly payment (of $2 to $16) helps to cover the cost of the site’s design, development, hosting, research, and writing. Thanks to the support of these Passholders, our ad-free, clickbait-free community can focus on quality-over-quantity writing, with weekly stories rather than daily “BREAKING NEWS.” We hope that makes Park Lore a pleasant place to be.

The good news is, all of Park Lore’s Main Collections entires – our well-known Lost Legends, Modern Marvels, Declassified Disasters, and Possibilityland entries – are available to all! Our Extra Features and Special Features Collections are Passholder-exclusives, and we’ve made extra concept art, streaming audio, mailed merch, podcast extras, and store discounts as an incentive to join. But frankly, I hope you join Park Lore because you like the stories we tell, you appreciate the work that goes into it, and you love to spend time reading our legends on rainy days, late nights, and snowy evenings.

Can I join Park Lore and contribute to the conversation without paying?

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Yes! We’d be thrilled to have you! You can join as a Day Guest to create a profile and comment on features with your own memories, stories, and ideas. You can then access your account under “Passholders” > “Manage My Pass” to upgrade to a Pass if you’d like to access the Perks above.

Note that Day Guests may not have access to some profile features – like groups and private messaging – which are reserved as a tool for supporting Passholders.

How is payment processed? Is it secure? What happens to my information?

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When you sign up for a monthly Passholder membership, you’ll be directed to create an account here on Park Lore (if you don’t have one yet). Then to select a payment method and “check out,” you’ll be redirected to PayPal, the web’s leading secure transaction website.

Because transactions take place via PayPal’s secure platform, neither your personal nor financial information is ever shared with Park Lore. Your recurring monthly Pass payment is securely billed automatically beginning the day you register as a Passholder and will occur every thirty (30) days thereafter at the same rate until you cancel your Pass or change tiers. To cancel your pass or change tiers, just use the main menu on Park Lore to hover over “Passholders,” then “Manage My Pass.”

No PayPal account? No problem. You can check out through PayPal’s secure service using a debit or credit card without a PayPal account. You can learn more about PayPal here.

Is there a way to donate to Park Lore?

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Park Lore is a labor of love – not a business – and I am touched by every cent of financial support, every view, and every share. Occasionally I have received offers for donations to cover the design, development, hosting, and research costs of Park Lore. I appreciate every single offer. Park Lore is not ad-supported. We don’t count pageviews or count on advertisers for revenue. Instead, this fan-based project is entirely supported by a small but steady group of Passholders whose monthly support (from $2 to $16) singlehandedly powers new content and projects on Park Lore.

If you appreciate the work and heart that goes into Park Lore and want to donate to keep it strong, select “Platinum Membership” and enter any monthly contribution amount. That way, you’ll get all the benefits, too! Thank you for helping support this unique theme park history and entertainment design project.

How do I manage my ACCOUNT (change tiers, update billing information, view payment history, or cancel my membership)?

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You can manage your account (for changing Pass tiers, billing information, and cancellation) from the main menu. Hover over “Memberships & Perks,” then “My Account” to find secure account management pages. Your account is your Membership control center.

Your account is your “backstage” presence at Park Lore, encompassing your registration information (like name, email, and password) and any connection to PayPal for billing.

You must have registered as either a free Day Guest or a supporting Passholder and be logged in to access account information.

How do I manage my PROFILE (profile photo, public visibility settings, email notification settings, friends lists, and messages)?

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You can manage your profile (including friends lists, messaging, profile photos, email settings, notification settings, and public visibility) from the main menu. Hover over “Memberships & Perks,” then “My Profile” to find secure profile management pages.

Your profile is your “on-stage” presence at Park Lore and your public preferences.

You must have registered as either a free Member or a supporting Member and be logged in to access profile information. Note that free Members may not have access to some profile features – like groups and private messaging – which are reserved as a tool for supporting Members.

What if I can’t afford a Pass or don’t have a PayPal account, credit card, or debit card, but I really want to read more?

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Just get in touch with us. We’ll make some magic happen!

The Fine Print on Perks

* In order to qualify for the physical Member Card and / or Postcard Art Set perk, you must remain an active paid member of Park Lore at the qualifying Passholder tier for two (2) consecutive months (measured by two [2] consecutive membership payments at the qualifying tier). Unpaid memberships of any tier do not qualify. Limit one (1) of each (Member Card and Postcard Art Set) per account.

† Physical Member Cards will be distributed based on the initial tier chosen upon registration and maintained for two (2) consecutive months of active membership (per the terms above). Limit one (1) Member Card per account.

◊ Note that perks marked with an asterisk (*) are limited to one (1) per account subject to the terms above. As a result, perks marked with an asterisk (*) may not be available or applicable upon upgrade. For example, users who have received a Silver Pass Member Card, then upgrade to a Gold Pass will not automatically be sent a Gold Pass Member Card. Qualifying members who upgrade may submit a special request for a new Member Card after fulfilling the two (2) month active and consecutive member requirement at the new tier.