Most parks offer great discounts if you purchase tickets from their official site. Universal Studios Hollywood gives online ticket buyers $10 off the front-gate price, and Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, offers $4 off the single-day adult ticket price. The major travel Web sites — expedia.com, travelocity.com and orbitz.com, along with amusementpark.com — also boast cheaper tickets.

2. Use your connections.

If you or someone you know is a member of a wholesale warehouse, AAA, AARP or the military, you may be eligible for reduced-price tickets. AAA members can save up to 35 percent on tickets to Walt Disney World, Sesame Place in Langhorne, Penn., and Busch Gardens Williamsburg, among others.

Check with professional organizations, unions and your company’s human resources department to see if you can snag a discount. Some parks, such as Universal Orlando and Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, Calif., also offer breaks to state and area residents.

3. Get a pass

If you think you’ll visit the park more than once, consider a season pass. “Most passes cost about as much as two days’ admission, so if you go more than twice, the pass has already paid for itself,” says Beth Robertson, spokesperson for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions. Depending on the park, you may also be able to use your season pass for admission to nearby water parks.

4. Plan to picnic.

Many parks offer guests the option of dining alfresco on adjacent picnic grounds. Instead of spending a bundle on fast food or at a sit-down restaurant, stock a cooler with sandwiches, fruit and drinks, and retreat to the picnic area or even the car.

5. Order À la carte.

If you decide to eat in the park, nix ordering the extras in value meals, such as fries and über-large sodas. Doing so can shave a couple of dollars off your total.

6 Carry small snacks.

Most parks won’t balk if you bring in water bottles or small food items like cereal bars and peanut-butter crackers.

7. Dole out an allowance.

Set a monetary limit on how much the kids can spend on souvenirs and make it clear that when the money’s gone, it’s gone. Save shopping for the day’s end so you won’t have to lug around cumbersome bags.