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Easy Summer Savings with Employee Discounts

Duke discount program offers savings on entertainment and more

Duke employees can save 25 percent at Cirque du Soliel this July through PERQS, Duke's employee discount program. Photo by Al Seib courtesy of Cirque du Soleil.
Duke employees can save 25 percent at Cirque du Soliel this July through PERQS, Duke's employee discount program. Photo by Al Seib courtesy of Cirque du Soleil.

Brandy Ward and her husband arrived at Carowinds last summer and immediately found their way to the Intimidator, the tallest, fastest and longest rollercoaster in the park. They took their favorite seats in the front row and buckled in for the first thrill of the day.

Ward has been sharing thrills with her husband, Scott McLain, at Carowinds, Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens several times a year since they began dating in 2009.

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"We always go for the tallest roller coaster first," said Ward, a senior laboratory research analyst for the Center for AIDS Research at Duke. "It's the best part of an amusement park."

Ward saves up to $25 per ticket by purchasing admission tickets through PERQS, Duke's employee discount program.

PERQS offers Duke faculty and staff dozens of ways to save on entertainment, sporting events and other adventures this summer. To celebrate the beginning of summer June 21, here's a sampling of fun on tap.

Cirque du Soleil 

Watch highflying acrobats, 20-member jump rope teams, jugglers and aerial hoop dancers at Cirque du Soleil's production of "Quidam" at the PNC Arena in Raleigh. Duke employees save 25 percent off the gate price for performances on July 10, 11 and 14. Deadline for orders is Monday, July 8. Details here.

Photo courtesy of NC Zoo
Photo courtesy of NC Zoo

North Carolina Zoo

Chill out with Aquila, one of the polar bears that returned to the zoo near Asheboro after a two-year stay at the Detroit Zoo. With the $2 discount, admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $6 for children ages 2 through 12. Buy a ticket online and use your one-day ticket anytime within 30 days of purchase. Details here.

Carolina RailHawks

Photo courtesy of RailHawks
Photo courtesy of RailHawks

Save 20 percent on tickets to the Carolina RailHawks, the Triangle's professional soccer team. The team plays evening home games in Cary most Saturdays in June and August. With the PERQS discount, ticket prices range from $8 to $42. Children ages 3 through 5 get in for $5.

Get a mountain high

Beat the heat by heading to the mountains this summer. Biltmore Estate in Asheville is offering Duke employees two days of admission for the price of one until Sept. 2, with free admission for children under age 13.

Photo courtesy of Tweetsie Railroad
Photo courtesy of Tweetsie Railroad

Employees can also save up to $6 per ticket at Tweetsie Railroad, a wild west adventure park near Blowing Rock, and $2 per entry to Chimney Rock State Park near Asheville. Details here.

Escape to the movies

Catch summer blockbusters with discounted movie tickets. Tickets cost $6 to $8 each, depending on the theater and type of ticket purchased. Discount tickets are available every Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Staff and Family Programs, 705 Broad St.

Photo by Bigstock
Photo by Bigstock

"With the price of movie tickets in the theater so expensive, we don't go to the movies unless we get a ticket through Duke PERQS," said Keri Fredrickson, a laboratory research analyst in the Department of Pediatrics.

Discount tickets are available every Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Medical Center Human Resources, Room 1527 Blue Zone, Duke South. Limit of 10 tickets per visit. Payment must be made in cash.

Photo courtesy of Water Country USA
Photo courtesy of Water Country USA

Take a splash

For the ultimate in cool during the heat of the summer, head to a water park. Use PERQS to save $9.49 per ticket at Wet'n Wild Emerald Pointe water park in Greensboro, or 20 percent off a one-day pass to Water Country USA near Williamsburg, Va. 

"The PERQS discount website is my first source for amusement park tickets because they always have the best prices," said Ward, the senior laboratory research analyst who uses PERQS several times a year to visit amusement parks. "And I love that with online purchase of tickets, we can go on the spur of the moment."