Rant about museum admission prices.

[lightningandsnow]

It costs 20 dollars to get into my local museum. Does that sound a bit much? I would love to go more often but I never have the pocket money. It's quite annoying.

There's a science museum in my city where admission is $13.50... which is slightly better. But still, I would like to be able to go to museums more often.

(Yes, I am fully aware of the fact that I'm a nerd.)

[Chan790]

1. A lot of museums offer some sort of Matinee pricing...

call and ask. I can go to the Wadsworth here in Hartford, for example, for less than $10 provided I'm willing to go on a Saturday morning before 10am.

[skygazer]

2. Well, I don't know this for a fact

But I would guess that

1. People don't donate money to museums as much as they formerly did
2. People don't visit museums as much as they formerly did
3. This means museums need to charge each individual more to keep the museum working.

Which admittedly seems to create a self-perpetuating cycle because the more you charge, the fewer visitors you're likely to have. :shrug:

[TZ]

3. That seems pricey

But I've grown up in the DC area with the Smithsonian..all free..To me museums should be free....One day you should visit..you would be in heaven.:)

[Chan790]

4. Interesting that you bring that up...

I was arguing with my friend Charlie about cultural ignorance (He's a GOPer, this is the basis for his argument that liberals are unpatriotic) the other day and he said that despite the free admission that less than 10% of all DC residents had been to the Smithsonian and less than 50% had ever been to any of the monuments or war memorials or taken the WH or Capitol tour.

Apparently, people just don't do tourism in their own backyards. You'd think they have at least gone on a school field trip or something.

[skygazer]

5. If indeed his figures are correct

GOPers have a tendency to toss numbers around that have been plucked from thin air and though he may have read them somewhere, someone else may have done the plucking. :P

I think it was Mark Twain who said, "There are liars, there are damn liars and then there are statistics."

[Chan790]

10. I'd wager they are.

He's what I've called a "gotcha" personality...he can catch a lie a mile away, doesn't lie (even if it hurts his argument), and has a head for numbers, data, trends and statistics. You can't get dust past this guy. And once he's caught you in a lie, he's a bulldog.

He missed his true calling, he should have been an SEC investigator.

[Chan790]

11. On second thought,

he did once say "If you can't beat them with logic, baffle with bullshit" meaning maybe he's just a great liar. If you tell the truth a lot, even when uncomfortable, you get the rep for honesty. Nobody suspects honest people to be liars.

I've got you now, you sneaky bastard.

[TZ]

6. I don't know where he gets his figures on that

I don't know anybody here who hasn't been to all the museums and most of the memorials at least once..I went on several school trips to DC for stuff too.....:wtf:

[eyesroll]

7. We usually do memberships here.

$30-$70 a year gets us unlimited visits (two adults, one child, plus we can usually bring another kid or two with us--a membership pays for itself in two visits), discounts on parking, a few movie tickets (if there is a theater), special events, etc.

You're a student, right? You might be able to get a yearly membership for not much more than a daily admission.

[Faygo Kid]

8. Twenty bucks at the Newseum just opened in DC.

I'll get there eventually, but geez.

[Callalily]

9. Did the $20 include

a special exhibit? There's usually a fee for traveling exhibits. Check to see if your museum has "free museum night". Many waive the fee on certain days of the week.

Good luck!

[SoxFan]

12. Curiosity got the better of me

here are some of the better museums in my neck of the woods:

Currier Museum of Art, Manchester
Adult $10, Senior $9, Student $8
With tour of a Frank Lloyd Wright house, it's 16/15/14
Saturday mornings are free

Museum of Science, Boston
Adult $17, Senior 15, Child 12
That's for the exhibit halls and Theater of Electrical Science. The planetarium, Omni theater, and butterfly garden are extra

New England Aquarium, Boston
Adults $18.95, Kids 10.95
Whale watch cruises and Imax are extra

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Adults $17, students 15, kids 6.50

Boston Children's Museum
Adults $10, seniors 8, Kids 8
Friday nights $1 admission

[AngryOldDem]

How often do you go?

If it's several times a year, look into getting a membership. It pays for itself after a couple of visits, and there are perks, depending on what kind of membership you purchase. (Discounts at the gift shop, free admission to in-house movies, whatever...discounted costs for special shows...again, if you use it a lot, it is very cost-effective.)

[AngryOldDem]

13. Dupe post, sorry n/t