Why do they price it so high?

[hblueeyes]

The last time the King Tut exhibit was in Chicago was 1977 and all tickets cost $1.50. It is back and the cost for adults is $26. seniors and students with ID are $23 kids under 11 years old are $16. What is the points of having exhibits if no one can afford to go see them. The last time I took my kids to a play it was $16 for the 4 of them at the matinee showtime, now it runs $75 per ticket for the balcony. When my sis would take me when I was a kid it was alot cheaper since she only earned $2 an hour. Yet on that she paid rent, paid for a car,had insurance,gas,bought groceries. We are making lots more but paying way too much for things. How do they expect families to go to a baseball game when after tickets and parking it is over $100 and that is if you buy NO FOOD. When my kids were little there were free tickets to Great America for attendance and grades and I'd get a buy 1 ticket get one free coupon from work but it still cost for gas, parking and we packed a lunch.

How are parents today supposed to expose their kids to culture, the arts and expand their horizons when the prices are so out of wack?

It drives me nuts!

Me :p

[Freebeemom]

I totally agree. I program classes/trips at a park district. It is expensive to even plan trips downtown to see plays (Wicked, for example). Even the ice capades! I always look for ways to cut costs, but it is very rare to be able to do so!
I remember seeing the king tut exhibit when it was in Chicago...I was like 5 yrs. old. Waited in line FOREVER! But, it affected my whole life! I love history and archeology.

[kyswpgrl]

Of course I agree, but inflation is inevitable. You can't exactly expect tickets costs to be in the same ballpark figures after 30 years. It was a slow gradual rise.

[freeplease]

I agree that ticket prices are insane. But having seen Wicked, I'd pay almost anything to see it again. ;)

[suzski]

I agree that ticket prices are insane. But having seen Wicked, I'd pay almost anything to see it again. ;)

I am DYING to see that, but it is not coming anywhere near me. Guess I'll just have to pay the money to go see it somewhere else!

[hblueeyes]

I was not expecting to pay the same price as 28 years ago but let's keep it real. Yes there is inflation but why price it so families, schools and other groups cannot afford to see it. As a result of the first King Tut exhibit a man became so inspired he became an archeologists and now teaches at the U of Chicago. Had it not been affordable would his lifes path been the same? Probably not. I think children need to be exposed to many different types of music and medium to be well rounded, cultured etc., how can this occur when people cannot afford it or it is only for those who can?

Let's be real. Many people earn minimum wage and therefore cannot afford a ticket. In 1977 you could earn minimum wage and still afford to live as well as buy a few tickets to the exhibit. I realize some of the money raised is to be used for renovating the pyrmidsbut if they charged less more could enjoy it and more people could make up for the difference.

Me :p

[mosdata1]

I don't know how the museum in Chicago is, but the Museum of Natural History in NY has a posted "suggested donation" of $14 for adults & $8 for children. I have NEVER paid the suggested price (when I lived in NYC). I figured my taxes covered most of the exhibits (the city subsidizes the museum). I used to pay about $5 per adult & $1 - $2 per child.
Here in FL, you can join the aquarium, zoo, MOSI museum, etc in a family plan (really reasonable) and get year-long free admission & discounts to special events. Maybe if that is not an option, they have discount rates for Chicago residents? I would call the museum & check.

[freeplease]

Suzski-Walk, crawl, or skip. Do whatever you have to. Wicked is worth wherever you have to go. I got the soundtrack, too. I defy gravity daily. ;)

[aneisu]

The prices are so high because the arts are not supported by our taxes. Although tickets to plays are expensive the ticket sales pay for maybe half of what it costs to do the production - and the actors don't usually make that much. Most of the money comes from private donors. Museums survive on private donations. As those decrease the general public has to step up and pay - either that or elect politicians who view the arts as something worthy to spend money on.

[suzski]

freeplease, I will definately do that. I am a huge fan of the arts and this show just looked amazing when I saw a preview.... maybe it's time for that trip to NYC! :)

[3lilpigs]

Of course I agree, but inflation is inevitable. You can't exactly expect tickets costs to be in the same ballpark figures after 30 years. It was a slow gradual rise.

Slow and gradual??
REMEMBER THE 90'S?? Remember when BON JOVI tickets used to cost $10-15 AND YOU GOT SEATS DOWN ON THE FLOOR??!! :D

I'll be dammed if I'll pay $100 or more to see him now! :rolleyes:

[adorkablex]

That doesn't really seem that high/unreasonable to me. But then again, everything (zoo, aquarium, stone mountain, etc) around here is that high. Heck we pay $60 per ticket (we get tickets to the Lexus level because they're nice seats and have a great lounge) when we go to Braves games. And shoot, we pay more than that to go to races... and that's to pretty much sit on a hard concrete seat and bake in the sun for hours. However, I suggest going out into surrounding smaller cities and taking your kids to local theatre productions. It's not usually as big of a production, but it's more affordable.

[loveswolfs]

It cost me around $100 a year for my zoo membership. that include's me, a guest and 3 kid's under 17 plus i get parking added on so i dont have to have that each time i go. And then you you get hit with the food and drink's...alot of ppl bring there own. Now i know why my brother's family pack's the cooler when they go lol.

[suzski]

I know that we pay a lot less than the big cities for Broadway shows that come here...$45 - $65 vs the $100 and up tix of bigger cities. However, we do a lot of local theatre (vice travelling Broadway performances) which keeps the cost down even more.

As for the costs, look how much it is to get into a theme park anymore. As for the $26 for the exhibit, I'm sure quite a bit of that money goes towards security measures...there are a lot of sophisticated thieves out there these days and they require a sophisticated system to deter them. I'm sure that the museum offers group rates or some other deal to churchs, schools, scouting groups, military, senior citizens, etc.

All I know is that I would love to live in that area and have my children be afforded the opportunity to see the exhibit... we constantly watch that kind of thing on the Discovery Channel.

[hblueeyes]

Don't get me wrong, Chicago is one of the best cities in the world. You are 30 minutes or less from everything, the museums, band shell, the lake and the forest preserves. I live in the suburbs and we frequently go to the lake, Lincoln Park Zoo (free) or Brookfield zoo has tuesday as free day and we pay for parking or park on the street and pack a picnic and eat it there. When other large cities were charging admission Chicago was free but that had to change so now they all have a free or reduced day. The Art Institute has a suggested donation and we pay what we can when we go and we go about 2 times a year. We have so many museums I cannot begin to name them. I am going to see the King Tut exhibit because the last time it was here, I got sick while waiting in line and then just wizzed thru. My girlfriend is taking me for my B'day which is in July but we will probably go in May. I'd like to take my youngest 2 sons but I cannot afford the price of the admission. It would cost $180 for a membership which would NOT include the Tut exhibit, But we could see Sue again.

Me :p

[KrystallizedFlame]

Slow and gradual??
REMEMBER THE 90'S?? Remember when BON JOVI tickets used to cost $10-15 AND YOU GOT SEATS DOWN ON THE FLOOR??!! :D

I'll be dammed if I'll pay $100 or more to see him now! :rolleyes:


I total agree. I would love to go see Bon Jovi again this year but I will be damned to pay $85 a piece for 2 tickets. My oldest daughter wanted to go with me too.

[justme23]

It is really expensive. Hairspray (which I've wanted to see for years) is going to be here for my birthday but I won't be able to go cause tickets are so expensive for any seats worth having. The museums aren't that expensive, though. We took my aunts grandkids 2 summers ago to the Ft Worth museum of Science and History (I think that's the name) and it didn't cost us more than 25 bucks for all 5 of us to get in. They get you w/ the Imax though. That was expensive!

[kabcrisp]

I posted somthing similar a few months back when King Tut was here in Los Angeles.

It was like $60.00 per person. . . More I think with Ticketmaster fees/processing fee.

Unbelievable, I couldn't afford it and missed from what I've heard was a great exhibit!

[Freebeemom]

Yes, those ticketmaster fees are outrageous. I went to see wicked. the tix were $65 but with fees, it was 100. I want to go take DH to see spamalot. Even the cheap seats $38 are going to be $50 a piece Rediculous. I am going to see wicked again, this is a show of a lifetime!

King tut, I did see that before (like I mentioned), but I cna't afford to take the kids. Too much money. :mad:

[dlwt]

yep, way to expensive and to be honest the people who actually should see it wont because of the price. Disneyland may be that high but I only get to Dinsyeland what every 20 years LOL. Anyway it sad. our local library has a pass to our Art Museum that u can use, do you have anything like that there??

[Freebeemom]

You must live in Chicago....only cplibraries offer that service.

[suzski]

Disneyland may be that high but I only get to Dinsyeland what every 20 years LOL.

The reason I mentioned theme parks in my earlier post is that this is one of those things that you can only do every 20 or 25 years because this exhibit just doesn't come around that often. I believe the last time this exhibit was on tour I was a teenager...and now I'm the mother OF teenagers! :eek: