To be happy the science museum and natural history museum might have an entrance fee soon

[Ironfistfunkymum]

It makes the place unbearably busy, often have to queue to get in and most people don't appreciate it. They are just going as its something "free".

Maybe just the dinosaur but needs a separate queue and then the rest access as normal.

I Don't like the idea of charging of at all possible. I know many children who wouldn't get to go at all of they were charged for. And they do appreciate the museums - even though they're free to enter.

It was one of the things we loved about Washington - all those free museums. It meant we were able to wander in and out and enjoy As many as possible, rather than just choosing one or two to spend time in. Yes, some had short queues to enter but part of that was bag check.

YABU, we as a family have often visited museums, and always appreciate them! We're lucky enough to live in a city with some wonderful free museums, and they have been a lifeline in the school holidays, we have visited all of them many times, learning new things each time. My adult dc still talk about things we saw, and are looking forward to taking their own children in the future. If museums in London start charging there is nothing to stop other museums following suit, and that would be a tragedy.

I also think the museums should remain free. I don't know if it's just me but I remember huuuge queues for the NHM and science museum back when you had to pay (although I was pretty young so might have just been impatient). There were fewer visitors but the queue was slowed down a lot by having to pay. I went to NHM last week and didn't queue... I just used the side entrance. The main entrance often has a huge queue in the summer but you can just walk into the side entrances. I've seen the dinosaurs before and the other galleries are often much much quieter... I like the rooms full of cabinets of rocks.
Introducing ticketing would probably slow down the queues a lot. IME the queues take far longer at paid for attractions like the London Eye, Tower of London, Sea Life, Tussauds etc. It might make it marginally less crowded inside but tbh the NHM isn't rammed full in the holidays people just all crowd into the same few rooms there... Plenty of rooms are practically deserted. If people paid that would still be the case.

Campaign sign up

ilovemuseums.com/our-campaign/

How do those of you who are aghast at an entrance fee envisage the museums surviving if funding is cut?

YANBU.

These places are rammed. Mostly with adult foreign tourists. Who would be able to pay, and would pay if they were visiting just about any other city.

We've given up taking the DC because they aren't tall enough to see over all the adult heads. There is display after display that they cannot get near.

Shame though, the idea of making sure that all children could go was a good one. Perhaps receiving a book of tickets at the beginning of the school year or something?

Or perhaps free to anyone under 18?

I remember up thread someone mentioned the Louvre costing money to get in.

I don't know if anyone else has tried to see the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, but the whole experience was harrowing. Elbows flying everywhere, elderly visitors being held up by the sway of the crowd etc.

Paying doesn't reduce visitor crowding at the most popular exhibits.

YABU. Firstly, you already can get free tickets to the dinosaur exhibit at set times on the NHM website if you don't like the queues.

Secondly, if you go early enough, even in the holidays, there aren't queues. I took my children last week, we arrived just past 10am and walked straight in to both museum and Dinosaurs. There was no queue at all. Even the main hall was virtually empty. 1.5 hours later it was mental, so perhaps you should just plan your time better, OP. We had to get the train and tube in too so not free to get there, just free to get in....

We often go to museums in Europe - they are rarely free and often busy ime.

We went to the NHM in Oxford recently and gave a £10 donation, three of us, had a fab afternoon. I appreciate that we can afford it and thought that was a fair amount. They had lots of donation stands around the museums.

Very few places are free these days, especially somewhere where you can have a whole family day out.

Funding will be cut further, an entry fee in some shape or form will happen at some point.

yeolde to quote you
Selfishly, I would love a high(ish) fee during school holiday times for the 2 London museums in OP. Moderate price on term time weekends, and low or free on school days. Discounts for local residents.
these are the 'National' museums supported by the DCMS so why should local residents (by which you mean those who live in the city) get a discount?
we all contribute to these institutions but lots of us cannot afford to visit London or other big cities to see them on a regular basis much as we would love to. OTOH - I would hate to live in a big city.

Scottish museums are free well the bigger ones anyway we loved going and appreciated it dispite being piss poor we always had a great day out always gave a donation how do you know people are not appreciating them?

I dont think our science museum is free im sure i paid an entrance fee

How do those of you who are aghast at an entrance fee envisage the museums surviving if funding is cut?

That. I can't see free entrance being sustainable for much longer in this day and age so I'm all for it and yes the queues would go down a little.

Maybe all museums being pushy with donations like the Science Museum and the American Museum of National History in New York is one avenue to explore first.

The adult foreign tourists are spending money, much of which finds its way into the public purse as VAT or as tax paid by people whose jobs depend on tourism. TBH the thought of any sort of passport control at the museum ought to be ruled out without further consideration.

Tbh I'm not sure paying to get in would reduce crowding anyway, every time I go past madame tussaud's the queue is about a mile down the road despite the extortionate entry fee and the fact that it's shit.

Still think free ticketed entry is the way to go.

Yabu and selfish. Suprising as you may find it op poorer families don't all sit in their social housing getting pissed and encouraging their kids to entertain themselves with vandalism, or use museums as a place to let off steam. Plenty use them correctly, and tbh the ones not showing appreciation are usually accompanied by naice mc parents mowing down the peasant masses at any display, saying 'oh tarquinella do come back dahling while mummy paraphrases the info board to sound as though I am already knowledgeable'. Indeed less well off families need museums far more because they can't afford the other educational stuff or days out. It would be fairer to say everyone over eg £35k pays a large fee. And that's still hugely unfair in my mind.
I think really we should make it free to UK residents ( whether nationals or just living here) and charge everyone else a larger entrance fee.

How do you know They are just going as it's something "free"?
What an unpleasant post.

If you live in London 35k is not much, FYI.

People express it by going to these places and being quite in deferent about it. Often just like they are inside somewhere to shelter for a bit. People will go anywhere if its free.

How do you know they are indifferent? A long time ago, I worked in South Kensington. I regularly walked through the museums on my way to or from work and other destinations, often somewhat circuitously, because it was more interesting than walking along the pavements. I learnt a great deal that way which obviously I would never have learnt if I had had to pay - because I just wouldn't have gone in. Someone seeing me may well have had the impression that I was using them as a short cut or to shelter from the weather, but that was far from the truth.

YABU. I live in a city where all the museums are free (with a donation box) and I wouldn't want it any other way. Yes some places do get very busy during the summer holidays but that can also be said for lots of places that do require an entrance fee.

I have not been to the particular museums you are talking about as I live hundreds of miles from London and would not choose to do a very long train journey or expensive flight just for a day out. I would imagine that all tourist attractions in London would be mobbed at this time of year regardless of them being free entry or paid for.

No one seems to be prepared to explain how they think the museums would be kept free and open if funding is cut.

I don't think anyone for a second thinks they could be which is why it is important that the funding is kept there, and that people who can afford to make some sort of donation do.

YABU and very selfish. Would you have started this thread if you were one of the people who would struggle to pay an entrance fee? No. Selfish.

I don't think people who can afford to make some sort of donation do always works Sirzy.

Some of the people I worked with, big earners, would never put their hand in their pocket unless it was not an option.