Museums, theaters, concert halls and your bank account.

I am a cultural snob.  There!  I've admitted it.   I am allowed to be one, because at my mature age, I can say that I've visited many museums, theaters and the like in many countries and have enjoyed at least 99%.  In my haste to ensure that my granddaughter is able to appreciate some of the many attractions that the greater Tampa area has to offer, a small group of us went to visit the Children's Museum in down town Tampa.

We were all excited.  I had heard that for pre-school children, this would provide an educational but entertaining afternoon.   There were 3 adults, and 3 children; the latter ranged in age between 3 and 6, and no one needs to know the ages of the adults.....a pretty good distribution.   What I did not find out ahead of time, was the entry price!   Now call me miserly, but it seems to me that coughing up close to $40 for two adults and 1 child  just to get in was pretty steep, especially when the entry price for the 3 year old was $9.50.  (This is reckoning on about a 2 hour concentration span for the younger kids, and about 30 minutes for the adults)  So this set me to thinking......how do parents with fairly large families afford to visit these magical places?     I have been spoiled!   Having been to 'Talk Like a Pirate' afternoon in Palm Harbor library for FREE (and had a blast, too), and having recently read about the exiting ideas that the Children's museum offered, I forgot to check the entry price!    Won't do that again.  

I cannot complain about the museum itself - it was an interesting if somewhat nerve wracking afternoon for the  adults, but GREAT for the kids.  There were two floors (maybe even 3, but I was wiped out after two) of fascinating 'hands on' things for kids to do, and a lot of space.    If you think that 3 adults can easily keep track of 3 kids.....you are so wrong.  We should have attached a GPS 'finder' to each child because between the play theatre, the fire house, (with pole I might add)  the play supermarket and the recycling section, to name but a few, there is a lot of floor space, climbing space and a lot of other places where adults can temporarily lose their kids.   The kids knew where they were all the time, but one turn of the adult's head, and the child has scampered off to the next fascinating area.    The kids were entranced.   We were poor, but what price the enrichment of a child's mind.     We also got an incredible work out walking the length of the museum many times, trying to find the relevant child.    Younger kids would benefit from multiple visits, but I was still reeling from the initial cost and too exhausted to find out what a 'membership' or a multiple visit card would cost.

I would heartily recommend a visit to this museum, probably at the begining of the month when pay checks have been deposited.  Else you will be much poorer when you leave, especially if you add in visits to the snack bar AND the gift shop AND the park house.  If you are a parent/guardian with a large family, you may well want to save up ahead of time for this otherwise worthwhile visit.   

One good point...is that entry for kids under 3 years old is free.  Am I cheap, or what!