With inflation continuing to rise, a new study suggests that American families will be paying more for tickets at museums and attractions across the country by this summer. In fact, the price increase may be the highest we've seen since 2017.
New research carried out by DealA shows that some attractions have raised prices to their highest point in five years. However, there are a few that are sticking to their guns on prices in hopes of standing out.
Museum and amusement park prices increase
Five years ago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City was actually letting visitors come in for free. Not now, though – the museum’s new price is $25.
Other museums that are substantially raising ticket prices include the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, with a $6 price increase to $16; the Crocker Art Museum in Los Angeles, with a $5 price increase to $15; and Seattle’s Chihuly Garden and Glass, which now charges $32, up from $24.
Families who want to go to Disney World will be paying $154 per day for each child. While prices at other theme parks are going up, there are lots of options for those who are looking for something more affordable. For example, the price of admission at Delaware staple Funland was $15 in 2017 and is now up to $30. For families in the Northeastern U.S., a ticket to Santa’s Village now costs 50% more than it did five years ago, coming in at $48.
Families in Florida can also visit Fun Spot America. Its price of admission may be up 34%, but it’s still affordable at $54.95. Rounding out the Top 5 in DealA’s theme park price increases are Children’s Fairyland in California and Sesame Place in Pennsylvania. Prices are up 30% to $13 at the former park, and they're up to $89.99 at the latter.
When it comes to the amusement park with the lowest ticket price increase over the last four years, that would be Cedar Point in Ohio. A ticket to the park is $45, which is the same amount that it cost back in 2017.
Ways consumers can save money at attractions
If the price of admission to a museum or amusement park still seems too high, there are some ways that consumers can save some money. For example, looking for coupons or coupling your ticket purchase with a hotel package can be a good way to make a trip more affordable.
However, some consumers have found that working outside of a venue's network can be frustrating. Andi, from Indianapolis, detailed an experience they had with StubHub.
"I bought falsely advertised tickets and called support to help get a refund. They didn't help me in any way other than explain that I could sell the tickets even though I still wouldn't make my money for the extra fee's back," Andi wrote in a ConsumerAffairs review.
"Would highly recommend buying tickets at the actual venues to avoid dealing with these third parties."