I recently visited the MOXI science museum for the first time, and as a grandparent, I was struck by the expense. This led me to investigate the relative costs of visiting a couple of other museums and the Botanic Garden, which produced an interesting comparison. My concern is accessibility for local residents as opposed to tourists.
The short version is that for grandparents to tour the Santa Barbara Museum of Art with two young grandchildren costs $24. To do the same at the Museum of Natural History is $32. At the S.B. Botanic Garden, the cost is $40. For MOXI, it is $48. Of course there are memberships that can be purchased, free days at most of these, and parking or transportation costs to be considered. All are outlined in full below.
Granted that the cost of building, equipping, and maintaining the MOXI was/is high, and the exhibits are high-tech; I still feel that the cost for many local families is high. In order to include more low-budget visitors I suggest offering senior and student discounts and a discounted family entry fee. I hate to see a science museum out of reach for less affluent families.