Beach exhibit at National Building Museum - too crowded?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why NBM can't sell times entry tickets on line. The whole wait in line to get tix and then wait again to go into the beach is just ridiculous and outdated. It also annoys me that I can't buy timed tickets online for the playzone either. Don't the directors of operations have children? Clearly not.

#whitewhine

[Anonymous]

I bought our non-member tickets online in advance. They were sent to my phone, which I showed at the member desk and got tickets immediately (the line to buy tickets was very long). We arrived at 2p, waited 20 min, then got it.

Girls are both 3; they loved it, I had to walk on the "pier" to make sure they didn't go under or get kicked by older kids (lots of older kids there, prob bc is late afternoon and the littler ones are napping…we skipped our nap to go).

Summary: kids loved it, I found it stressful but am glad I took them. There's metered parking that you can use your Parkmobile app to pay for. They sell snacks inside as well, there's places for adults to sit. But bottom line: buy your tickets online in advance:

https://secure2.convio.net/nbm/site/Ecommerce?store_id=2041

[Anonymous]

*got it = got in

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why NBM can't sell times entry tickets on line. The whole wait in line to get tix and then wait again to go into the beach is just ridiculous and outdated. It also annoys me that I can't buy timed tickets online for the playzone either. Don't the directors of operations have children? Clearly not.

#whitewhine

Are you older than 40? Maybe this webernet stuff is new to you.

Oh and should I check my privilege too? Its 2015, shit gets crowded. This is very very basic website stuff by the way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Poster 8:02 here, limited wait at 10am. It's approximently 60 people here even grandparents. I couldn't imagine coming later with a larger crowd. It's really something for the kids, although the "beach" is deep enough for adults.

The admission is $13 for kids 3-17 and $16 for adults unlike what the posted admission sign says.

There's a separate members price.

Correct, but the prices on the board are for general admission to the museum itself and not the exhibit.

Pp is correct. It's $16/$13 for beach and museum

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I bought our non-member tickets online in advance. They were sent to my phone, which I showed at the member desk and got tickets immediately (the line to buy tickets was very long). We arrived at 2p, waited 20 min, then got it.

Girls are both 3; they loved it, I had to walk on the "pier" to make sure they didn't go under or get kicked by older kids (lots of older kids there, prob bc is late afternoon and the littler ones are napping…we skipped our nap to go).

Summary: kids loved it, I found it stressful but am glad I took them. There's metered parking that you can use your Parkmobile app to pay for. They sell snacks inside as well, there's places for adults to sit. But bottom line: buy your tickets online in advance:

https://secure2.convio.net/nbm/site/Ecommerce?store_id=2041

Thank you. Helpful and appreciated.

[Anonymous]

I went today and bought both Beach and museum admission tickets online (wondering if I didn't need the regular admission now?). There was actually no benefit to buying online as I still had to wait in the non-member line to get my wristbands.

I do highly recommend it. My 11yo absolutely loved it and wants to go back. We waited about 45 minutes. Just bring some books.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't get it; is it like the ball pit at Ikea but bigger and with white balls?

With "beach scenery" added. Not worth it for the germs, but that's just me.

yuck

I just read this about ball pits - http://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2012/02/bacteria%20in%20playlands.html

We found stuff that causes meningitis, food-borne illness, skin, hair, eye infections... fecal contamination, coliforms, quite a few things can make children ill, and several of which are multi-drug resistant and potentially fatal.

can't do it - for as unique as this installation is . . .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A friend who went this weekend said the staff told her they are less busy in the afternoons than they are first thing when they open.

Which validates my whole theory of life in general and parenting in particular - go late, not early.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nanny took my kids today. They told me it was almost a 2 hour wait. They said it was awesome and totally worth waiting in line to see. My kids are 6 and 8.

There is nothing in this world that my son would say was worth a 2 hour wait?

[Anonymous]

I don't understand why NBM can't sell times entry tickets on line. The whole wait in line to get tix and then wait again to go into the beach is just ridiculous and outdated. It also annoys me that I can't buy timed tickets online for the playzone either. Don't the directors of operations have children? Clearly not.


#whitewhine

Are you older than 40? Maybe this webernet stuff is new to you.

Oh and should I check my privilege too? Its 2015, shit gets crowded. This is very very basic website stuff by the way

OMG -- Am I older than 40!!! not that PP, but my goodness that is the funniest thing I've read in a while.

The reason they don't sell timed tickets is because once you go in, you stay as long as you want. It's not like ice skating where you get a time colored band and they you exit when your time is up. That would make it really hard to sell timed entry tickets online

We went at about 4:30 on a weekday. It wasn't very crowded, and it we got in within 20 minutes of arriving. Bonus -- get the member price for tickets if you arrive between 4-5
Free at Four - Late Day Reduced Admission
Weekdays (except federal holidays) 4–5 pm, admission to the exhibition House & Home is free thanks to support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. During Free at Four, we offer reduced admission to the Museum’s other exhibitions: FREE for members, $5 for adults, $3 for youth. Free at Four does not include BEACH admission.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I don't understand why NBM can't sell times entry tickets on line. The whole wait in line to get tix and then wait again to go into the beach is just ridiculous and outdated. It also annoys me that I can't buy timed tickets online for the playzone either. Don't the directors of operations have children? Clearly not.


#whitewhine

Are you older than 40? Maybe this webernet stuff is new to you.

Oh and should I check my privilege too? Its 2015, shit gets crowded. This is very very basic website stuff by the way

OMG -- Am I older than 40!!! not that PP, but my goodness that is the funniest thing I've read in a while.

The reason they don't sell timed tickets is because once you go in, you stay as long as you want. It's not like ice skating where you get a time colored band and they you exit when your time is up. That would make it really hard to sell timed entry tickets online

We went at about 4:30 on a weekday. It wasn't very crowded, and it we got in within 20 minutes of arriving. Bonus -- get the member price for tickets if you arrive between 4-5
Free at Four - Late Day Reduced Admission
Weekdays (except federal holidays) 4–5 pm, admission to the exhibition House & Home is free thanks to support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. During Free at Four, we offer reduced admission to the Museum’s other exhibitions: FREE for members, $5 for adults, $3 for youth. [/b]Free at Four does not include BEACH admission.[b]

There's no discount for "The Beach" exhibit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I don't understand why NBM can't sell times entry tickets on line. The whole wait in line to get tix and then wait again to go into the beach is just ridiculous and outdated. It also annoys me that I can't buy timed tickets online for the playzone either. Don't the directors of operations have children? Clearly not.


#whitewhine

Are you older than 40? Maybe this webernet stuff is new to you.

Oh and should I check my privilege too? Its 2015, shit gets crowded. This is very very basic website stuff by the way

OMG -- Am I older than 40!!! not that PP, but my goodness that is the funniest thing I've read in a while.

The reason they don't sell timed tickets is because once you go in, you stay as long as you want. It's not like ice skating where you get a time colored band and they you exit when your time is up. That would make it really hard to sell timed entry tickets online

We went at about 4:30 on a weekday. It wasn't very crowded, and it we got in within 20 minutes of arriving. Bonus -- get the member price for tickets if you arrive between 4-5
Free at Four - Late Day Reduced Admission
Weekdays (except federal holidays) 4–5 pm, admission to the exhibition House & Home is free thanks to support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. During Free at Four, we offer reduced admission to the Museum’s other exhibitions: FREE for members, $5 for adults, $3 for youth. [/b]Free at Four does not include BEACH admission.[b]

There's no discount for "The Beach" exhibit.

Exactly. PP wrote that in the last sentence of the post.

[Anonymous]

There's no discount for "The Beach" exhibit.


Exactly. PP wrote that in the last sentence of the post.

Right -- instead of paying $16 for adults and $13 for kids, I paid $13 for adults, and $5 for my kid because I didn't have to pay for the museum exhibit admission price.

[Anonymous]

Checked out the camera today to see how busy it was on Fridays. I checked every hour while I was at work. It was packed every single time I checked. I was planning on taking my kids next Friday. Oh well, I'm not going now. Ivan enjoy myself in large crowds and I'd be paranoid about my kids. Why is everything such a shit show?