Jackson Jambalaya

So the memberships are an inclusive pass for a year?

We want a nice aquarium, but we don't want to pay for it. Why can't we get some grants from the federal government to help keep the costs down?
They also need to offer something like free food to help boost attendance.

The new Aquarium has something none of the others have.. IT'S NEW!

Wait until attendance slumps and the price will go down. Until then let them turn a profit while the facility is in demand.

I hear the Aquarium in Pyongyang is totally free if you really must have free shit.

Yes, it is too expensive.
I can pay for a $209 family membership to New Orleans [which also includes the Zoo and Insectarium] and use it the couple of times a year that we go to New Orleans. Or I can pay $150 to take the family one time if we were to take a trip to the MS coast to see the aquarium.

Libtards

That family membership is ridiculous. The others seem to be in line with other facilities.

The difference with aquarium in Gulfport verses going to New Orleans is Gulfport you probably will not get mugged or shot. I will take Gulfport.

Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies is one of the best in the country, and their ticket prices are comparable, lower if you are with a family.

Adult: 32.99
Child 6-11: 17.99
Child 2-5: 7.99

This thing better be good.

How Hurricane Proof is this thing? It was built due to the last one going to sea, wasn't it?

The aquarium, like the Shuckers Stadium, will be a financial failure. Politicians love to use taxpayer money to fund projects that kick back money to big donors or make it appear that they are doing something.

They hide behind BS consultants so that when things go bad, and they will, they can say "hey, the professionals were wrong and we relied on them".

Millennials don't want to see animals or mammals held in captivity. It isn't "woke".

Regardless of price the aquarium will NEVER perform as expected.

It’s easy - just offer promos, groupons, etc every now and again to adjust the prices. I’m not sure if the aquarium is associated with the marine biology program at USM Gulf Coast campus - but it’d make sense for it to be, so maybe there’s some subsidy potential there?

I visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium a few years ago in Monterey, CA - and admission was $50 (not exactly apples to apples, I know), but it was a fascinating facility and organization.

Horseshit...this will be a boon for the coast. There are many families like mine that can head down there stay somewhere cheap and visits sites along the coast. While the beach unfortunately isn’t one of them...the MS coast has a lot to offer. On a related note, I’ve often considered purchasing family zoo passes. Sometimes procrastination pays off.

We take the kids down to N.O. once or twice a year and do the aquarium/zoo/insectarium thing. Hard to do a weekend there without dropping a couple grand. The MS coast has never been on our list, but it is now and that money will now stay in state, so this might end up being good for the state. It will definitely help the coast and the restaurants, hotels and casinos down there.

You ain't seen an aquarium until you visit the one in Springfield, Missouri. Takes a whole day to tour it. Compared to the Springfield aquarium, I'd give the Gulf Coast minnow pond pool a rating similar to the Jackson zoo. Who the hell do these people think they are? Anyway?

On a related note, 12:39, you do sound like somebody who would stay in a cheap place. Some have hot-plates.

To have something really nice you have to be willing to pay for it. Those prices are fine. Support quality venues in our state like this and keep your money in Mississippi.

I will never understand people complaining about the cost of an attraction. (Have you SEEN the money people manage to produce for the State Fair?!) And 12:24 is spot on, an efficient person will ALWAYS find a discount!

Nothing is cheap. While those other facilities may be "cheaper" initially, the price will adjust OR the discounts will be readily available. They will NOT allow it to remain unvisited and fail because of the admission price.

@11:28- WHY must you be so negative? Besides, the type of "millennials" you are referring to won't/don't stay in MS anyway!

I have a lot of family and friends on the coast. They are all ECSTATIC about the aquarium!! The naysayers just like to hate on ANYTHING new in MS.

There will be many who drive up, see the prices, and turn around. It is just expensive entertainment a lot of families just could not afford.

They have to set the price high enough so it doesn’t get run over by retired boomers who don’t work and just want to hang out all day in the free air conditioning. $30 seems like that should be enough to keep them at home watching Fox News.

12:39- Yeah, okay. You will procrastinate and fail to visit the aquarium as well as the zoo.

3:31- It isn't being negative. It's being realistic. Look at what happened to SeaWorld after the movie Blackfish. Large venues like the aquarium require visitors from outside the local area to survive.

I have no issue with the aquarium and wish it much success. But if it was a sure thing like you two seem to believe then a private organization should build it. Taxpayers shouldn't be asked to foot the bill.

Just look at the MGM Park then get back to me.

Ticket prices.

Mississippi Aquarium
Adult: $29.95
Child: $24.95


Good Lord naysayers.

These are more than reasonable admission prices.

I suspect those bitch'n the loudest . . . spend 10x as much on pressure washing their double-wide ( ever ten years).

Interesting point 5:27, but the Boomers don't have to work anymore.
They did work . . . for a long time.

Do you not understand the concept of "retirement".
Look it up sometime.

Until then, I'm laughing my ass off at the fact some millennials are frightened about the 54 year old animated American Christmas classic . . . " Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer ".

Gawd that's funny !

Just remember, when the "Boomers" are gone . . .
there'll be no one else to protect some of you sissy idiots.

Kemper with fish.

Gulf World in Panama City Beach...Online Adults – $26.99 + tax – (Regular $29.99 + tax)
Seniors – $21.99 + tax (Ages 55 and older)
Online Children – $16.99 + tax (Ages 5 – 11) – (Regular $19.99 + tax)
Young Children – FREE (Ages 4 and under)

I been there several times with grandkids. They enjoy it but it's old and worn out, but it stays busy all the time.

the same people that whine about $30 admission GLADLY pay 3x that at Disney....

How does this aquarium compare in size and quality to the others in New Orleans, Atlanta etc?

I wish morons like 7:37 could stop sucking off the government tit for long enough to figure out that bill oreilly and Shawn Hamity are playing you like a fiddle. Care to show proof of these millennials offended by Rudolph, let me guess where you heard that story from. Enjoy watching Fox News in your tighty whities a few more years and contributing nothing but your ignorance and fairy tales of your manliness.

The Shuckers stadium is just about empty. The city taxpayers are asked to pony up.

Same for the Fish Bowl.

Purchased two memberships as Christmas gifts. I personally don't see a problem in the prices. Gotta pony up to have nice things.

If you go to NOlA OT Atlanta, you have to pay for parking. Here’s hoping Gulfport will offer free parking.

That being said, you can buy a custom car tag and support the aquarium. They are still looking for their first 300 people to sign up.

So you can be a leader and buy an ugly car tag to support the aquarium.

I hope the aquarium will succeed but it has two hurdles to overcome.

The first is that unlike the other destinations, the Mississippi coast is not a well established tourist/convention destination.

There is an absence of an overall, co-ordinated plan to create large areas that are visually attractive to visitors. Here, you can have historically beautiful sites next to blocks of vacant eyesores.

Vicksburg is a tragic example, and Natchez has done a better job but we haven't tried to make it as accessible as it could be.

But, the worse hurdle is that Mississippians will and already are ( as seen above) bad mouthing it. Mississippians won't support it or promote it but instead will convince anyone who will listen not to go.

We might as well say, " Don't come to Mississippi to work or visit. Everything in our State is either a rip off, dangerous, or will be closed before you can get here."

People in Charleston and Atlanta and New Orleans brag about their successes and try to overcome and/or fix any criticism that comes their way. They are proud of their State. We criticize our State and are defensive about our mistakes.

if this was a real priority people would have contributed to it over time and paid for it with real money....like the wall. we are building the wall right now.....miles of wall all paid for and mexiproof.

libtards

Family membership is what's overpriced. Going to be a tough sell in that market with New Orleans an hour away.

The actual ticket prices are fairly reasonable and any grumbling is typical Mississippi cheapskates being cheapskates.

Reporter got no quotes from anyone complaining about the ticket prices.

Very lazy reporting and story.

Our state motto should just be a bunch of crabs in a bucket.

Laughing at 10:40.

" bill oreilly and Shawn Hamity "

Hey Little one . . . all we ask is that you get the names correct.

And back on topic, the prices at our new Gulf Coast Aquarium are very reasonable.