Museum Visitors Face Veritable Tollway

Anyone planning a trip to the museums in Exposition Park this Labor Day weekend can expect to pay a lot more money for the excursion--and be in the company of far fewer museum-goers.

The Ford L.A. Street Race has transformed the roadways around the park into a race course, closing them to traffic and pedestrians.

Anyone hoping to visit the museums must first purchase a ticket to the race at a minimum of $10 for adults and $5 for children. Parking is $10.

For those accustomed to paying far less to enjoy the museums and placid rose garden, Saturday was not a good day.

“I think that people who are coming to the museum, whose sole interest is the museum, probably changed their minds,” said Nancy McKinney, spokeswoman for the California African American Museum. “If you have to pay $20 for something you normally pay $5 for, I think you probably would change your mind.”

Normally there is no admission charge for the African American Museum and the California Science Center. Parking is $5. Admission to the Museum of Natural History is normally $8 for adults and $2 for children.

It could not be determined Saturday on what basis city officials decided to allow a race that would cut off access to the museums except by those first buying a ticket to the sporting event, which runs through Monday. City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas, whose district includes Exposition Park, could not be reached for comment.

In a news release issued last week, organizers of the race said access to Exposition Park would be limited to those who purchased tickets to the event. It also said that those who bought race tickets would then be allowed into all the museums at no additional charge.

But Saturday a sign at the entrance of the Museum of Natural History said all visitors would still have to pay to get in.

Guillermina Pivaral, who went to the museum with her husband and two children, ended the day with a sizable tab: $10 to park, $20 for two adult race tickets and $10 for two children’s race tickets, $16 for two adult entries to the museum and $4 for the two children.

“I didn’t want to pay so much just to watch the races, because I don’t like to watch them,” Pivaral said. “If we had known that [about the restrictions], we wouldn’t have come, because everything is very expensive.”

Pivaral paid $60 for a day that would normally cost $25.

Francisco Preston, who drove from Aliso Viejo in Orange County with his family just to see the museum, demanded to see a supervisor when he was told how much he would have to pay.

“We were ready to leave, because nobody had mentioned anything to us,” he said. “We even called the museum from my cellular phone, and they didn’t say anything to us.”

Preston said staff from the museum first offered him free passes to visit next weekend, then finally allowed him and his family to enter free. But he still had to pay the cost of parking and the costs of tickets for the race.

Mark Flaisher, a liaison between the race organizers and the museums, said both sides discussed the possible impact of the auto event on the museums. The organizers agreed to offer two free race tickets to those who are members of any of the three museums.

Apparently, the cost and confusion contributed to lower attendance at the museums.

About 45 people visited the natural history facility Saturday, said Chris Tiana Hills, museum spokeswoman. Normally on a slow Saturday 2,000 to 3,000 guests visit.

“It’s had an impact on total attendance,” Hills said. “Obviously, we always like to have big crowds, but the race was going on, so we really didn’t have a choice in this regard.”

At the science center there were about 3,200 visitors, down from the average 5,500 people.

Representatives of the museums said they hoped race car fans would be exposed to attractions in Exposition Park. Those attending the race might not otherwise visit the area or know about the museums, they said.

The visitors at the science center were “fairly exclusively people who were there for the race and were surprised by our science center,” said Tony Budrovich, the facility’s vice president of operations. “I was shocked at how many people didn’t know we existed.”

The African American Museum, normally closed Mondays, will be open Labor Day in hopes of reaching this new audience, McKinney said.

African American NASCAR driver Troy Adams will make an appearance at the museum today.

“I think that we are all interested in seeing how it all ends up,” McKinney said. “We want to see if it brings a new audience to our museum. I think we’re all open-minded about it, and we’re going to see how it plays.”

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NASCAR Course

Street closures for Los Angeles street race

Eastbound Exposition Boulevard, from Vermont to Figueroa Street, is closed; reopens Tuesday at 10 a.m.

Westbound Exposition Boulevard, from Vermont to Figueroa Street, is closed; reopens Tuesday at 10 a.m.

Figueroa Street, from Martin Luther King Boulevard to Jefferson Boulevard, is closed; reopens Tuesday at 10 a.m.