Should people pay to see national monuments?

Tweet

My family and I just got back from St. Augustine, Florida. I must say, it is a gorgeous, history-marked town, but we had to pay a lot to see things that are government supported. The exception was visiting Fort Matanzas, which costed nothing, and came with a free ferry ride back and forth from the monument. We went into Castillo de San Marcos, and they charged us to get in. We went to the St. Augustine Lighthouse, and they charged us $8, $32 total, to let us climb 216 stairs. For government-funded monuments, should you have to spend money to learn about your own culture? Does it help or hinder getting students to learn more about history? I stand by that it should not cost money. Almost $10 for each monument is above and beyond what they should charge for something that they didn't even build. All they need is a janitor to maintain the facilities. If they didn't charge, they would only need one security guard to make sure no one slept in the place, no administration whatsoever. And the government pays for it all. What are we paying taxes for anyway?