The Baltimore CityLife museum, I think it was, ran into rocky shoals in a
widely publicized situation.  My memory is a bit fuzzy (in general), but
there were a number of city supported museums in Baltimore that  have
closed either entirely or partially.  At least part of the rationale for
the closings was that attendance was way lower than projected, and part of
the rationale for that was that the museum(s) were off the beaten track.
So there's a part of a part of a rational.  There were a series of articles
in Museum News on this story, and I bet a web search on Baltimore City Life
museums would turn up more details.

Eric Siegel