As one who has published a few articles in Museum News and Curator on
the subject of the relationship between theme parks and museums, I am in
sympathy
with Robert Baron's comment that he finds it difficult to understand how
anyone
could think that theme parks have museum-like functions.  I don't think
that many of us in the museum field do think that.  But people in the
theme park and entertainment industry do believe it and act on it.  For
example, one of the morning shows at the beginning of this week featured
an interview with, I believe, the marketing head of the new Discovery
Channel store operation, that has hugely revamped the Nature Company
chain.  His clear and stated point was that the purpose of the store (in
this case the one in Washington that you can visit cyberly by typing in
"Discovery Channel Stores" on your browser) was to combine the science
museum with a retail endeavor.  What is interesting, of course, is that
many people (shall we say lay people for lack of a better term) seem
perfectly happy with this as a substitute.  One might say that the ball
is in our court.
Regards,
Chuck Watkins

--
Dr. Charles A. Watkins
Appalachian Cultural Museum
Appalachian State University
Boone, NC
704/262-3117
email: [log in to unmask]
http://www.museum.appstate.edu