>>Does anyone know of museums which have switched from free admission to
>>paid admission?  Changeovers which occurred more than a year ago are
>>preferred, since I am interested in the impact on attendance which may
>>have resulted.
>
The Museum of the South Dakota State Historical Society in Pierre began
charging adults $3 during the summer of 1994.  This was not exactly our
idea--our 1993 visitation of around 30,000 led legislators to believe
that we were not maximizing our revenue possibilities and told us to
charge, or else.

We saw an immediate and significant drop in our admission.  (To be fair,
1994 was also the summer that the governor proposed closing us and some
other agencies to deal with a severe fiscal crisis, AND visitation is off
at most South Dakota sites in the last two years.)  Local people have
stopped visiting except on our free Sunday.  By 1995, our visitation had
dropped to 23,614 and in 1996, our visitation was 22,513.  (The nasty
winter of 95-96 and 96-97 may also have affected our numbers some.)

Realistically, the people that our admission fee affected most are our
local audience.  While prior to admission fees, they were frequent visitors,
now they only visit when it is free or out-of-town guests demand it.  I
don't believe that foreign visitors or out-of-staters think anything of
paying, since they do so at many sites.

We continue to hope that we can either drop the admission fee (what we
collect is negligible after you consider that students 18 and under and
their chaperones are free, as well as AAM members and Society members.)  Or
we hope that locals will get over their anger at us and start to come
back because our exhibits are good and our programs are interesting.  (of
course, we have to have some interesting programs to do that, but that is
another story.)

The thing that I would advise is to explain forthrightly why the admission
fee is necessary, and how it might be avoided through some other type
of funding that you might not be getting now.  (We were never able to
explain to visitors that the admission fee was not our idea.)

Claudia Nicholson
Curator of Collections
Museum of the South Dakota State Historical Society
Pierre

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