Ok my 1 1/2 cents worth.
        I am a metal smith who does demonstrations at 18th century events; some
free, some not.
        To compare museums/educational experances to theme parks/entertainment
does not work.
        The question you have not asked is "who is your customer" There are
those people you could not drag in to a museum if you paid them and
there are those ( my self included ) who you can't drag in to a theme
park.
        More to the question, of those who are your customers do you lose any
significant portion by charging admision fees.
        If you are in fact saying you want to have some sort of out reach to
broaden your customer base then the question is not fee or no fee but
the perception of the public of the experance that they will have at
your insitution, be it a museum, historical house, theme park.
        To solve problems, you must first ask the right questions

                        Tw

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