Although I’m sure this discussion isn’t over, he was my response  adding more food for thought

I can understand where Gordon is coming from but simultaneously I don’t think excluding children would be the answer. Some of us on here have museums and historic sites and were all looking to boost attendance. To many adults, kids can be annoying and take away from their experience at your site. A visitor who leaves with a bad experience is unlikely to return and by human nature passes this experience on. So now we have lost a visitor and potential supporter. Maybe one answer is to have an "Adult Night" where no one under let's say 18 is admitted. This could possible and I think more likely lead to greater attendance. I don’t think Gordon is the only one who feels this way, but it does bring about a somewhat complex issue.

                We created museums for all to enjoy and as an educator and museum professional children especially. Its always great to see kids walk away saying "wow I didn't know that" or "man they had a tough life".  It is extremely important to all of us to be able to teach history to the younger generations and to have them engaged in the lesson. The best way is not through lectures, but hands on. We want our kids to enjoy it through the many stories all of us can tell, through games and other hands on activities, and most of all to get them thinking and using those skills they develop in school to further explore our sites and what they learned.

Again yes this is a complex problem, but again maybe a period of time or a day just for adults will lure a few disenchanted visitors back for a more pleasant experience.

Jim Schulte

Preservation Salem County Inc.