Smithsonian Show to Require $4 Fee

Departing from a long-established policy of free public exhibitions at its museums on the Mall, the Smithsonian Institution will impose an admission fee for a temporary exhibition opening next week.

The exhibition on dinosaurs at the Museum of Natural History will cost $4 for adults, $2 for children under 12 and will be free to children under 3. Fees will be waived on several Tuesdays during the exhibit, which begins April 12 and runs through Sept. 3.

Undersecretary Dean Anderson characterized the charge for “Dinamation’s Dinosaurs Alive and in Color” as an experiment that will allow the museum to display an exhibit that otherwise would be prohibitively expensive.

In this case, the Smithsonian is engaging in a joint venture with Dinamation International Inc. of San Juan Capistrano, Calif., a company that has manufactured about 400 dinosaurs for exhibits worldwide.