Museum sets charge for Da Vinci exhibit
$22 ticket includes entry to planetarium
The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science is gearing up for the debut of “Da Vinci — The Genius” on Feb. 10.
The staff is working to keep the world-class exhibit affordable to all New Mexicans.
When it opens, there will be a $22 charge per adult for the exhibit, including regular admission and the planetarium.
At its recent board of trustees meeting, museum Director Margie Marino told members of the efforts to lure visitors to the planetarium.
“This gives the visitors more value for the price they are paying,” Marino said. “Hopefully, it will increase our numbers at the planetarium, as well.”
With the combo ticket of $22, an adult will save $7 on admission to the planetarium.
Marino said the museum’s goal is to also keep children’s school tour admissions as low as possible. The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Foundation has raised enough money up front to pay the cost for the entire exhibit.
“This means that students can come in a school group for about $3.75 per child,” Marino said.
Currently, there are 700 school groups that have signed up in advance for the “Da Vinci” exhibit.
The 15,000-square-foot exhibition contains two parts — “The Secrets of Mona Lisa” and “The Inventions.” There are more than 200 pieces in the exhibit, and about 75 are large-scale or interactive.
“We feel that asking people to pay more might be a little to much for their pocketbook,” Marino said. “We’re trying to give visitors a little bit more value.”
The move follows a lowered admission price for the Lockheed Martin DynaTheater.
“The prices have gone down, and it has increased the attendance,” Marino said.
For details about the exhibit and information about the museum, go to nmnaturalhistory.org.