Museum's charging extra
 

I am going to Chicago and looking at which museum's I would like to see. At the Field Museum I will have to pay admission and if I want to see the Baseball display I will have to pay an addition charge. What to you think about this?

What do I think? If you want to see it, you pay!
This is not so unusual. Museums regularly charge extra for special exhibits. It cost money to bring in these exhibits, and museums have a tough enough time making ends meet with its regular collections.

Unlike the Smithsonian, a lot of museums are not state subsidized and rely on donations and admission charges to not only obtain peices but keep the lights on, pay salaries, etc.

All the museums in Chicago have days on which the entrance fee is waived. See
http://www.fieldmuseum.org/plan_visit/free_days.htm

The free days are in Jan. and Feb or one week in June. We will be in Chicago July 3 to 7.

Many articles are heavily insured for a premium. The cost to insure is passed to visitor.

Who cares. If you want to go, pay extra. It is a special exhibit. I recently saw the Titanic exhibit and had to pay extra just for that. No Biggie!!

You'll find that it really is worth it. 9.5 time out of 10, the Field Museum's special exhibits will knock your socks off.

And hey, who can complain? Just pretend that you actually went to a baseball game in Anywhere, USA, and bought a HOT DOG!

I think it's a good opportunity for people who want to see only the permanent part without going to an additional display and (over)paying for it. You are told in advance how much it will be so you decide if you want to visit both. Personally I wouldn't pay for baseball :)

Charging extra for an extra exhibit seems to be pretty common in museums these days. Sometimes even if you're a member, you'll be charged for a special. I don't mind because it gives me the choice of deciding whether I think it's worth paying for.

Well, if you want to see it, you'll have to pay the extra. It's entirely up to you.