If you want to see the Diplodocus when the dinosaur exhibit opens at the Carnegie Museum in November, you'll have to dip a little deeper into your pockets to get in the door.
Beginning Nov. 21 -- opening day for the Carnegie Museum of Natural History's "Dinosaurs in Their Time" exhibit -- general admission tickets will increase by $5.
The steepest hike, from $6 to $11, will be for students and children ages 3 to 18, who will pay 83 percent more to get into the museum.
Adult general admission tickets will go up 50 percent, from $10 to $15. The price for senior citizens will rise by 71 percent, from $7 to $12. Admission for children 3 and younger will continue to be free. No change is being made in yearly membership fees, which include free admittance to the Carnegie in Oakland.
The price increase is helping to pay for the improved dinosaur exhibit, said David A. Smith, acting co-director of Carnegie Museum. The exhibit will cost about $36 million when it's completed.
The first phase of the exhibit will feature the Triassic and Jurassic periods and the Cretaceous Seaway. The second phase, set to open in spring, will feature the remainder of the Cretaceous Period and a fighting Tyrannosaurus rex display. The dinosaur exhibit will be about 18,600 square feet, more than three times the old 5,000-square-foot Dinosaur Hall.
To deal with the anticipated 40 percent increase in the number of visitors, the museum has instituted a "time ticketing" process that allows people to buy tickets online and select a specific time to visit the exhibit. Time ticketing will be available for tickets bought at the door.
"Time ticketing will cut down on long lines and allow visitors to experience the wonders of the new exhibit without feeling rushed or overwhelmed by crowds of people," Smith said.
Tickets can be purchased online.
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