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Tickets tell when to view 'Bodies'

The system is like one used for the Titanic show, with an entrance time on each ticket.

By KEVIN GRAHAM
Published September 2, 2005

TAMPA - The throngs expected to take in "Bodies, the Exhibition" at the Museum of Science and Industry this Labor Day weekend may find the trip a little smoother than initial visitors did.

MOSI has switched to using timed tickets to help move people along.

And the museum has enlisted University of South Florida shuttle buses to help ease crowded parking lots.

Visitors to the museum now receive a time of entrance for the "Bodies" exhibit and are asked to form a line 15 minutes beforehand, said MOSI spokeswoman Tanya Vomacka. Up to 175 people at a time are admitted, at 15-minute intervals.

She said MOSI sold timed tickets when it had the Titanic exhibit in 2003-04.

The admission price to see the exhibit includes access to the rest of the museum, Vomacka said. If visitors want to see an IMAX film, that costs extra.

Shuttle buses from the University of South Florida Sun Dome parking lot run only on weekends. Last weekend, they ran from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Vomacka said. Buses will likely follow the same schedule this weekend, she said, but for updates, visitors can check the MOSI Web site at www.mosi.org

Lines are shorter early in the day and during the week. Vomacka said daily attendance during the week has averaged about 1,500; on weekends, the number jumps to as many as 5,500 visitors.

By the end of business on Wednesday, 39,578 people had filed through the display of 20 posed, preserved cadavers, Vomacka said.

MOSI needs volunteers to help with the crowds. Anyone interested can call Joel Bates at (813) 987-6370.

"Bodies, the Exhibition" runs through Feb. 26.

Kevin Graham can be reached at 813 226-3433 or kgraham@sptimes.com

[Last modified September 2, 2005, 02:29:25]