
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, March 25, 1990                   TAG: 9003252183
SECTION: HORIZON                    PAGE: F7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: The New York Times
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

SMITHSONIAN HELPS LOST FIND THE WAY

Lost and bewildered by the profusion of galleries, museums and historic buildings on the capital's 146-acre National Mall? Now help for the Washington visitor has arrived in the form of a high-tech Smithsonian Information Center in the Great Hall of the Smithsonian's red brick Castle on Jefferson Drive.

It offers answers to every conceivable question: Where are the First Lady Gowns kept? The dinosaurs? The Hope Diamond? How do I get to the subway? Where can I mail a letter? Find something to eat?

Two theaters offer a continuous 20-minute film that gives an overview of the Smithsonian's 13 museums. Rolling screen monitors list each day's special activities such as concerts, lectures and theatrical programs, and detailed information about each museum is provided in seven languages by interactive touch-screen programs.

There are two electronic wall maps and two scale models of the city's monumental core, and videodiscs provide information on 100 tourist destinations elswhere in Washington.

Open daily, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., all Smithsonian museums are free.

by CNB