9. Attractions at the New York State Pavilion Cost Around as Much as a Subway Ride
The 1965 Official Guide Book for the New York World’s Fair lists the various prices for admission into the New York State Pavilion. While access to the Tent of Tomorrow was free, adults had to pay 50 cents to visit the Observation Towers (and children, 25 cents).
When adjusted for inflation, a 50-cent admission fee costs about $3.94 today, and 25 cents is about $1.97. As an alternative to the Sky-Streak elevators, visitors could also pay $6.50 to take a helicopter tour that encircled the fairgrounds at 500 feet — that comes out to about $51.27 today (not too shabby for a helicopter ride).