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Smithsonian 2009 Attendance Jumps

Written by Brett Zongker, Associated Press Writer

Thursday, 07 January 2010 02:43

Costumed historic characters in the lobby outside of the flag gallery at the National Museum of American History, which reopened after a two-year, $85 million renovation, in Washington. Visitor counts at the Smithsonian Institution's museums rebounded to more than 30 million in 2009. - AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Recent reports have suggested that the Smithsonian Institutionhas afew problems it needs to fix, but attendance does not appear to be one of them. A draft report from the museum network states that its museums recorded more than 30 million visitors over the last year, the most impressive showing since a decline that occurred after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

In 2008, the institution’s 18 museums and the National Zoo together reported 25.15 million visitors, making 2009’s number a leap of around 5 million people. In part, that increase can be attributed to the reopening of the National Museum of American History, which had been closed since 2006 for repairs and renovations. This was its first full year back in business and tourists seemed eager to rush back to the museum to see exhibits such as chef Julia Child’s kitchen, which appeared in the hit film Julie & Julia. The museum attracted 1.4 million more visitors than in 2005, the last full year it was open.

The most popular of the museums — which don’t charge admission fees — was the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., which saw a peppy 450,000-visitor increase, bringing its total count to a staggering 7.4 million for the year, a figure roughly approximate to the entire population of Virginia.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press / By : Brett Zongker, Associated Press Writer

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