Most museums have yet to recover from COVID downturn

Many report brighter attendance figures in 2023 but lag from 2019

While many U.S. museums report rising attendance in 2023 from 2022, visitation levels generally remain below the pre-COVID year of 2019.

Among the few to buck that trend were some free-admission Smithsonian attractions in Washington, D.C., mostly funded by the federal government. The National Museum of Natural History, which houses the Hope Diamond, dinosaur fossils, and other displays, reported there were 4.4 million visits last year, up from 3.9 million in 2022 and 4.2 million in 2019. The Freer Gallery of Art, which has a premier collection of Asian art, also recorded more visits in 2023 than 2019.

The National Air and Space Museum, the second most popular Smithsonian venue, almost reached the 2019 figure of 3.2 million last year with 3.1 million. That was about double the 1.5 million in 2022.

Air and Space, which has the main museum in D.C. and an annex in suburban Virginia, was the Smithsonian's most popular in 2019 but has been undergoing renovations since 2018 that has affected attendance. The first half of the renovated galleries opened in 2022, and most of the remaining ones will be unfurled by the country's 250th anniversary in July 2026, officials said.

Since the Smithsonian museums are free, attendance is not based on ticket sales, but mostly on hand clickers used by security officers. Thus, the counts sometimes include staff and visitors who leave a museum and return, so they are referred to as visits. The newer National Museum of African American History and Culture operates an automated counting system, but it still includes returning visitors and staff. That museum's 2023 visitation was 400,000 ahead of 2022 but still 400,000 behind 2019.

Total visits for the Smithsonian attractions increased to 17.7 million in 2023 from 14.9 million in 2022. That was below the 22.1 million visits in 2019.

The most popular museum in the world in 2023 - The Louvre in Paris - was among those that did not reach 2019's attendance levels. The National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City was among those that surpassed 2019.

Visits to the National Museum of Natural History, which houses the Hope Diamond and other gems, exceeded pre-COVID levels in 2023.Photo byKevin Shay

Could 'take years to fully rebound'

With donations to many museums also declining, a full recovery from COVID times could take awhile, analysts said.

“While the museum field is making strides in its recovery efforts, it will take years to fully rebound to pre-pandemic levels of staffing, revenue, and attendance,” said Brooke Leonard, former CEO of the American Alliance of Museums.

The Met in New York reported fewer than half of its 2019 visitation in 2022. The museum - the most popular in the U.S. in 2019 - has not yet released 2023 figures. The Big Apple's Museum of Modern Art saw 2022 attendance exceed 2019. Many smaller museums, such as the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., have yet to recover.

A survey last year by the AAM found that two-thirds of museum leaders cited reduced attendance, averaging 71 percent of pre-pandemic figures. About 60 percent experienced revenue decreases or no change. Many report a decline in donations, as younger generations turn to other targets to fund.

Some see substantial attendance uptick

Some newer museums are experiencing substantial upticks in attendance. The Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Ala., which traces the development of slavery to African-American incarceration in modern times and opened in 2018 to critical acclaim, became the state's second most popular paid attraction in 2022, according to tourism figures.

More than 500,000 people visited the Montgomery attraction in 2022, recovering beyond the 2019 level, according to the Alabama Tourism Department. At $5 for adults, the museum keeps its admission price lower than most privately-run ones.

The U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville - Alabama's top paid attraction with some 850,000 visitors in 2022 - charges $30 for adults. Its attendance has not reached the 1.05 million of 2019. The Birmingham Zoo, another popular state attraction, charges $20 for adults. The Rocket Center participates in Museums for All and other programs that offer reduced admission costs.

Legacy founder Bryan Stevenson told The New York Times that the response has mushroomed beyond his vision. "We’ve done a terrible job in America of talking honestly about slavery and segregation,” said Stevenson, a human right attorney who founded the Equal Justice Initiative. “I knew [this museum] was going to be significant because it hadn’t happened in America, and it needed to be done. I just wasn’t sure how much interest there would be.” The interest has helped rejuvenate depressed parts of downtown Montgomery.

The Legacy Museum and Memorial for Peace and Justice have helped rejuvenate some depressed areas of Montgomery, Ala.Photo byKevin Shay

National parks recover faster

Most national parks and memorials, being outdoors, didn't suffer much decline during COVID times. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina welcomed 13.3 million visitors in 2023, more than in 2019.

Others that saw upticks included Zion, Acadia, Yellowstone, the Lincoln Memorial, World War II Memorial, and Blue Ridge Parkway. The Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Lake Mead were among those that haven't reached 2019 levels.

Museum .... Visitors [mil] 2023 .... 2019
Louvre, Paris .... 8.9 .... 9.6
Smithsonian, Natural History, D.C. .... 4.4 .... 4.2
National Gallery of Art, D.C. .... 3.8 .... 4.1
Metropolitan Museum of Art, N.Y. .... 3.2* .... 6.8
Smithsonian, Air and Space, D.C. .... 3.1 .... 3.2
Museum of Anthropology, Mex City .... 2.6 .... 2.0
Museum of Modern Art, N.Y. .... 2.2* .... 2.0
Smithsonian, American History, D.C. .... 2.1 .... 2.8
California Science Center, L.A. .... 1.7* .... 2.2
African American History, D.C. .... 1.6 .... 2.0
Houston Museum of Natural Science .... 1.5* .... 1.95
Smithsonian, American Art, D.C. .... 1.4 ..... 2.0
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, D.C. ... 1.2* .... 1.6
Denver Museum of Nature and Science .... 1.2* .... 1.5
National Portrait Gallery, D.C. .... 1.1 .... 1.7|
Art Institute of Chicago .... 1.0* .... 1.65
Museum of Pop Culture, Seattle .... 0.5* .... 0.7
National Baseball HoF, N.Y. .... 0.2 .... 0.3
* 2022 figure
Sources: Themed Entertainment Association, AECOM, individual museums

National park/monument .... Visitors [mil] 2023 .... 2019
Blue Ridge Parkway, Va., N.C. .... 16.8 .... 15.0
Golden Gate, Calif. .... 15.0 .... 15.0
Great Smoky Mountains, Tenn., N.C. 13.3 12.5
Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C. .... 8.1 .... 7.8
Lake Mead, Nev., Az. .... 5.8 .... 7.5
World War II Memorial, D.C. ... 5.1 .... 4.8
Vietnam Veterans Memorial, D.C. .... 5.0 .... 4.6
Grand Canyon, Ariz. .... 4.7 .... 6.0
Zion, Utah .... 4.6 .... 4.5
Rocky Mountain, Colo. .... 4.1 .... 4.7
Acadia, Maine .... 3.9 .... 3.4
Yosemite, Calif. .... 3.9 .... 4.4
Yellowstone, Wyo., Mont. .... 4.5 .... 4.0
Source: U.S. National Park Service