Exploration Place sets new attendance record

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Exploration Place announced that the museum’s attendance for the 2023-24 fiscal year was 409,975, breaking the previous record of 363,047 visitors set in 2022-23.

The museum says the jump is due to new family memberships and Digital Dome Theater success. Over the last year, the theater offered laser shows and musical events.

“We’re thrilled with these results but are not resting on our laurels,” said Adam Smith, Exploration Place president and CEO. “Now we’re on the cusp of a major outdoor expansion that will elevate the museum to new heights. The best is truly yet to come.”

Smith credits the increase to the ever-changing exhibits.

“We’ve been working really hard on programming things like the drone light festival that’s been a really successful event for us,” he said. “I think if people feel that it’s going to be the same as the last time I went, they’re not as likely to come back as if we’ve got something new and different, and we can appeal to different ages and interests, and things like that.”

Outside the museum, work continues to complete a new amphitheater and a destination playscape featuring 10 playgrounds. It is set to open in 2025.

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