Most visited Smithsonian museums and institutions in the U.S. 2018
This statistic shows the most visited Smithsonian museums and institutions in the United States in 2018. The National Air and Space Museum was the most visited Smithsonian museum in 2018, with approximately 6.2 million visits.
Smithsonian museums –additional information
The Smithsonian museums are part of the Smithsonian Institution which belongs to the United States government. The Smithsonian Institution was created after the death of Englishman James Smithson in 1829. Despite having never stepped foot in the U.S., he left his entire estate to the United States government for the “increase and diffusion of knowledge”. The Smithsonian Institution was finally established in 1846, and is today the world’s largest museum and research complex.
In 2018, the most visited Smithsonian museums were the National Museum of Natural History and the National Air and Space Museum. Both these museums have had fluctuating visitor numbers over the last 15 years, with the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History hitting peaks of 8.4 million visitors and lows of 4.4 million in the given period.
This pattern in attendance is also seen in the total number of visitors to all Smithsonian museums. However, the trend may be a more recent one as attendance increased without interruption between 1970 and 1990.
Smithsonian museums –additional information
The Smithsonian museums are part of the Smithsonian Institution which belongs to the United States government. The Smithsonian Institution was created after the death of Englishman James Smithson in 1829. Despite having never stepped foot in the U.S., he left his entire estate to the United States government for the “increase and diffusion of knowledge”. The Smithsonian Institution was finally established in 1846, and is today the world’s largest museum and research complex.
In 2018, the most visited Smithsonian museums were the National Museum of Natural History and the National Air and Space Museum. Both these museums have had fluctuating visitor numbers over the last 15 years, with the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History hitting peaks of 8.4 million visitors and lows of 4.4 million in the given period.
This pattern in attendance is also seen in the total number of visitors to all Smithsonian museums. However, the trend may be a more recent one as attendance increased without interruption between 1970 and 1990.
