Several cities have museums clustered in districts. Such proximity allows tourists to walk from one museum to another. The synergism allows museums to join for promotional programs and to share facilities such as parking. The following are prominent museum districts:
Chicago, IL
• Visited by roughly eight million people annually, 11 museums comprise Museums In the Park www.museumsinthepark.org. Visitor counts for the Art Institute of Chicago, the Field Museum, the Museum of Science & Industry, and the Shedd Aquarium each are in the 1.3 million to 1.8 million range. Lake Shore Drive was reconfigured in 1998 to create the Museum Campus, making navigation between the museums easier for visitors.
Los Angeles, CA
• Museum Row on Miracle Mile, on Wilshire Boulevard between Fairfax Avenue and La Brea Boulevard, is home to four major Los Angeles museums: Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Page Museum at La Brea Tar Pits, Craft and Folk Art Museum, and Petersen’s Auto Museum. LACMA receives 1.2 million visitors annually.
Museum Districts USA Photo Gallery
Philadelphia, PA
• The Philadelphia Museum of Art, which received 700,000 visitors annually, anchors the Parkway Museums District. Also in the district are the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Rodin Museum, the Franklin Institute, and the main branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia.
San Diego, CA
• Balboa Park is the epicenter for museums in San Diego. Annual visitation to the park’s nine museums ranges from 531,800 visitors to the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center to 87,000 visitors to the Museum of Photographic Arts.
St. Petersburg, FL
• The St. Petersburg Arts Alliance (www.stpeteartsalliance.org) represents five museums that border the waterfront: the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum, The Dali Museum, the Florida Holocaust Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the St. Petersburg Museum of History.
33.5 Market Resources
Americans for the Arts, 1000 Vermont Avenue NW, 6th Floor, Washington, DC 20005. (202) 371-2830. (www.americansforthearts.org)
Global Cultural Districts Network, 750 N. St. Paul Street, Suite 1150, Dallas, TX 75201. (www.gcdn.net)
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA), 1029 Vermont Avenue NW,
2nd Floor, Washington, DC 20005. (202) 347-6352. (www.nasaa-arts.org)
