FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
CONTACT:
Ann Marie Walker, Marketing Manager
(815) 963-6769, ext. 2832
annmariew@discoverycentermuseum.org
Forbes names Discovery Center a top children's museum
ROCKFORD, Ill. –– Discovery Center Museum announced today that it was named one of the “12 Best Children’s Museums in the Nation” by Forbes. Discovery Center was the only Illinois museum named in the article. See http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryolmsted/2012/01/30/12-best-childrens-museums-in-the-u-s.
“We are so proud of our museum for receiving this national recognition,” explains Sarah Wolf, executive director of Discovery Center Museum. “Almost all the other museums selected in the Top 12 are located in large metropolitan areas, and being among those museums chosen is truly an honor. We know that parents and patrons pay attention to the opinion of a publication like Forbes and we are thrilled to bring such positive recognition to our museum and our community.”
In the Forbes story, Discovery Center shares the spotlight with museums such as the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis; Boston Children’s Museum; Brooklyn Children’s Museum; Children’s Museum of Denver; Children’s Museum of Houston; and the Minnesota Children’s Museum. There are over 200 children’s museums in the United States.
Discovery Center served almost 255,000 people in 2011–a new record for the museum. It served almost 170,000 visitors on site (a 4% increase since 2010, and a 20% increase in the last five years) and another 85,000 through the museum’s outreach programs.
Forbes is an American media and publishing company.
In 2002, Child magazine ranked Discovery Center 4th in the first-ever survey to identify the 10 best children’s museums in the nation. Then in 2009, Discovery Center was included in the book, The Ten Best of Everything: Families in the category of children’s museums. In 2010, Discovery Center completed construction of a major expansion, adding new galleries, new exhibits, new classrooms, a 5,000 sq. ft traveling exhibition hall and more.
Discovery Center Museum is a non-profit organization creating opportunities for joyful learning and discovery through hands-on experiences in science and art for all ages. The museum contains over 250 hand-on exhibits and an award-winning outdoor science park. Discovery Center, the nation’s #4 Children’s Museum as cited by Child magazine, is located inside Riverfront Museum Park, 711 North Main Street, Rockford, IL. General admission to the Museum is: $7 adults, $7 children (ages 2 to 17) and free to children age 1 and younger and Museum members. Hours open are: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday; Noon to 5 p.m., Sunday.
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For additional information, please contact Marketing Manager Ann Marie Walker at (815) 963-6769, ext. 2832 or by e-mail at annmariew@discoverycentermuseum.org.
Discovery Center Museum is a non-profit children’s science museum providing hands-on math, science and art experiences for all ages with over 250 hand-on exhibits, planetarium, special area for children under six, and an outdoor science park. Discovery Center is rated the #4 children’s museum in the nation by Child magazine and one of the top 12 children’s museums in the nation by Forbes.com. The Museum is located inside Riverfront Museum Park, 711 North Main Street, Rockford, Ill. General admission to the Museum is: $8 adults, $8 children (ages 2 to 17) and free to Museum members and children age 1 and younger. Hours of operation are: 10 am to 5 pm seven days a week. For additional information, call (815) 963-6769 or log onto our website at www.discoverycentermuseum.org.