Attendance at Chicago-area museums steady in 2011

CHICAGO (AP) – Attendance at Chicago's zoos and museums remained steady during 2011.

Attendance was 14.4 million during 2011 at 14 Chicago-area cultural institutions. That's the same as 2010. Several institutions saw gains in attendance, including the Museum of Science of Industry, The Field Museum, Chicago Children's Museum and Chicago Botanic Garden. But others saw drops in attendance. The Art Institute of Chicago saw 10.7 percent fewer visitors during 2011 compared with 2010.

One of the most-visited institutions was Brookfield Zoo with 2.1 million visitors. But that figure is down 5.4 percent from 2010.

The public awareness campaign Museums Work for Chicago announced the numbers Thursday. Other most-visited institutions were Lincoln Park Zoo with an estimated 3 million visitors and the Shedd Aquarium with 2.1 million visitors.