Visitors flock to The Carnegie Museums in 2008

Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh set a new record for annual admissions at its four museums last year. More than 1.1 million people visited the facilities, breaking the previous 2001 record of just more than a million visitors. Betsy Momich, spokeswoman for the museums, says the increase could be attributed to the seven-month run of the Carnegie International art exhibit, as well as the final phase of the opening of "Dinosaurs in Their Time," a long-awaited natural history museum upgrade. The BODIES exhibition at the Carnegie Science Center also attracted national attention and 266,000 visitors. Momich says the admissions record speaks for the cultural value of the city, not just for residents, but for over 200,000 out-of-town guests. Momich says the re-opening of the Bruce Galleries and SportsWorks should help make 2009 another very successful year for the museums.