Kansas Children’s Discovery Center Celebrates One Millionth Visitor

April 6, 2024 – The Kansas Children’s Discovery Center welcomed the Kreshel family of Carbondale, Kansas as the museum’s one millionth all-time visitor. The milestone marks a historic achievement for the nonprofit children’s museum just two days after announcing a $10 million dollar expansion project.

The museum’s one millionth visitor comes as the latest record-setting attendance milestone for the museum. In 2023, the organization welcomed a record annual total of 120,002 visitors. This surpassed the previous record set in 2019, which stood at 97,989 visitors.

“This milestone not only signifies the museum’s remarkable growth and popularity but also reflects the invaluable support and engagement of the community.” siad president/CEO Dené Mosier. “We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all visitors, supporters, volunteers, and partners who have contributed to its success over the years.”

Accessibility remains a key focus for the museum, with over 1 in 3 admissions being either free or subsidized in 2023. Discovery Center continued to offer free admission nights on the third Thursday of every month sponsored by local businesses, with an average attendance of 300 people each month.

The nonprofit children’s museum opened in 2011, and in the past thirteen years has grown significantly, gaining prominence as a regional tourist attraction and community anchor for families. The museum has hosted ten major traveling exhibitions, reached thousands of children through community outreach events, and welcomed one million visitors from all 50 states and 23 countries since its opening. President/CEO Dené Mosier has led the museum since 2015.