2 major Indianapolis attractions saw record crowds in 2014

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Two major downtown Indianapolis attractions say they saw record attendance during 2014.

The Indianapolis Zoo says nearly 1.25 million people came through the turnstiles last year, topping the 50-year-old zoo’s old record set in 2007 by about 85,000 visitors.

Last year’s crowds were propelled by the opening in May of the new Simon Skjodt International Orangutan Center. The zoo hopes to draw big crowds again this year when it will host two Queensland koalas from May 23 to Sept. 7.

The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art says it drew 161,000 visitors in 2014, topping a record set in 2011. The Indianapolis Business Journal reports the museum had its most-attended show ever with a five-month long Ansel Adams photograph exhibit.