Project Recap

This multi-site study examined how museum experiences contribute to visitors’ personal, social, and physical well-being and generate value for communities.

Project Description

History museums are often recognized as places of learning, but do they contribute to visitors’ well-being? This multi-site study brought together 12 history museums across the United States to examine how museum experiences shape people’s lives across multiple dimensions of well-being — including personal, social, and physical well-being — and to better understand the value created through everyday visits and programs.

Working in partnership with history museums representing a range of sizes, locations, and community contexts, ILI gathered data on visitor experiences and outcomes. Through this shared research effort, participating museums contributed to a growing body of evidence about how learning happens in informal settings and how museum experiences support reflection, connection, and meaning-making. The study also provided museum professionals with tools and insights to better understand, communicate, and build on the value of their work.

This research builds on related studies conducted by ILI in U.S. based Art Museums as well as in museums in Finland and Mexico, which demonstrate that museum experiences can meaningfully impact visitors. Together, these studies highlight the role that museums play within broader learning ecosystems, including family and community learning contexts. By using well-being as a framework, the research clarifies how museum experiences support learning and engagement — and why those experiences matter for thriving communities.

Participating Museums

Atlanta History Center, Aurora Fire Museum, Billings Farm & Museum, Corpus Christi Museum of Science & History, Connor Prairie Museum, Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, Jamestown-Yorktown Museum, Minnesota Historical Society, Missouri Historical Society, National WW1 Museum & Memorial, Sauder Village, and South Carolina State Museum.