Economic Impact
According to the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), museums are economic engines.
They directly contribute $21 billion to the U.S. economy each year and billions more through their visitors’ indirect spending.
What kind of economic engine is Keeler Tavern Museum?
- KTM attracts nearly 10,000 visitors to Ridgefield yearly, bringing customers to the area’s shopping and entertainment businesses.
- KTM hires restoration specialists, architects, construction teams, and tradespeople to help us maintain, restore and preserve our site; since 2012, we’ve poured more than $500,000 into restoration projects—and, consequently, the local economy.
- Event rentals for weddings and other social occasions create important business for area hotels, florists, caterers, musicians and equipment rental firms.
We are proud to be the southernmost anchor of the Ridgefield Cultural District, the first District to be designated by the state of Connecticut.
The Connecticut state legislature defines a Cultural District as “a specific area of a city or town identified by the municipality that has a number of cultural facilities, activities, and/or assets – both for profit and nonprofit. It is a walkable, compact area that is easy for visitors to recognize. It is a center of cultural activities, artistic and economic. It is a place in your city/town where community members congregate, and visitors may enjoy those places that make a community special. Because each community is unique, each Cultural District will look different.”
Being part of this district elevates our voice as a history museum and gives us standing among our peers.
