Air-conditioned attractions seeing boost in attendance

It is human nature that if it is hot outside, you feel the need to find a someplace cool.  Few places are cooler than the Hot Wheels - For Real exhibit at the Indianapolis Children's Museum.

"It is awesome," said one young museum-goer. 

"The small cars, I always wondered how it would look real big, and now I know," said another boy.

The fun is two-fold for kids. They get to play with the smaller version and they get to see their favorite race cars in life-size fashion.

"It is kind of the reverse of the Hot Wheels concept," said Jeffrey Patchen with the Children's Museum.  "It has been very popular."

Patchen said museum attendance is up 11 percent over last year.

"We have been kicking it the last few days," said Patchen.

The Children's Museum was not the only place seeing a bump in air-conditioned attendance.  Nearly 2,500 people checked out the Eiteljorg on this year's 100-plus-degree Fourth of July.  That was a 25 percent increase over last year's attendance.

"The subject is certainly the main hook, but I would say we keep the museum cool to preserve the collections, and it is good for people too," said James Nottage with the Eiteljorg Museum.

David Selm has been a fan of the Steel Ponies even before he started ridding back in 1968.  He could think of no better place to spend his birthday.

"This place is cool, literally," said David Selm.

Two huge air-conditioner units were installed this season at Beef & Boards and just in time.  In previous years the show, in this case the Wizard of Oz, would be cancelled because of the heat.  Now, Dorothy and the rest of the cast will keep dancing until the show closes on July 15.