Museum sets attendance record

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The National World War II Museum set a monthly attendance record in March.

Officials say the museum attracted 54,198 people, a 23 percent increase over the previous high of 44,800 visitors in March 2012.

The latest milestone comes just months after the grand opening of the U.S. Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center, which features new exhibits and artifacts, including a restored B-17E Flying Fortress and B-25J Mitchell.

The museum opened in 2000. Work has begun on another new pavilion, Campaigns of Courage: European and Pacific Theaters, which is slated to open in the spring of 2014.