The EcoTarium will begin construction in April on a new $3-million mountain lion exhibit where the Worcester children's and natural history museum once had a polar bear exhibit.
The attendance at Worcester children's museum EcoTarium grew more than 30 percent under departing president Joe Cox and is on track for an all-time year in 2017.
The average attendance at the three Worcester Railers home games over the weekend had a 73-percent increase over the number of people who attended the team's Halloween game.
Eight destinations in Central Massachusetts, including Old Sturbridge Village and Worcester's EcoTarium, were among those receiving funding from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
The EcoTarium in Worcester has hired a new director of institutional advancement, a senior management role for the 192-year-old science and nature museum.