As the recession continues and Americans look for cheaper local summer getaways, historic sites are seeing visitor traffic tick

up, and hope attendance will help them offset the painful drop in donations.

“Investment income is down and giving is certainly affected in a climate like this. Like many historic sites, we don’t have the margins to adjust, but we are optimistic that attendance will stay high,” said Leslie Green Bowman, president of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and a member of the National Historic Trust.

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