Hashtag The Cowboy Back Again As Museum Reopens

The National Cowboy and Western Heritage and Museum is back in the saddle again.

The popular destination reopened its doors on Monday.

Plenty has changed in the more than two months since the museum had to get out of Dodge and close their doors.

First the obvious, signs as soon as you walk in, hand sanitizer, masks and social distancing are encouraged.

Go outside and see Liichokoshkomo’ the brand new $15 million, 100,000 square foot outdoor expansion.

And then there’s Tim, he’s everywhere now.

As you might have heard, Tim Tiller, the museum’s director of security, took over the museum’s social media pages after they closed.

CNN, the Wall Street Journal and NPR were among the thousands that featured Tim’s viral social media posts that features museum items with textbook dad jokes.

You could say Tim has earned his social media spurs.

“We had hoped to reach a few people through all of this," Tim said.

Mission accomplished on that. Comparing the museum’s social media followers by platform from his first day posting until now, the museum gained an additional 297,000 Twitter followers.

“None of us at all expected it to do what it has, we’re very pleasantly surprised," Tim said.

“At a time when our doors were literally closed, to be able to grow our audience on social media the way we have, it’s fantastic," said Seth Spillman, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer.

And if there’s ever a sign that there’s a new sheriff in town, it's the gift shop.

An employee said around the world, they’ve sold 5,300 t-shirts and 500 hats, helping the shop stay afloat while the museum was closed.

If you’re planning your visit, the Andy Warhol and Dorothea Lange exhibits have both been extended until July 5, however, the 30th annual Chuck Wagon Festival, a Memorial Day weekend tradition, has been delayed until Labor Day weekend.