CINCINNATI – Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) is inviting people to reconnect with their favorite exhibits and fall in love with the Duke Energy Children’s Museum all over again when it reopens May 4.
After a temporary six-month closure to accommodate construction activity in adjacent spaces, the Duke Energy Children’s Museum is primed and ready for the return of little feet and big smiles. Kids can once again climb through the treetops of The Woods, splash through Water Works, step inside a set of giant teeth in Inside the Grin and use a crane to build something big in Kids at Work.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming guests back as they get back into their weekly routines, rediscover their favorite exhibit and reconnect as they share these experiences together,” says Elizabeth Pierce, president and CEO of Cincinnati Museum Center.
The Duke Energy Children’s Museum reopens just months before it celebrates its 20th birthday. The Children’s Museum opened in 1998 after moving to Union Terminal from Longworth Hall. Over those 20 years, millions of children have developed critical thinking, problem solving and social skills while learning through play.
“As we celebrate 20 years of the Duke Energy Children’s Museum, we’re doing so with kids who grew up in the museum and now have kids of their own who are continuing that legacy of curious and eager museumgoers,” says Pierce. “It’s amazing to watch them share this experience together.”
n the spring of 2016, the Duke Energy Children’s Museum added Inside the Grin, a permanent exhibit that help kids understand the importance of oral health inside a whimsical, massive set of teeth that children can brush, floss and examine. In the spring of 2017, KidSPACE opened in the museum, an interactive play lab where kids can paint, build, sew and let their imaginations run wild.
The Duke Energy Children’s Museum closed in November 2017 to accommodate construction activity on the mezzanine level as part of the effort to restore Union Terminal . Initially, CMC had intended to keep the Duke Energy Children’s Museum open as much as possible throughout the restoration, but the required work on the mezzanine level was more extensive than anticipated and would inhibit guest access to the museum. As portions of the Duke Energy Children’s Museum became active construction zones, CMC made the decision to close the entire museum.
During the temporary closure, CMC took advantage of the opportunity to refresh the Duke Energy Children’s Museum. The entire museum received a fresh coat of paint and flooring throughout, restrooms were renovated and much-played-with exhibits underwent needed repairs.
The Duke Energy Children’s Museum will open an hour early for CMC Members all weekend (9 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, May 4 & 5; 10 a.m. on Sunday, May 6). CMC will also host Building Big Ideas from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, May 6, a celebration of construction, engineering and design. Guests will meet the architects, masons, steelworkers, electricians and engineers working to restore Union Terminal, participate in building challenges and get up close and personal with pieces of construction machinery. The event is free to CMC Members or with admission to the Duke Energy Children’s Museum.
For more information, visit www.cincymuseum.org
