With the grand reopening of the Minnesota Children’s Museum, the long wait of many Twin Cities children is over.
The museum’s $30 million expansion and renovation includes 10 new exhibits, more amenities and an updated understanding of the power and importance of open-ended play for 21st century children.
“This is just as big as when we moved downtown 20 years ago,” said Dianne Krizan, museum president. “It’s a complete transformation.”
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The museum, which opened in 1981 and moved to West Seventh and Wabasha streets in 1995, officially reopened June 7 — declared by Gov. Mark Dayton as “#PlayMoreMN: Stand Up for Play Day” in Minnesota.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony felt like the finishing line at a marathon, after six years of research and planning and 179 days of the museum being closed.
“The play is much more open ended” than in the previous museum, Krizan said. “We put kids in the driver’s seat.”
THE TRANSFORMATION
The museum feels different but familiar.
There’s now a skyway-level entrance that leads visitors to both the check-in area and the new cafe. Before, the main entrance was on the street level and there were only vending machines.
The small cafe has offerings like Caribou coffee and espresso, a “vegan boost” salad ($8.45), artful little pastries like miniature cakes ($3.95), Icees and so many varieties of macaroni-and-cheese: “Just Mac,” “BBQ Mac,” “Southwest Mac,” “Roasted Veggie Mac” and “Loaded Mac.” Be warned, though: The cafe is now combined with the gift shop, so prepare for possible whining if someone wants a side of toy along with their macaroni and cheese.
The first floor no longer has a stairwell taking up most of visual space. Now, the focus is on creativity — specifically, the Creativity Jam. There is a “Big White Room” that children can decorate with colorful, confetti-like stickers that can be repositioned on walls and other elements (such as a piano).
This is also where the new and improved face-painting station is — no longer just a temporary little cart, but a permanent spot with more seating, lighting and mirrors (an acknowledgment of that little cart’s enduring popularity).
The first floor is also where one of the highlights of the new museum starts: The Scramble, a four-story vertical adventure with climbing towers, a spiral slide and a netted catwalk suspended more than 40 feet high. On Monday, four stories up, two little girls stood at the edge of that catwalk. “We don’t know what will happen,” said one of the girls. But they edged out onto the net, anyway.
There are so many other places to explore, too:
- In “Super Awesome Adventures,” there is a laser maze, carpet skates, balance boards and a green-screen climbing wall.
- In “Forces at Play,” there are air-powered ball launchers and a wacky car wash.
- “Imaginopolis” is a kind of dimly lit blank space, filled with imagination and pool noodles.
- “Sprouts” has replaced “Habitot,” and is a bigger and more accommodating place for the youngest visitors, including a rest area (with microwave) for parents and little ones needing a break (note that it’s also now on the main level, versus making people with strollers and little-bitty walking humans trek all the way to the fourth floor).
- “Our World,” that popular place for kids to play in a cityscape, is back, but with changes — including a real St. Paul firetruck that was donated and reconfigured for the space. Also, instead of a city bus, kids can now hop on light rail. They can also shop at the farmers’ market and eat at taco stand. No worries though, they can still deliver the mail.
- The “Tip Top Terrace” features new experiences in a new back yard (but no more sand and water play).
Change can be hard, though. Some will miss pretending they are ants at the old “Earth World” exhibit.
“Certainly we have nostalgia for things in the past,” said Krizan, “and people say, ‘Oh the ant hill is gone!’ I say that Scramble will be the new ant hill — Scramble is that on steroids, a place to be physically active. And we have a nod to the queen ant, who will make an appearance in the back yard.”
(Just remember: Socks are required on the Scramble. If you forget them, you’ll have to buy some at the gift shop for $1.50.)
NOT JUST FOR PRESCHOOLERS
This “new” museum is also hoping to entice older kids — even grown-ups — to join in on the play, whether it’s climbing the Scramble, playing with Rokenbok sets, posing in front of the green screen or seeing what is new at the Studio, a work space to tinker, make and create with real tools (currently, there are sewing machines to try).
“We’re a children’s museum, not a preschool museum,” Krizan said. “Learning through play — the joy of figuring things out — is not just reserved for the youngest. We wanted to create an environment that was inviting to older kids and grown-ups, too.”
There are certainly more amenities now that the older crowd will appreciate, including free WIFI, more restrooms and more seating.
Individual ticket prices, which previously had not changed since 2014, went up $3 to $12.95. Memberships now range from $129 to $189.
“It’s very comparable to other family activities that are available” in the area, Krizan said. Annual individual passes to Nickelodeon Universe and family memberships to the Science Museum of Minnesota are each $139, for example.
The museum also has a Play for All program, which includes free or reduced-cost memberships for lower-income families; has various scholarship opportunities for individuals and groups; and is free the third Sunday of every month.
SNEAK PEAK
On one of the museum’s Sneak Peek days, 5-year-old Otto sat at a work table in the new fourth-floor studio of the museum, a space that used to use Habitot. Ignoring the rubber stamps in front of him, he instead placed his whole palm onto an ink pad and smiled up at his mom, Emma Kippley-Ogman of St. Paul.
She smiled back. It’s OK to get messy here.
Otto then pressed his hand down, hard, onto a lime green square of cardstock.
His creation was done.
“It’s fun,” he said of the new museum.
IF YOU GO
- What: Minnesota Children’s Museum
- Where: 10 W. Seventh St., St. Paul
- Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday through Saturday.
- Admission: $12.95 for ages 1 and older; children under 1 admitted without charge; memberships also available.
- Special event: Free Day & Block Party on June 17. Free Day will run from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., but free advanced tickets are required. The Block Party will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. tha day. Enjoy free activities and entertainment on West Seventh Street in front of the museum (no reservations needed for the Block Party).
- For more information: mcm.org; 651-225-6006
