Since Labor Day, the South Sound has waited with baited breath for the Hands On Children's Museum to open at its new location, 414 Jefferson St. in Olympia. Three locations and nearly 2 million visitors later, the Hand's On Children's Museum is finally at home.
This weekend, the museum celebrated its grand opening, marking a huge success during its 25th year of operation. The museum brought in more than 2,000 visitors Saturday during the members only opening.
"We had up to 100 visitors every 20 minutes," says Jody Suhrbier, development manager, who was all smiles. She's been with the museum for about a year, after spending several years at Tacoma's Museum of Glass.
"It's an awesome project to be a part of," she says. "It's a great time to get the permanent home and know that we will be a resource for families for generations."
Upon entry, visitors are greeted by the giant Iconic Cedar Tree that grows through two floors of play, a café with optional rolling doors to make it open-air during summer months, an organized check in area and a modest gift shop.
With smiles all around, shrieks of laughter and parents enjoying themselves, it was a pleasure to tour the rest of the 28,000-square-foot center, which features eight galleries and more than 150 exhibits.
The facility design brings the outside in, encouraging visitors to celebrate and learn about Puget Sound ecology via features such as the two-story Tides to Trees climber - which allows children to act out the water cycle, becoming a droplet as they precipitate down the tree slide and back into the water. Or, children can climb into a bird's nest, out into netting and hang out over the water table.
Upstairs enter through a nursing log to a world of forest animals, dress-up and stage area, as well as a Squaxin tribe exhibits in the Our Fabulous Forest area.
Upstairs also boasts an art and gallery space with rooms for community events, field trip workshops, birthday parties after hours events for corporate receptions and wedding receptions.
One notable difference is the space offers dedicated preschool rooms that don't have to double as party rooms - a super bonus for the teachers and 90 families involved in the preschool program.
Another impressive feature upstairs is the Move It! Gallery where a giant wall of tubes, vacuums and blowers shoot and suck light weight scarves and balls in all directions, delighting kids of all ages. Children's Museum of Tacoma features a similar gallery.
Back downstairs, there is a Good for You area for food and store play, Emergency area for vehicle play and even a Scream Chamber where kids can enclose themselves in a little room and measure their scream decibels. One little girl made it to 107, and as I learned from the exhibit, is just under that of a rock concert.
A crawl space that brings kids nose to nose with creatures that habitat Puget Sound, a marine ship, water play table, 8-foot water vortex and steam table ("volcano,") and toddler play area also make up downstairs.
With more than 400 volunteers, 50 staff members and several hundred sponsors, the museum is well on its way to completing its next phase - due to be unveiled in Spring 2013 - a half-acre outside play space that will feature a trike race track (that can even handle adults!) amongst other outdoor-friendly activities.
BONUS: First Friday of the month is Free Friday Night.
Throughout the tour, Suhrbier points out donations from the community like timber, siding and flooring and she expresses gratitude to all levels of sponsors, from businesses to families.
"The true testament to this community is the fact this building just wouldn't be here without all the ways that people decided to contribute," she says.
HANDS ON CHILDREN'S MUSEUM, 10 A.M. TO 5 P.M. MONDAY-SATURDAY, 11 A.M. TO 5 P.M. SUNDAY, $9.95. $7.95 SENIORS, $6.95 TODDLERS, BABIES ARE FREE, 414 JEFFERSON ST. NW, OLYMPIA, 360.956.0818