The Children's Museum of St. Tammany opened the doors on its new location on U.S. Hwy. 190 just east of Mandeville this past Thursday, October 31. The larger space has been outfitted with many of the educational panels and favorite activity areas from the previous location at Koop Drive, plus new exhibits and fun learning sections have been added.
It is located in Suite A at 813 Florida Street, in the building that also has the Triple Nickel Grill, S&S Consignment and St. Francis Thrift Store.
While the old favorites are back, the Market complete with cash register and shopping carts, the boat surrounded by crabs, and the art activity center, there is also now a large gathering room for parties and meetings. Lite Zilla will offer a new light-filled experience, and the shadow wall will delight children with multi-colored shadows.
The Museum is open from Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and then on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The world globe is in the front window
The trees are standing tall
The play diner and the fishing boat have been launched.
The "Natural Wonders" exhibit has come indoors and expanded with additional displays and exhibits.
This exhibit shows the many different stages of pumpkins
A reading space for kids and parents
The Market has been expanded. One little girl visiting this week not only went through the market, filling her cart and then "checking out," but after that she went over to the dining table set up and proceeded to start "boiling crawfish."
Plenty of art materials
Two real artists easels have been placed into service
Many of the panels from the old location on Koop Drive have been brought over and re-arranged to make a whole new experience. Children's Museum staff helped paint backdrops and scenes on the walls.
There's a coral collection, a seashell collection, and a brand new "light table" that helps illuminate animal skeletons. One display shares the importance of seeds and how they are planted. The lighthouse is still a center focus point, and half wall panels with artistic wood cutouts encase one section of the museum. The additional wall panels will provide space to hang new exhibits and showcase artwork as it is produced.
They have succeeded in taking every panel and piece of the former location and re-arranging it into a new museum space with even more learning opportunities.
The organization is now partnered with the St. Tammany Public School System's Talented Art Program, so there will be even more emphasis on developing artistic talents in young visitors. Those efforts will include designing, creating and hanging "butterflies" from the ceiling of the new space.
There is also additional space for offices for staff members, a welcome feature.
A mini stage complete with puppets
The Children's Museum of St. Tammany getting it in high gear
The Children's Museum will eventually move into a building at Pelican Park, with growing interest in providing STEM type activities. Its original location was proposed next to the Cultural Arts Center on Interstate 12, but those plans never did materialize. The originally planned gallery layout is being implemented as much as possible in the new location. For the past several years, the museum was located in a building on the opposite side of Tammany Trace from parish facilities on Koop Drive between Abita Springs and Mandeville.
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