The new US$5.5m (£3.5m) Terre Haute Children's Museum in Indiana, US, is scheduled to open on 24 September.
The new 25,000sq ft (2,300sq m) site will boast more than 10,000sq ft (930sq m) of exhibits and will boast experiential learning galleries including a toddler's gallery, a changing gallery, two immersive permanent galleries and three exploration labs.
It will also boast a retail store, a family centre with food service, rest stops and resources, and one travelling exhibition space.
John Thompson, president of the Terre Haute Children’s Museum Board of Directors, said: “We are renaming our campaign from ‘Build it Now – For the Kids’ to ‘Finish it Now – For the Kids!’ because we need the community’s help in raising the final US$650,000 (£417,600) so we can open the doors in September.”
“The community has shown its support from the beginning of our campaign, and we have made significant progress toward our US$5.5m goal. Now, we’re ready to sprint to the finish, but we need their help now more than ever. If you are excited about this project, if you realise the impact that this museum will have on our children, our families and our community, if you want to see us open the doors of this museum, now is the time to step forward and do what you can to help us reach our goal.”
The museum opened in 1988 in 1,500sq ft (140sq m) of space in the basement of the Central Christian Church. In 1991, it moved to its current home at 523 Wabash Avenue, where it welcomes between 15-20,000 guests each year.
When the new museum opens at 727 Wabash Avenue, it expects to welcome 100,000 visitors in its first year.
