Discovery Gateway facts for kids
Discovery Gateway is an exciting, hands-on children's museum. It's located in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. This museum has over 60,000 square feet of space filled with cool exhibits. You can find Discovery Gateway at 444 West 100 South, inside The Gateway shopping area. It used to be called The Children's Museum of Utah (TCMU).
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The Museum's Story
The Children's Museum of Utah first started in 1978. It opened its doors to visitors in 1983. For many years, the museum was in an old building north of downtown Salt Lake City. It began with just eight exhibits. Some of these early exhibits included digging for dinosaur bones and a real airplane cockpit!
By 1998, the museum had grown a lot. It had 140 permanent exhibits and much more public space. It became clear that the museum needed a bigger home. So, in 2002, people in Salt Lake County voted to help fund a new, larger building. This new building would be in the Gateway District.
Construction on the new museum began on September 22, 2005. Less than a year later, on September 16, 2006, the museum opened at its current spot. That's when it officially became Discovery Gateway!
Explore the Exhibits
Everything at Discovery Gateway is made for kids to explore. All the exhibits are interactive, meaning you can touch and play with them.
Second Floor Fun
On the second floor, you'll find the Garden exhibit. Here, you can play music together on a giant marimba. You can also make an enormous machine hum or watch pennies drop to see how they add up.
Right next to the Garden is Kid's Eye View. This is like a small town built just for kids! You can pretend to shop in the Market or build things in the Construction Zone. You can also feed animals on the Utah Family Farm. Inside Kid's Eye View, there's a special area called Hatch, Waddle, and Fly. This part is just for children under three years old.
Third Floor Adventures
The third floor has the Story Factory. Here, you get to be the director! You can put on a play, draw your own comic strip, or even make a stop-motion animated film.
Also on the third floor is the Studio. This is where science, invention, and art all come together. Outside, on the museum's terrace, is Saving Lives From The Sky. This exhibit has a real Intermountain Healthcare Life Flight helicopter. You can learn all about how rescue operations work!
Special Traveling Exhibits
Discovery Gateway also has a special gallery for rotating exhibits. These are temporary exhibits that come from other museums around the country. Past special exhibits have included "Robots: The Interactive Exhibition" and "Sesame Street Presents: The Body."
Programs and Workshops
The museum offers many programs that explore science, art, and humanities. These workshops and classes are designed for children from birth up to 12 years old.
Daily Classes for Young Kids
Early Childhood Education classes happen every day in the Curiosity Shop. These classes help young children practice their fine motor skills (like using their hands) and gross motor skills (like running and jumping).
Workshops for Older Kids
Programs and workshops for older kids take place in the Workshop Room. These often connect to the museum's exhibits. Discovery Gateway prints a calendar each month so you can see what classes are happening.
In 2012, Discovery Gateway started "Sensory Inclusive Afternoon." During this time, they dim the lights and lower the noise. This makes the museum more welcoming for children who are sensitive to bright lights or loud sounds. The museum also began virtual concerts during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, they started having outdoor in-person concerts too.
Community Outreach
Discovery Gateway has a special chemistry program called Reaction Time. This program is offered to every 5th-grade class in Utah. Over 55,000 children from every county in Utah have taken part in this exciting program!
Junior Achievement City
Discovery Gateway works with Junior Achievement of Utah to run Junior Achievement City. This is a unique program that helps school groups learn about economics and how businesses work. Kids get hands-on experience with career options and managing money. Junior Achievement City is on the fourth floor of the museum. It is currently open only for school groups.
