Imagine Children's Museum facts for kids
Front entrance of the museum at Wall St. and Hoyt Ave. (2004-2022)
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| Established | 1991 |
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| Location | 1502 Wall Street Everett, Washington |
| Type | Children's museum |
The Imagine Children's Museum is a fantastic place for kids to learn and play! It is a special kind of museum called a non-profit children's museum. This means it works for the community and not to make money. You can find it in Everett, Washington, USA, which is close to Seattle.
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How the Imagine Children's Museum Started
The museum first began in 1991. It was called the Children's Museum of Snohomish County back then. The idea came from the local government wanting more places for kids in Snohomish County.
It first opened its doors in 1993 in a small shop in Marysville. But in 1995, it had to move to a temporary spot in downtown Everett. For a while, there were plans to build a permanent museum at McCollum Park. However, these plans did not work out.
Then, the Schack family made a generous donation. This money helped to build a permanent museum in downtown Everett. The new museum cost $4.75 million to build. It used to be an Everett Mutual Bank branch. It had a huge space of 20,000 square feet (about 1,858 square meters).
The new museum opened on October 17, 2004. It was also renamed the Imagine Children's Museum. In its first year, 146,000 people visited! This was four times more than when it was in its temporary locations. By 2019, before the pandemic, over 248,000 people visited or took part in its programs.
Growing Bigger: The Museum's Expansion
In 2020, the museum announced exciting plans to get even bigger. They wanted to add a four-story expansion. This would add 47,000 square feet (about 4,366 square meters) of new space. The plans even included a cool construction crane exhibit. Kids would be able to step into the crane cab and pretend to be crane operators!
The expansion project cost $25 million. It added a three-story building with 33,000 square feet (about 3,066 square meters). This doubled the museum's size! The new building is also LEED-certified. This means it was built in an environmentally friendly way. It has many hands-on exhibits. These exhibits help children learn and grow through play.
The expanded museum first opened to members on August 19, 2022. It had a "soft opening" for everyone on September 7, 2022. The big Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting event happened on October 29, 2022.
Fun Exhibits and Programs for Kids
The Imagine Children's Museum has many fun learning areas. These are perfect for children between 1 and 12 years old. Some exhibits show what life is like in Snohomish County.
Exploring Unique Play Areas
- Airplane Cockpit: Kids can sit in a child-sized airplane cockpit. They can pretend to fly a plane!
- Everett Transit Bus: There is a real bus donated by Everett Transit. Children can explore what it's like to be a bus driver or passenger.
- Theater Stage: Kids can put on their own shows and plays on a special theater stage.
Outdoor Adventures and New Discoveries
In 2005, the museum's rooftop became an outdoor playground. It has a two-story wooden tower and a climbing wall. There are also other fun play areas.
The new expansion added even more amazing exhibits:
- Woodlands Adventure: Children can climb and explore in a make-believe forest.
- Puget Sound Ecosystem Gallery: This gallery has a real gray whale skeleton! It also has a cold water aquarium where you can see sea creatures.
- Tinker Shop: In this shop, children can learn to use real tools. Grown-ups are there to help and supervise.
- Import, Export, Our Port: Kids can pretend to be a tugboat captain. They can imagine working at the Port of Everett.
