Marbles Kids Museum facts for kids
Marbles Kids Museum is a super fun children's museum located in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. It's a special place where kids can learn and play! Marbles opened its doors in 2007. It was created by combining two older museums: Exploris, which was a global learning center, and Playspace, a museum for younger children. The main goal of Marbles is to "spark imagination, discovery, and learning through play."
Exciting Exhibits to Explore
Marbles Kids Museum has many permanent exhibits where you can play and learn. These exhibits are designed around five main ideas:
- Ready Set Learn: These exhibits help you get ready for school and learn new things.
- Be Healthy, Be Active: Here, you can learn about staying healthy and moving your body.
- Create, Innovate: This section lets you use your imagination to build and invent.
- Explore, Experiment: Discover new ideas and try out cool experiments.
- Connect: These exhibits help you connect with others and the world around you.
The Giant IMAX Theater
Marbles also has an amazing IMAX theater right on its campus. This theater shows popular Hollywood movies and shorter documentary films. The screen is huge, measuring about 52 feet tall and 70 feet wide! That's like watching a movie on a screen as tall as a five-story building. It's the biggest regular IMAX screen in North Carolina.
A Look at Marbles' History
Marbles Kids Museum has an interesting past. Before Marbles, there was a museum called Exploris, which opened in 1999. It was a big, modern learning center. There was also Playspace, a children's museum for younger kids. Playspace started in a different part of Raleigh before moving to a former dairy building.
In the summer of 2007, both Exploris and Playspace closed their doors. Playspace then moved into the Exploris building, and the two museums joined together. They chose a new name: Marbles. This name was picked because of a unique, two-story wall inside the museum. This wall is covered with over 1.2 million shiny marbles! The new Marbles Kids Museum opened on September 29, 2007.
In September 2024, Wake County approved a plan to make Marbles even bigger and better. This plan includes adding more space on the first and second floors, building a new stairway, and creating a rooftop courtyard. There will also be a new exhibit called "Workforce of the Future," which will help kids learn about different jobs. Construction for these exciting changes is expected to begin in the fall of 2025.
