Looking Ahead: Birthday parties, weddings, more Wonderground, extra hours—and 500 flowers

It’s been nearly nine months since we reopened last June. For most of that time, we’ve focused our attention on rehiring, rebuilding, and raising money to make this the most joyful, inspiring—and safest—museum experience we can for the children and families who visit. That’s still our most important focus; it always will be.

But you can grow a lot in nine months! (Most of our best customers, in fact, were grown in that amount of time.) And we’ve been slowly planning the return of many of the programs and activities we all enjoyed before we closed. Here’s an update on some of what’s in the works, roughly in the order they’ll happen.

Wonderground
This spring, over 500 bulbs that were planted in the fall will make their first gloriously flowering appearance, along with many new perennials. Look forward to major growth and changes in the Wonderground this fall as the third platform is finished and made as climbable, playable, and inviting as the first.

Birthday Parties
Birthday parties will be able to be booked for June, July, and August in the Wonderground. The Down Under, described by one parent as “the ultimate rec room,” will be available for outdoor birthday parties with indoor comforts on Saturday and Sunday afternoons during the summer months. Pricing and reservation information will be posted on our website in April. The move to the Wonderground is spurred in part because the Celebrations room, the former home for MCM birthday parties, is still being used as our eating area. We’re excited to explore the potential of the Wonderground and Down Under for hosting birthday parties.

Summer Hours & Programming
Planning for summer hours and programming is well underway. A new partnership with MMSD and MSCR will enable MCM to provide field trips and summer arts enrichment programming for 1,500 MMSD elementary students during the summer school term. This programming, funded by a state grant to support Out of School Time learning, will take place during non-public hours, and will replace our typical summer camp season. We continue to operate with staffing levels well below our pre-pandemic levels, and we’re working with our small but mighty programming team to make sure that summer 2022 includes all of our visitor favorites in some manner, including camp-like programs and workshops for school age children. In the coming months we’ll have more news to share about summer programs and events, which will kick off with our SummerPalooza festival on June 11.

Rentals & Events
We’re planning to begin taking facility rental reservations this summer for fall onward. A lot of people have been asking about holding weddings and other events at the museum. People are also asking for  the return of Adult Swim. We’re aiming to hold the first new Adult Swim party sometime this fall.

More Members-Only Time
We’ve heard that members want more exclusive time in the museum. So we’re piloting new members-only hours this summer. The museum will be open for members only, 9 am–noon, Tuesdays June 7 through July 26. The Wildernest exhibit will host Early Explorers Play Group from 9–10 am on these Tuesdays. During this hour the Wildernest will be limited to children ages 2 and under, making it a great time and place for First-Time Parent members to stretch out with their babies and toddlers.

Food in the Museum
Visitor surveys show interest in the return of the cafe or other food service. We’re actively researching and considering a few options. Look for more news on that front in late spring or early summer.

Do you have questions or ideas about what you’d like to see in the museum—either the return of previous programs or adding new ones? Please write us.

Thanks for your continued support and engagement!