WHY A NEW HANDS ON?

We have outgrown our current facility!

The Hands On Children's Museum and its programs and events serve more than 150,000 visitors each year. This is well above the national average and exceeds national recommendations for the size of our space. In fact, popular special events and programs are often filled to capacity and have a waitlist. The Museum has outgrown its space three times in the past 10 years!

We're Investing in Children and Families

• Build a permanent home for the region's premier youth Museum
• Invest in the whole child from the earliest years to build a foundation for future success in school, work and life
• Revitalize Olympia's East Bay waterfront by creating vibrant public spaces for families to enjoy
• Create an exciting outdoor "Learning Landscape" - the first of its kind in the state!
• Provide entire families with access to the arts which build critical thinking skills, observation and creativity
• Touch the lives of over half the youth in the region through school field trips, teen volunteer service and museum outreach
• Enrich the lives of families for generations to come

We're A Catalyst for Economic Development

Hands On currently attracts over 150,000 visitors to the Museum and its Sand in the City event each year. This number is expected to swell to 200,000 during the first year in the Museum’s new home on East Bay. With more activities to enjoy, tourists will travel farther and stay longer – stimulating economic activity in downtown, the community and the region. This tourism will generate millions of dollars in spending and create dozens of new jobs.

Check out a great article on the New Museum in The Olympian!