PROJECT AT A GLANCE


east bay map

Special Thanks to:

EDC small (150px) Port of Olympia (250px)

 

Why build a new Hands On Children's Museum?

 

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 previous space. In fact, popular special events and programs were often filled to capacity and had long waitlists. 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.


Landmark Destination

 

Ideally located on Olympia’s East Bay waterfront, a new 27,000 sq/ft facility more than doubles the Museum’s previous space to accommodate over 200,000 visitors annually.

 

A Public/Private Partnership

 

An $18M project funded by individual contributions, corporate, foundation and public grants, business sponsorships, Public Facilities District (PFD) funds, City of Olympia Tourism funds. We are currently in Phase Two of our development plan which seeks to fund the completion of interior exhibits and the Outdoor Discovery Center.

 

Outdoor Learning Center

 

Half-acre outdoor exhibit and children’s garden with water features, wetland, mud pie pit, driftwood fort construction, fire circle and climbing rocks, lookout towers and tugboat.

 

Engaging Experiences

 

Eight major galleries, with hundreds of hands-on exhibits and new additions - such as boat building, water exploration tables, inspiring activity spaces and an Arts & Parts Studio - including a Heroes Exhibit gallery with a fire truck, police car, medic one van, and ER, where kids can be a hero every day; and Our Fabulous Forest gallery with a tree house, multi-level climber/slide and eagle’s nest.

 

A Model of Sustainable Development

 

The New Children's Museum on East Bay will be the centerpiece in a cluster of new projects that will incorporate sustainable building practices and innovative environmental partnerships. The entire East Bay development is located on a historic contamination site, and its public partners are working to convert the former industrial area into a safe, attractive, community amenity. 

  

  • Certified Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Facility
  • Co-generation project to use LOTT’s waste methane to heat and cool the Museum.
  • Water features using reclaimed water
  • Redevelopment of a historically contaminated, brownfield site
  • Use of low emitting building materials (paints, adhesives, flooring materials and composite wood)
  • Landscaping designed for water efficiency

 

The Hands On Children’s Museum believes in the interconnectedness of all things. Our success is linked to our ability to create a sustainable organization that balances both economic and environmental goals, while inspiring young children to appreciate the natural world and understand its importance to their future health and well-being. As educational and community leaders, we will model sustainability in our business practices, our exhibits and our education programs.