Kids, parents celebrate Modesto Children’s Museum opening day. What to know before you go
To the backdrop of squeals of delight and excitement from its pint-size customers, the Modesto Children’s Museum opened to the public Thursday morning.
What was once one of Modesto’s hottest nightclubs has been transformed into a brightly colored educational play zone. After a ribbon-cutting ceremony that welcomed guests through both its adult and child-size doors, dignitaries and eager local families streamed in to be among the first to explore its interactive exhibits.
Four years in the making, the museum has been led by a grassroots group of parents and community members that raised more than $9 million to establish the nonprofit organization and renovate the space.
The result is a two-level, 12,000-square-foot experience with 10 exhibits, including labs focusing on the elements of air, water and color. At the museum’s heart is a giant cylindrical climbing structure that lets kids go from floor to almost ceiling, with netting, swing areas and two slides.
“Opening day has been such a blast so far. Seeing the community in this space has made all the hard work it took to get here totally worth it,” said Chelsie Webster, the museum’s inaugural chief executive officer. “You can hear around me just the squeals of joy, the smiles, the families coming together. It feels incredible.”
The museum’s intended audience wasted no time checking out all the attractions. In the water lab, kids and parents splashed and got their hands — and maybe a little more — wet in the fountains, whirlpool and other features. Upstairs in the air lab, children jumped to catch scarves and balls as they blasted through a series of tubes and vents.
The museum also has an enclosed area just for its littlest guests, up to age 3, where they can safely explore away from the older kids.
Parents like Edwin Morales watched with smiles as their kids went from exhibit to exhibit. The Modesto resident brought his wife and 2-year-old twins, Maverick and Elliana, to play and learn together.
“We’ve been hearing about it for a while and were excited to check it out,” he said. “We’re always looking for things to do as a family. Something like this can really help bring a community together.”
The center will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (except Tuesdays, when it opens at 1 p.m.). Admission is $15 per person, with discounted admission of $3 per person available for families on EBT or SNAP. Infants up to 1 year old are free. Walk-ins are accepted depending on space, and reservations can be made online. Memberships soon will be available for frequent visitors.
The Modesto Children’s Museum, which staff have nicknamed MoChiMu, is already attracting visitors from across the region as well. Manteca resident Grace Dominguez brought her six children, ages 3 to 15, to see the new facility.
“A place like this means a lot to us because we are education focused and home-school our kids,” Dominguez said. “So I like having a place to help cultivate their learning where they can meet other kids in a safe environment.”
One of the only remaining remnants from the building’s club days as the Fat Cat Music House & Lounge — where from 2001 to 2016 it hosted the likes of rap superstar Snoop Dogg, metal icon Rob Zombie and rockers Maroon 5 — is the stage, which allows kids to play dress-up and make shadow puppets.
The former VIP room on the second floor is now a maker’s lab, where hard-hat-wearing Abigail Robbins was at work piecing together straws. Abigail and her mom, Laura Robbins, of Modesto came to opening day and were impressed by the offerings.
Taking a break from her busy constructing, the 3-year-old gave the museum her unequivocal thumbs up.
“Far and away, I love it,” she said.
