Museum set to close Discovery City children's exhibit this spring

Local families looking for a little indoor fun for their kids have a limited time to visit the Discovery City exhibit at the Port Huron Museum’s Carnegie Center.

The last day for the interactive play exhibit — first repurposed from a copyrighted “Clifford the Big Red Dog” setup — was originally set for Feb. 19, according to the museum’s Facebook page. Then, Executive Director Veronica Campbell said last month they’d gotten the OK from the museum’s board this week to extend its stay through April 8.

However, officials said the springtime date wouldn't likely be the last time the public will have access to the exhibit's equipment.

“In the past year, we saw over 15,000 people specifically for Discovery City, which is amazing. And it makes it one our definitely biggest exhibits in a long time,” Campbell said on Thursday. “Obviously, there’s a need for a children’s exhibit and children’s play space in the community, and we are happy to provide that. It’s been extremely successful in that way.”

“We’re kind of just pushing things back in our schedule a little bit and extending it through the winter months,” she said of the closure, “so there continues to be an indoor play space for families.”

City Council first OK’d purchasing play features from the Minnesota Children’s Museum for $53,800 close to two years ago.

The equipment arrived later in 2021, as the city got feedback from local teachers before rebranding the Clifford equipment and setting up Discovery City as a miniature, storybook-like scape with stations themed for Thomas Edison and Port Huron landmarks.

Additionally, a grant from the James C. Acheson Foundation helped cover admission for some low-income families — namely, those with a bridge or EBT card — during its stay at the Carnegie, 1115 Sixth St.

Campbell said they’ve been in negotiations to extend the exhibit’s stay through the winter months and were still working out how or if they needed funds to extend the admission support. She called the Acheson award, which was originally announced at $10,000, “extremely instrumental.”

“I don’t have that number yet, as these have been recent conversations, but being able to provide that to our community has been super impactful, as well,” Campbell said. “… We still have room in that grant, and I’m sure we’ll be able to work something out to continue providing access.”

Closure at museum won't be exhibit's end in Port Huron

Campbell said even with the exit of Discovery City in the Carnegie’s southern gallery — for now, it’s making room for a Port Huron portraits exhibit opening later in April — it could still return in some shape or form during a winter season sometime down the road.

The larger decision in the works for now, she said, was the museum’s plans for what attractions are brought in from October through April next year. She added, “This is just important so we can keep having families revisiting the Carnegie and keeping new and interesting things coming through the winter months.”

Now, moving forward, Campbell said they’re working with the city and donors to move Discovery City somewhere it “would still be accessible to the community.”

City Manager James Freed also said they’re still working on where that would be. “Our intent is to relocate somewhere downtown,” he said in a message.

Mayor Pauline Repp aid she knows there’s “a couple of options being looked at,” though she, too, didn’t get specific.

She recalled council’s original acquisition of the exhibit, adding, “It’s really for the younger child, but I think it’s a very, very good experience for them, a good experience for them to visit, especially at the museum to get used to that kind of environment.

“I think it’s been a great place for it. I understand they have some things at the museum that they want to do and would like to use that space for, so as long as we can find someplace else for it to go, I think that’s the best-case scenario right now.”

The Carnegie Center’s winter hours through March are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Discovery City closes at 4 p.m. For more information, visit phmuseum.org or call (810) 982-0891.

Contact Jackie Smith at (810) 989-6270 or jssmith@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Jackie20Smith.

This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Museum set to close Discovery City children's exhibit this spring