Detroit Children's Museum Unveils Expansion, New Exhibit

DETROIT (WWJ) - The Detroit Children's Museum will unveil a second floor, open-air mezzanine expansion and a new exhibit on Tuesday.

Packed with a thick forest of trees, native animals and the familiar sounds of nature, "Up North," the Detroit Children's Museum's new exhibit opening March 29, aims to enhance every visitor's appreciation of the Great Lakes State with a wide selection of hands-on activities, scenic views and educational opportunities.

Located in the museum's refurbished open air mezzanine, "Up North" greatly expands the size of the Detroit Children's Museum's exhibit space with the opening of another level.

The Detroit Children's Museum, which is the third oldest children's museum in the country, houses more than 100,000 artifacts. Formerly operated by Detroit Public Schools, the Detroit Children's Museum is now part of the Detroit Science Center.

When leaders of the Detroit Science Center learned that it would be closed, they approached DPS about taking over the 93-year-old institution. DPS retains ownership of the museum.

Led by Detroit Children's Museum Director Julie Johnson, the new Children's Museum staff has been working since January to refresh the exhibits and displays, bringing more artifacts out of the museum's archives out onto the exhibit floor, including an Andrewsarchus skull, an extinct mammal, Civil War artifacts and masks, shields and artifacts from countries around the globe.

The museum is located at 6134 Second Avenue in downtown Detroit.