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This post was written by Melissa Pederson, Children's Museum Exhibit Developer
Friends, I have some news that might seem a little disappointing—at first. But bear with me, because I’ll follow up with some extremely exciting news to make up for it.
Okay. The disappointing news: our beloved Take Me There®: China exhibit will be closing soon. (Melissa ducks a few tomatoes that fly past her head.) I know, I know! We here at the museum heart the China experience too. We love hopping on the airplane, exploring homes of Chinese families, preparing a meal at the restaurant, and cuddling the baby pandas! We promise we understand.
But here’s the thing—did you know that the China exhibit is just one of a series of Take Me There exhibits that explore far-way places? We started with Take Me There: Egypt in 2009, and then China took its place in 2014. So here comes the exciting news—after China closes, we’re planning to open a brand new Take Me There experience that will bring kids and their families to another extraordinary country!
What’s the next destination, you ask? Well, not to be all mysterious and secretive…but it’s still a mysterious secret.
What I can tell you is the new exhibit will have all the things that make Take Me There special. The airplane will still be there to whisk your family away to see the new country. There will be family homes, a restaurant, outdoor environments, and arts and language activities. Most importantly, our new Take Me There experience will do what the China and Egypt experiences have done so well—provide an opportunity for your family to explore the differences and similarities between our culture and the cultures of others so that we can build a better understanding of people from other societies and traditions.
We're sure that you'll enjoy our next country just as much as China. It will still be the same Take Me There experience, just with a new culture to explore! After China closes on September 9, we'll be busy continuing to plan and build the exhibit for the next Take Me There destination, which will open next summer. Trust me, we can't wait to announce that new adventure to all of you later on this fall—so stay tuned!
