News and Press
June 19, 2008
Grand opening of New and Improved San Luis Obispo Children's Museum
San Luis Obispo, CA
KSBY.com coverage of the opening of the new San Luis Obispo Children's Museum with video. Click here to view.
June 19, 2008
SLO Children's Museum Reopens
San Luis Obispo, CA
San Luis Obpispo Tribune coverage of the opening of the new San Luis Obispo Children's Museum with video. Click here to view.
June 19, 2008
Grand Opening - New Children’s Museum Blends Education and Activity to Satisfy SLO Youth’s Appetite for Knowledge
San Luis Obispo, CA
The new San Luis Obispo Children’s Museum will celebrate its grand opening on Thursday, June 19th at 12 Noon. The three-story 8,400 square foot facility will offer children ages 2-12, and their families, the opportunity to explore, investigate and create through a multitude of interactive and innovative exhibits.
The new museum will feature, a 17-foot tall clock climbing structure, Zoomtown, an exhibit environment that honors the museum’s roots and incorporates familiar town landmarks such as a diner, fire station, medical office, bank, trolley, performance stage and farmers’ market and Jelly Bean Junction, a creative trainstation that serves children four and under. Additionally, the museum’s gift shop, The M Store, will offer educational gifts that guests can purchase to extend their museum experience at home.
Several one-of-a kind exhibits encourage the discovery of the arts and sciences. Among these are a 15-foot tall sunflower that teaches children about solar energy and a three-part water system that provides opportunities to investigate water.
The original Children’s Museum opened in 1990 and maintained an average 40,000 visitors annually. In 2002, the decision was made to level the 2,200 square foot museum and replace it with a larger, more accommodating structure to fill the needs of all San Luis Obispo County children and visitors.
General admission is $8.00 (children under two are free), however the museum will offer three different annual membership options for frequent guests and a 10-pack of discounted admission tickets. Additionally, the museum will offer special group rates for field trip, birthday party and special event opportunities.
The Children’s Museum is located at 1010 Nipomo Street, on the corner of Nipomo and Monterey, in downtown San Luis Obispo. Operating hours are 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM Tuesday through Saturday and 10:30 AM to 5:00 PM on Sundays and select Monday holidays. Through a grant from San Luis Obispo County, the museum will offer free admission one evening a month as part of its Moonlight Hours. The first Moonlight Hours date is Thursday, June 26th from 5 PM to 8 PM. Due to space limitations, no stroller parking is available. For more information or to donate to the Museum please log on to www.slocm.org or call (805) 545-5874.
May 7, 2008
San Luis Obispo Children’s Museum Receives Major Gift from the Copeland Family
San Luis Obispo, CA
The San Luis Obispo Children’s Museum is pleased to announce a major donation from the Copeland family. The families of Jim and Sandy Copeland and Tom and Pam Copeland are donating a total of $1 million to the Museum in honor of Jim and Tom’s mother, Thelma Copeland. With this gift, the Museum has reached the 90 percent mark of its $5.2 million Capital Campaign. Roy Mueller, the Museum’s Executive Director, commented “We are thrilled to receive this generous gift from the Copeland family and are proud to be working together to create a vibrant cultural resource downtown for the children and families of our community. The Copeland family’s generosity has provided the momentum we need to open our doors in the next few weeks and to complete our final phase of exhibit fabrication later this year.”
Jim Copeland stated, “The Children’s Museum is a great asset to downtown San Luis Obispo and to our entire community. We are pleased to present this gift to the Museum and want our gift to inspire others in the community to help the Museum complete its Capital Campaign.” The Copeland family has had a long association with downtown San Luis Obispo, beginning in the 1940s when Mrs. Copeland operated a shoe store, along with her husband, Jack.
The Museum will recognize the Copeland family’s gift with building signage that states the “San Luis Obispo Children’s Museum Presented by the Copeland Family, in Honor of Thelma Copeland.” Several Museum exhibit sponsorship opportunities are still available. For additional information, please contact the Museum at 805-545-5874 or www.slocm.org.
March 21, 2008
San Luis Obispo Children’s Museum Grand Opening
San Luis Obispo, CA
The new San Luis Obispo Children’s Museum invites children ages 2-12 and their families to its highly anticipated, grand opening in June 2008. The Museum’s new facility is a contemporary 8,400 square foot three-story building adjacent to the city’s downtown Creekwalk in the heart of downtown San Luis Obispo, at the corner of Nipomo and Monterey streets.
The new San Luis Obispo Museum offers Museum guests opportunities toexplore, investigate and create through a variety of interactive exhibit environments. The first floor of the Museum houses The M Store, the Museum’s gift shop, and is the future home of an active volcano. Upon completion, guests will be transported deep into the earth’s core full of molten rocks and activity-filled caves through an imagination-powered elevator. The Museum’s second floor honors the Museum’s former roots through, Zoomtown, a kid-sized town which incorporates several landmarks familiar to Central Coast residents. Guests can pretend play at the Diner, Fire Station, Medical Office, Bank, Trolley, Performance Stage and Farmers’ Market.
Also located on the second floor is a 17-foot climbing structure that invites children to climb and get a glimpse of the world above the treetops. Jellybean Junction, on the third floor of the Museum, caters to children 4 and under with a reading nook, messy play table and an interactive “life-sized” BRIO™ train engine.
Many one-of-a-kind exhibits “inspire learning through play” at the Museum. Several have been created in collaboration with students from Cal Poly University’s Center for Exhibit Design. Among these are a giant 15-foot tall sunflower that teaches children about solar energy, a three-part water system (Archimedes screw, water wheel and prospector’s sluice) that encourages investigation of the properties of water and a miniature volcano which encourages future filmmakers to create claymation films of an exploding volcano.
Each day spent in the San Luis Obispo Children’s Museum is a priceless experience, offering growth and learning to both children and families, in a playful and safe environment. Because the Museum’s programs and exhibits will evolve and change over time, three annual membership options allow guests to return frequently.
General admission is $8.00 (children under 2 are free). The Museum also offers field trip opportunities, birthday parties and special event rentals of its facility. With special rates for groups and memberships, the Museum is a great value for memories that will last a lifetime. The Museum continues to welcome donations and exhibit sponsorship opportunities are still available.
The Museum’s Board of Directors and staff is excited to welcome both Central Coast residents and visitors to the Central Coast to the new Museum, but don’t bother telling the kids that they will be learning something; they will be too busy playing!
Museum hours are 9:30am - 5:00pm Tuesday through Saturday, 10:30am – 5:00pm on Sundays and selected Monday holidays. Due to space limitations, no stroller parking is available. For additional information, please contact the Museum at 805-545-5874 or www.slocm.org.
