Stepping Stones Museum In Norwalk To Hold Grand Reopening

NORWALK, CT — Stepping Stones Museum for Children will fully reopen to the public this month with brand new exhibits, renovated spaces and exciting new programming.

According to a news release, the award-winning children's museum will hold a grand reopening ceremony Nov. 20 beginning at 8 a.m. The museum will introduce four new exhibits during the event, as well as exciting enhancements to exhibit favorites, an expanded café, a new gift shop and more.

"All of us at Stepping Stones Museum for Children cannot wait for our community to take this amazing journey into the future with us," Stepping Stones CEO Rhonda Kiest said in a news release. "We are thrilled to fully re-open our doors and debut this newest iteration of our wonderful children’s museum."

In addition to upgrades to exhibit and gallery space favorites, such as the Energy Lab and the Light Gallery, the museum will also unveil the following new experiences:

• Lights On! – Check in on the latest and greatest light gadgets and innovations.
• Big Adventures: Dinosaurs – Make tracks to Stepping Stones and enter our wacky, whimsical (and sometimes warped) time machine to take a topsy-turvy trek through the past, present and future that features Connecticut’s State Dinosaur, the Dilophosaurus.
• Puppet Place in the Performance Gallery – Step out with the Stepping Stones Storytellers Bird, BooZooTM, Lillie the Ladybug and Lucy Somebody during playful conversations, storytelling and music.
• Studio K – Go live in a kid-powered network of fun.
• Healthyville Café – An expanded Café space featuring many delicious, locally-sourced, healthy food options.
• Gift Shop – Get a special gift for a favorite child in our small, curated gift shop that sells merchandise inspired by the museum’s exhibits and Storytellers.

"At Stepping Stones, we believe that the power of play is essential to a child's pursuit of lifelong learning," Kiest said in a news release. "Every day, we're providing inspirational learning opportunities that motivate children to lead healthy, active and transformative lifestyles."

Stepping Stones also noted the museum is prioritizing the safety and well-being of all visitors by implementing expanded operating hours, enhanced cleaning procedures, masking requirements for all visitors (ages 24 months and up) and a recommendation to register in advance for museum visits, including members.

Grand Reopening festivities will kick off Nov. 18 with S'More FriendsGiving and a private, virtual tour of the museum's newly renovated spaces and new exhibits, as well as a sneak peek of the Worldwide Lights Celebration.

Available for purchase is an ooey-gooey S’More-inspired dessert box to enjoy with your family, including four free admission passes to the museum (a $72 value), tasty pre-assembled S'Mores, sparkling cider, hot cocoa spoons plus S'More-flavored jellybeans and cotton candy.

Registrants for the virtual tour who also make a donation will be entered into a drawing to win a two-hour private playdate in the museum. Proceeds from this family-friendly fundraising event support the museum’s accessibility initiative, Open Arms, which make it possible for every child to participate in the museum’s learning community.

Further information about S’More FriendsGiving and registration can be found here.

More information about the museum's reopening, new play-based learning experiences or safe-visit protocols can be found at www.steppingstonesmuseum.org.