Taking the Kids: Visiting a museum safely

The New York Historical Society Museum & Library, meanwhile, has opened a free outdoor exhibit Hope Wanted: New York City Under Quarantine in advance of its proposed reopening in mid-September.

At the popular History Colorado Center in Denver, sanitized styluses are offered for the hands-on activities; The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis has closed its popular Playscape and Fantasy Tree House of Sport and is limiting capacity to 25 percent; The Art Institute Chicago has increased text size on signage to make social distancing easier and so far is open only five days a week, with certain hours reserved for members. The Denver Art Museum, known for welcoming kids and teens free, requires that tickets be purchased in advance and while the galleries’ interactives for kids have been removed, there are new digital ones families can access during a visit. The interactive Revolution Place for kids at The Museum of the American Revolution remains shuttered, so they suggest taking a Family Highlights Tour (offered Sundays at 11 a.m. for $12 ) through the galleries.

At the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, the dog exhibit opened earlier, and the LEGO exhibit has been extended, but there are fewer interactives. The chance to build your own LEGO creations with giant bins of LEGOS has been shelved, for example, but there is a handout of LEGO challenges to try at home.

Museum capacity will be capped at 45 percent, though attendance has been less, said president and CEO George Sparks. “There is a lot of pent-up demand,” he said, “But people are nervous.”

“It feels weird to be wearing a mask and I’m a little nervous, but I’m glad to be here,” said Sage Tinker, 11, visiting with her sister, cousin and grandmother, Judi Swift, who noted that there is a plus to social distancing; “It’s a lot less crowded.”

“I’ve been coming here my whole life,” said Addie Edelmaier, 9. “I’m so glad they haven’t gone out of business.”

It hasn’t been easy, said Sparks, the museum has racked up millions of dollars in losses. A third of U.S. museums are not confident they can survive the financial losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic, according to a survey of museum directors, the American Alliance of Museums has reported. Nearly half of museum directors reported they had furloughed or laid off staff and many said they would be reopening with fewer staff.

“Museum revenue disappeared overnight when the pandemic closed all cultural institutions, and sadly, many will never recover,” the AAM’s president & CEO Laura Lott said when the survey was released earlier this summer. “Even with a partial reopening in the coming months, costs will outweigh revenue and there is no financial safety net for many museums. ... The permanent closure of 12,000 museums will be devastating for communities, economies, education systems, and our cultural history.”

All the more reason for us to support our museums as much as we can for our kids and kids like Addie Edelmaier. “It makes me so happy to be here,” she said.

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(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow TakingTheKids on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments. The Kid’s Guide to Philadelphia, the 13th in the kid’s guide series, was published in 2020, with The Kid’s Guide to Camping coming in 2021.)