A children’s museum offering hands-on activities opened its doors Saturday to area families.
Located at The Market on State, 1002 E. State St., The Ohio Valley Museum of Discovery specializes in hands-on learning for children in the Athens area. The current exhibit, Wild Weather, features weather-related activities.
Each week, the museum will provide new activities related to the exhibit, said Sara Hartman, board president of the museum. Wild Weather will be on display for two months, she added.
The museum is open Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., but school groups can schedule Tuesday appointments to participate in the weekly activities.
Admission is free because of local sponsorships, Hartman said.
“We’ve been wanting a hands-on children’s museum for the past five years,” she said, adding that it was funded by local business sponsors.
Hartman said the museum creators wanted to open the facility because of the lack of hands-on learning in the region.
Hands-on learning is important to a child’s educational development, she said, adding that area families would have to drive a good distance to experience an educational opportunity such as this one.
A local mother of two, Erin Eckelberry, said she has driven to Lancaster in the past so that her children can go to museums like this one.
“It’s nice to have a place like this in Athens and not have to drive,” Eckelberry said.
Hartman said the museum creators’ goal is to be open on a more permanent basis, and that they are looking for additional funds from other sources.
“We’ve had nothing but positive support from the community [and] we’re extremely grateful for The Market for donating the space,” she said.
Future exhibits will feature art, history, nature and other educational disciplines, she added.
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