The Children’s Museum of Franklin did celebrate the opening of their new ~4,000-square-foot outdoor play and exploration space with a ribbon cutting on Wednesday, September 23, 2026.
The expansion comes just days after the Museum marked its first anniversary. Children’s Museum of Franklin first opened its doors on September 18, 2025, and in its first year has welcomed more than 70,000 visitors from 400+ towns and cities across Massachusetts, Rhode Island and beyond.
The new outdoor space extends the Museum experience beyond its walls, creating additional opportunities for children to get messy, experiment, create, gather and learn through play.
Designed with accessibility and open-ended exploration at its core, the approximately 4,000-square-foot space includes:
- Accessible pour-in-place surfacing
- Messy art and creative play
- A hands-on water pump and tubing system
- Giant bubble play
- Picnic tables for gathering, creating and eating
- A signature Farm to Fridge exhibit created in partnership with Garelick Farms
The Farm to Fridge experience introduces children to the journey of milk from the farm to their refrigerator through hands-on, imaginative play.
ABOUT CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF FRANKLIN
Children's Museum of Franklin is a nonprofit, hands-on museum on a mission to empower children and families to discover, imagine, and grow together through play and exploration. Through interactive exhibits, engaging programming, and a commitment to accessibility and belonging, the Museum creates opportunities for joyful learning for visitors of all ages. https://www.childrensmuseumfranklin.org/
