November 7, 2025 Topeka, Kansas – The Kansas Children’s Discovery Center, Topeka’s nonprofit children’s museum, opened an $11.6 million expansion project more than doubled the size of the museum today an event attended by more than 250 people.

The Building Discovery expansion is the largest expansion in the museum’s history and a major development in Topeka’s tourism, education, and child care sectors. The expansion includes an artful, cohesive addition to the north of the current building, doubling the size of the museum from 15,000 to over 30,000 square feet. The expansion includes three large gallery spaces, three learning lab classrooms, a makerspace, a cafe serving on-site meals, an exhibit construction workshop, and other spaces designed to better serve growing numbers of families.

Attendees at today’s event included state and local elected officials, Gage Park Improvement Authority members, current and former Kansas Children’s Discovery Center Board of Trustees members, representatives from children’s museums in Tennessee, Washington state, Colorado, Washington, D.C., Florida, and Nebraska, project teams from Crossland Construction, Schwerdt Design Group, volunteers, donors, and supporters.

Arthur Affleck, President and CEO of the Association of Children’s Museums. Discovery Center Board Chair Kent Palmberg, and Discovery Center President and CEO Dene’ Mosier shared remarks prior to the ribbon cutting.

“We planned each detail of this building to ensure it would spark excitement and delight. From the exhibits to the murals, every detail, including the work of local artists, was chosen to reflect the beauty of this community and the magic of childhood. Today marks an extraordinary milestone, but this ribbon cutting isn’t the finish line. We have more to do in this space, and much bigger dreams for this museum.” said Dene’ Mosier.

The Sunflower Gallery is anchored by an iconic indoor climbing structure, the tallest climbable sunflower in the world, at two stories tall. Surrounding the climber, visitors will find educational exhibits celebrating Kansas symbols. The gallery also features murals by local artist Sarah O’Keefe, Queren King Orozco, and children from Shawnee Heights Elementary School.

The Hall of Bright Ideas celebrates creative Kansans, including historical inventors and Kansas children. The gallery includes an art installation, hand-cranked generator, illumination station, and children’s stage to excite the next generation of Kansas leaders and innovators.

A 3,000 square foot traveling exhibit gallery to enable the museum to host any traveling exhibit from around the United States. The first traveling exhibit featured in the new space, Very Eric Carle: A Very Hungry, Quiet, Lonely, Clumsy, Busy Exhibit, also opened on November 7. Co-organized by Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh and The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA. Very Eric Carle is the first North American traveling exhibit for children inspired by the art of beloved children’s book author and illustrator Eric Carle. The exhibit will be open at the Discovery Center from November 7, 2025 to January 25, 2026 and is included in the cost of regular admission.

Three new learning lab classrooms will create space for quality, STEAM-based childcare for school-age children. These indoor-outdoor learning spaces connect a state-of-the-art teaching kitchen with an intergenerational, accessible garden. An inventive makerspace that will enable curious children to tinker, explore, and create in a collaborative environment.

The project was funded by a combination of private donations, corporate gifts, grants, Gage Park Improvement Authority (GPIA) sales tax revenue and operating reserves. Fundraising to support project costs is ongoing. Public feedback collected on the project included public informational meetings, an online survey, and three community listening sessions open to both adults and children.

The expansion is necessitated by multiple years of record-breaking attendance. With visitors at busy times approaching building capacity, the museum needs more space and experiences to meet demand.

Attracting regional tourism is particularly important to the museum’s role as an economic driver in Shawnee County. In 2023, 38 percent of the total attendance, 45,945 individuals, traveled to the museum traveling from outside Shawnee County. The expansion is projected to increase visitors by at least 25% annually.

The project also allows the museum to better serve changing community needs. Classrooms for school-age child care will help fill care gaps for local families on days school is not in session. An innovative makerspace and science exhibits are designed to inspire the next generation of STEAM professionals and help the museum “age up” to better engage older children. Admission accessibility to all families will remain a key focus for the museum. Over 1 in 3 admissions were either free or subsidized in 2024.

The nonprofit children’s museum opened in 2011, and in the past thirteen years has grown significantly, gaining prominence as a regional tourist attraction and community anchor for families. The museum has hosted ten major traveling exhibitions, reached thousands of children through community outreach events, and welcomed over 1 million visitors from all 50 states and 23 countries since its opening. President/CEO Dené Mosier has led the museum since 2015.