It’s been more than a year since Knock Knock Children’s Museum opened its doors. But in that time, the attraction has become one of the most visited places in Baton Rouge.
More than a decade in the making, the facility opened in City-Brooks Community Park in August 2017. Its 26,000 square feet were filled with 18 unique interactive exhibits, including a bubble playground, a model auto repair shop and even a grocery store.
The museum exceeded its first-year goals, welcoming around 219,000 visitors and hosting 379 field trips with more than 26,000 children and chaperones during that time.
The Storybook Climber spans both floors of the museum. File photo.
“My ultimate goal is for the children of the Capital Region to thrive and reach their true potential,” says Peter Olsen, who served as the executive director in the museum’s planning stages and through its first year. “Knock Knock has become a catalyst for our community to place children at the center of our future.”
With the announcement of Knock Knock’s early success also came the news that Olsen would step down to pursue museum consulting.
Director of Finance Genny Nadler Thomas took over as acting executive director in September while a committee undergoes a national search for candidates.
“We’re trying to keep a pretty natural transition,” Thomas says. “I worked very closely with Peter, and I’ve got a real good feeling about the legacy that he’s left here and certainly want to continue some of the things that he had put into motion for year two.”
The museum has already started adding more learning programs and outdoor activities, including a sandbox, water play station, and paint and easels for children to paint under the trees.
In the future, and as the audience continues to grow, the museum wants to maximize its use of the 6-acre grounds with more outdoor developments, such as an activity area for children to build their own forts out of a variety of materials.
Besides branching outside the physical museum, Knock Knock also plans to offer parents and educators more training programs on how to teach children through play.
And speaking of parents, Knock Knock is adding new events to the calendar for 2019, including an all-adults night where parents and nonparents can live out their childhood dreams and get to experience the museum on their own.
Free Sundays are also in the works. Knock Knock will pick two Sundays of the year to offer free admission. Eventually, if funding allows, the staff hopes to offer one free Sunday a month.
Ahead of his departure, Olsen says the museum will continue to make the most out of each donation, add more creative programs and cater to children’s educational needs.
“We had hoped that our vision would come true, but it’s so rewarding to see Knock Knock provide a sense of hope, optimism and pride,” he says. “When we put our best intentions into something, together we can create something truly beautiful and that changes lives.” knockknockmuseum.org
This article was originally published in the November 2018 issue of 225 Magazine.
