Stepping Stones Museum for Children is a hands-on children's museum for ages 10 and under located at 303 West Avenue, in the Central section of Norwalk, Connecticut.
The museum's interactive exhibit areas include: "Energy Lab"; a "Multimedia Gallery" with a theater, a state-of-the-art broadcast studio, and an 18-foot (5.5 m)-by-12-foot high-definition screen;[1]"In the Works", experiments with motion, gravity and energy; "Healthyville", with exhibits about bodies and healthy living; "Bubbles", a seasonal outdoor bubble creation area; "Toddler Terrain", an exploration area just for toddlers.
The entrance lobby houses ColorCoaster, a 27-foot (8.2 m) kinetic sculpture designed by artist George Rhoads.
The museum is located in Mathews Park, adjacent to the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion, the Center for Contemporary Printmaking, a gallery and studio for printmaking, and Devon's Place, a playground designed for all children to play together, including those with physical, sensory and mental challenges.
Contents |
Stepping Stones was founded in 2000 by Gigi Priebe.[2] In its first 10 years of operation, the museum received two million visits.[1]
The museum underwent a $17 million renovation in 2010, which closed Stepping Stones from August 17 to late November (with a "grand reopening" on November 20) and resulted in a 22,000-square-foot (2,000 m2) expansion, roughly doubling the indoor space of the facility. The project added to the museum the "Energy Lab" exhibit (which replaced the "Water Scape" exhibit), as well as a multimedia room, and removed the "Rainforest Adventure" exhibit.[3] After the refurbishing, the museum building is LEED Gold certified and features a wind turbine, solar panels, and a "green" roof planted with vegetation.[2] The renovation also resulted in improvements to the Tot Town and Healthyville exhibits.[1]