great explorations children’s musuem is looking to expand its educational footprint in st. pete | great explorations

Known for its immersive pretend-play spaces and educational programming, Great Explorations Children's Museum is preparing to expand its footprint and offerings to all ages, but not without help and input from the community.

Founded in 1986 as The Hands-On Museum, Great Explorations has evolved into a 24,000-square-foot center for imagination and discovery designed for children around 8 years old.

The St. Petersburg institution, located at 1925 4th Street North next to Sunken Gardens, aims to further its educational programming by building a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics)-focused discovery center at 5800 22nd Street South.

The 38-acre property near Pinellas Point is home to Bay Point Magnet Elementary and Bay Point Middle School. Earlier this year, the Pinellas County School Board approved a transition plan to combine the schools into a unified K-8 facility.

The structural shift supports district-wide optimization and planning efforts to address changing student enrollment trends.The shift is planned to take effect during the 2027–2028 academic year.

The Bay Point Middle School initially opened in 1962, and its new campus was opened in 2002. The middle school offers the Center for Advancement of the Sciences and Technology - a magnet program for math, science, foreign language, and technology.

Great Explorations is known for its pretend-play spaces and educational programming for children | great explorations

Bay Point Elementary, which was rebuilt one year later in 2003, was the first elementary school to adopt the Project Lead The Way (PLTW) curriculum, offering interactive engineering and STEM challenges.

With the consolidation of the elementary and middle school, Great Explorations may take over the former Bay Point Magnet elementary school by the summer of 2027.

“Around 8 years old, kids age out of Great Explorations and there’s nowhere to go in our community for kids to play and learn through hands-on experimentation. A discovery center is just that - it’s designed for older elementary and middle schoolers,” said CEO Angeline Howell.

“We have long been a partner with the elementary and middle schools offering outreach programs. When this opportunity came forward, we jumped on it,” Howell explained during a community info and input session at the school on Wednesday.

Howell said there’s much to determine such as a potential lease agreement with the school district and if it will entail offering programs like child care and after school care, which she said the museum already plans to provide.

“Right now, our preschool alone has a waitlist of 300 kids,” she said. “We would likely prioritize addressing that, but we want to hear what the community wants to see.”

a rough layout of the 80,000-square-foot discovery center that may take over the former Bay Point Magnet elementary school | st. pete rising

The existing museum would remain while the elementary school campus would become the discovery center.

Working with Wannemacher Jensen Architects, exhibits would emphasize imaginative play and problem-solving for younger attendees.

For older students, programming would lean toward career exploration with experiences in chemistry, space, architecture, robotics, and 3D printing.

During this week’s information session, both kids and adults presented a detailed list of additional ideas for the 80,000-square-foot campus, including exhibits and education focused on coding, drones, video production, and artificial intelligence (AI).

They also noted several ways to utilize existing infrastructure, such as building a splash pad in the concrete courtyard and using the cafeteria’s kitchen for food science classes.

Great Explorations had previously acquired a collection of science-based exhibits from a Chicago children’s science museum that closed during the Covid pandemic. Those exhibits are now in storage and would be part of the new discovery center.

The new center would focus on programs related to physical sciences, life sciences, applied sciences, and natural sciences.

Howell said the museum will likely kick off a capital campaign next year with the goal of raising around $15 million to cover the renovations and associated costs.

The expanded presence and footprint would mark a new chapter for the museum.

community members recommended building a splash pad at the school’s concrete courtyard | st. pete rising

Since opening nearly 40 years ago, Great Explorations has moved several times, from its original site on 4th Street South in 1987 to the St. Pete Pier in 1998, and finally to its current home on 4th Street North in 2003.

In 2007, it became the first children’s museum in the nation to establish an on-site preschool, which served 28 students in its first year and has grown exponentially since.

The next community information session will be held on Wednesday, July 22nd from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.

The original museum will remain and is open Monday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Visitors can learn more by visiting Great Explorations’ website or following them on Facebook and Instagram for updates.