The Hands On Children’s Museum in Olympia saw a boost in visitors in 2024, much of its success attributed to exposure on the popular children’s YouTube channel Blippi.
Museum executives reported the rise in foot traffic during their annual update on Thursday, Nov. 14, at the City of Lacey’s Capital Area Regional Public Facilities District meeting.
Blippi, a content creator known for his child-focused educational videos, featured the museum in 31 videos this year, attracting over 592 million views. In 2023, the museum was featured in 13 Blippi videos and gained over 200 million views from those episodes alone.
Marina Shaughnessy, the museum’s Grant Manager, said the museum expects to exceed 300,000 visitors by the end of 2024 — a significant rebound from the pandemic-related declines.
“We’ve returned to pre-pandemic levels, which is a big milestone,” she said. “This year, we’ve seen visitors from 2,497 unique zip codes.”
More than 592 million views of Blippi’s videos are driving new visitors to the Hands-On Children's Museum in Olympia, as revealed during the museum's annual update on Nov. 14, 2024, at the Lacey CAR-PFD meeting.
JOLT staff photo via YouTube
Blippi’s influence has expanded the museum’s reach, drawing visitors from across the U.S. and abroad far beyond Washington state.
Shaughnessy noted that 18% of the museum’s visitors now come from 50 miles away, with families traveling from states like Oregon, California, Texas, Florida, and Colorado.
The museum also saw visitors from international locations like Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom.
“Families from all over the West Coast come to Olympia to visit the museum,” Shaughnessy revealed. “We’re seeing more and more people making the trip specifically because of what they’ve seen on Blippi’s channel.”
The museum’s data also revealed increased web traffic from major cities such as Seattle, Tacoma, San Jose, Portland, Los Angeles, and Vancouver, Wash. The museum's regional draw has helped the museum recover faster following the pandemic's hit to tourism.
“I’m in my 40s and had a blast. It’s way cool for people of all ages,” one visitor from Damascus, Oregon.
Shaunessy emphasized the importance of their unique programming in attracting both local and out-of-town visitors.
She highlighted events such as live falcon shows, acrobatic performances, and interactive demonstrations by Taiko drummers from Seattle as major draws for families.
Annual events such as the Fire Rescue Spectacular and Boo Bash, the museum’s Halloween celebration, have also grown in popularity. The Boo Bash was once a one-day event, is now spread out over seven days to accommodate the influx of visitors and prevent overcrowding.
The Hands-On Children's Museum announces an expansion plan featuring new classrooms, exhibits, and an updated entry plaza.
JOLT staff photo via YouTube
Despite the museum’s growing success, Shaughnessy acknowledged that overcrowding has become frequent.
The museum is 28,000 square feet and considerably smaller than other children’s museums serving large visitor numbers. By comparison, the Madison Children’s Museum in Wisconsin hosts 250,000 annual visitors and covers 56,000 square feet.
“Overcrowding is one of the biggest complaints we hear from our visitors,” Shaughnessy said. “We’ve tried to address this by extending hours, selling timed tickets, and spreading out events over multiple days, but we’re still facing space limitations.”
To address these challenges, the museum has announced an ambitious expansion project that will nearly double its size.
The new addition will increase the museum’s total square footage to over 63,000 square feet, providing more space for exhibits, visitors, and special events.
As a part of a $35 million capital campaign, the expansion will also include more parking, a new outdoor Discovery Center, a culinary classroom, and additional preschool and daycare classrooms.
The so-called 'sky bridge' will be part of the upcoming expansion at the Hands-On Children's Museum.
JOLT staff photo via YouTube
A "sky bridge" will also connect the existing facility to the new addition, allowing seamless access between the buildings.
Construction is set to begin in 2026, with completion expected in late 2027. “We’re working hard to make sure the expansion will meet the needs of our growing visitor base,” Shaughnessy said.
Despite its growing national attention, the museum focuses on serving its local community. Shaughnessy shared the museum’s Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Family Access program offers low-income families. Admission for them is just $3 per person.
The program started in 2017 and has grown, serving 38,422 visitors in 2023.
The museum's commitment to accessibility has also earned national recognition.
Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland nominated it for a National Medal, which honors its efforts to serve underserved communities through programs like EBT Family Access.
With expansion plans, the museum targets further improving these programs and reaching more families.
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Callie
Now that my offspring are older, I like the Adult Swim nights - I can play with the cool stuff without worrying about taking it away from a kid . . .
Sunday, November 17, 2024 Report this