Explore & More Museum in Gettysburg in a Kid's Wonderland

Explore & More Museum is a hands-on children's museum in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, designed especially for children ages 3 to 8, but also enjoyed by older children and adults. It is located in a 1860s vintage house that was converted into a science center and playhouse for children. It is owned by two local entrepreneurs who are both mothers and teachers and are well-versed in the learning styles of small children.

The museum includes seven rooms, all filled with a variety of activities that are designed in keeping with the museum's goals of stimulating "the cognitive, small motor, social, and creative development of young minds.''

The 1860s Room allows children and their families to experience life in the Civil War era, a very important time in history for Gettysburg and its people. In the playhouse area, kids can try on typical 19th century clothing and pretend to prepare supper over an open hearth as housewives would do during that time. In the General Store, kids can shop for much-needed "provisions'' and in the battlefield encampment, they can experience the life of a Civil War soldier.

In the Art Room, museum visitors can exercise their creative imaginations at kid-sized tables designed for arts and crafts projects. The museum offers all the supplies needed for a unique design, including sculpting dough, glue, glitter, feathers, pipe cleaners, and more. Children can also assume a place at an easel and paint a masterpiece they can take home with them.

In the Construction Zone, kids learn how things work and how they're made. They can experiment with a pulley system, work on an assembly line, see how gears work, and much more. It's a very hands-on area that's especially a favorite with the boys.

In Explore & More's Nature Area, children are invited to enjoy the world outside via a variety of things like locust's nests and other pieces of nature. Small live animals are available to view and pet, including mice, hermit crabs, and toads. The Exploration Room provides a bubble machine that makes bubbles large enough for kids to stand inside, lets children experiment with magnets, and contains a host of other interactive activities.

Popular with local children as well as visitors to Gettysburg, Explore & More also hosts birthday parties. The basic party includes two hours in the museum, admission fees for up to 8 children and 4 adults, choice of beverages, paper products, and a birthday banner. Hosts may also purchase pizza for party goers, favor bags, and a customized t-shirt for the birthday child. Spots fill up quickly so birthday parties should be scheduled as far in advance as possible.

Explore & More is open year round but closed on Wednesdays from October through March and Sundays from April through September. Groups may schedule special visits during times when the museum is normally closed. There is no dining area inside the museum but there is a small gift shop.