New play places courtesy of the Children's Museum of Eau Claire will bring the fun to neighboring cities next year. Photo by Andrea Paulseth.

The Children’s Museum of Eau Claire may be busy building a new home in downtown Eau Claire, but that’s not the only project on the horizon for the family-friendly institution.

The museum announced in December that it was opening two new temporary Play Spaces – one in Chippewa Falls and one in Menomonie – allowing kids in those communities fun, educational opportunities closer to home. Each new Play Space will be open for at least a year, museum officials said.

The Play Spaces will open in February at 312 N. Bridge St. in Chippewa Falls (a former fitness center) and 503 Broadway in Menomonie (inside a multi-unit commercial and apartment building). According to a media release, “Children and their grown-ups will have a space that features open-ended and loose-parts play in three exhibit galleries.” The new locations will be made possible because of a $50,000 grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services.

The Play Spaces will offer daily STEAM-related activities and will be available for private rentals for birthday parties and other gatherings. Admission will be $5 per guest for everyone age 1 and up. 

Meanwhile, work continues on the new two-story, 26,000-square-foot museum in downtown Eau Claire. The $12.5 million new facility will feature the kinds of hands-on, educational exhibits the museum was known for at its original location, 220 S. Barstow St.

Learn more about the museum and how you can visit the Play Spaces at childrensmuseumec.com.