Hamilton Children’s Museum in Gage Park set to reopen after closing in 2020

The City of Hamilton’s Children’s Museum is set to reopen their doors Saturday morning after shuttering down in 2020.

City staff will hold a grand reopening ceremony at 10 a.m., followed by a chance for visitors with pre-booked time-slots to explore the space until 3:45 p.m.

The museum at the corner of Gage Park had been providing a family-friendly learning space since it was converted from an 1875 farmhouse in 1979.

The space shuttered its doors in response to the COVID-19 pandemic along with other Hamilton Civic Museums.

When the civic museums reopened in February of 2022, the children’s museum stayed closed to allow for some exhibits to be updated.

In the meantime, city staff secured grants to start a project to expand and renew the museum and construction began in February of 2023.

Museum staff offered free community programming at local venues like the Hamilton Farmer’s Market and the Hamilton Public Library.

The City of Hamilton says that the project was funded with over $6 million over several years in federal, provincial and municipal funding, as well as from money from ward councillors.

The children’s museum was originally planned to reopen last fall, but was delayed in part by the installation of a new water line and sewer system, and by supply chain delays as the City of Hamilton prioritized buying from Canadian suppliers.

The visitor space at the museum has more than doubled its size from around 2,500 square feet to 6,300 square feet, plus outdoor terraces and a fenced play yard.

The museum will be open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. year-round, with a fully accessible entrance, elevator and washrooms.

Any resident with a Hamilton Public Library card can access the children’s museum for free.

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