Ground broken for new children's museum in Lehi

LEHI — Thanksgiving Point marked the groundbreaking of Utah's newest children's museum on Monday.

The Museum of Natural Curiosity will feature more than 150 hands-on exhibits to teach science, arts, history and culture through an interdisciplinary approach to family learning.

Thanksgiving Point also announced a new significant donation of $3 million from the Barbara Barrington Jones Family Foundation that helped begin construction on the museum. The official name of the museum will be The Museum of Natural Curiosity in the Barbara Barrington Jones Family Foundation Building.

“The Museum of Natural Curiosity will meet the vital need of a new family-friendly venue in our community,” said Mike Washburn, president and CEO of Thanksgiving Point.

“The Museum of Natural Curiosity will be a great addition to Thanksgiving Point in providing transformative experiences and learning opportunities to children and adults," Thanksgiving Point founders Alan and Karen Ashton said in a statement. "We’re proud to see the community supporting this organization as it continues to grow and extend its fine offerings for families.”

With the new museum, guests will be able to explore throughout five interactive exhibit areas: Rainforest, Kidopolis, Waterworks, Children’s Discovery Garden and Traveling Exhibits.

As of Monday, $23.4 million has been raised through generous donors, which helped begin construction on the 45,000-square-foot museum, and kicked off fundraising for the remaining $3.6 million to fund the indoor exhibit components of the project.  

The Museum of Natural Curiosity is scheduled to open to the public in spring 2014. For more information, visit museumofnaturalcuriosity.com.