Reimagined Moody Family Children’s Museum Opens at Dallas’ Perot Museum

In late November, leadership at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas revealed their plans to reimagine the Moody Family Children’s Museum. At an intimate dinner party for the museum’s most steadfast supporters, they announced that the 6,529-square-foot museum would nearly double in size with the expansion and open in May 2025.

Well, here we are in May, and guess what? The transformed Moody Family Children’s Museum is officially open. (Shoutout to the builders! When are construction timelines actually accurate anymore?)

Last week, the Perot Museum of Nature and Science celebrated the opening with both a first look VIP preview party, as well as a ribbon-cutting ceremony the following morning.

Notables in attendance included Sally and Forrest Hoglund, Suzanne Perot McGee, Tori and Ross Mulford, Christina and Saleem Jafar, Frances Anne Moody Dahlberg, Karen Katz, Bela Cooley, Catalina Gonzalez Jorba, Caroline Harrison Loehr, Pamela Okada, and Maria Cristina Jaramillo Esteves.

“Designed to ignite curiosity and wonder, spark creativity, and nurture a lifelong love of learning in children up to age seven,” the enhanced Moody Family Children’s Museum includes an expanded toddler area, a creative makery (an “innovation hub for aspiring problem-solvers”), the Museum’s first fully immersive and digitally interactive exhibit called the “Immersive Imaginarium,” a large outdoor area (with a programmable waterfall!) and a Toshiko MacAdam-designed climbing structure.

The cornerstone of the expansion (and made possible by Children’s Health), the Immersive Imaginium “engages children in learning about music, pattern recognition, cause-and-effect relationships, and more through responsive screens that react to their movements, actions, and decisions, creating a world that evolves and adapts with their curiosity.”

Among the curious, kindergarten students from Uplift Education attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony and then became the first young learners to experience the bold new space, which “encourages child-directed, open-ended experiential learning at every turn.”

“For years, the Moody Family Children’s Museum has been a treasured gathering spot for families,” said Dr. Linda Silver, Eugene McDermott Chief Executive Officer at the Perot Museum. “Children learn best through play, experience, and exploration. The exciting new exhibits we unveil today will inspire the type of unmistakable wonder that makes STEM more engaging, more approachable, and more impactful for the development of our youngest visitors.”

The 11,000-square-foot Children’s Museum, which renowned firm NorthernLight designed, boasts state-of-the-art, science-rooted experiences.

“This project is a visionary accomplishment and testament to what is possible when we invest in the future of our children and our city,” said Suzanne Perot McGee, a board member at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science. She continued, “The revitalized Moody Family Children’s Museum is more than just a place to play; it’s a vital resource for introducing young learners to the power of STEM in ways that are meaningful, engaging, and accessible. It reinforces the Museum’s role as a cornerstone of educational opportunity in the Dallas community.”

The Moody Family Children’s Museum is now open. Admission is included with general admission to the Perot Museum of Nature and Science.