Photograph by Sarah McCosham
Have you been to the Cincinnati Museum Center lately? I hadn’t. While this multi-faceted museum was once a part of the regular McCosham family rotation, its reno-related closures and, you know, the pandemic, tabled this beloved attraction for us…until now.
On a recent cold and rainy day (thanks, Cincinnati winter), we headed down to spend an afternoon at the CMC. While the Children’s Museum was once our go-to spot, my older crew was much more interested in “museum-y” attractions this time around; specifically, the Cincinnati History Museum and the Museum of Natural History & Sciences. I wasn’t complaining: the water tables, sandboxes, and “woods” at the Children’s Museum were a controlled chaos situation that I’m grateful to be past!
Photograph by Sarah McCosham
If you, too, haven’t been to the CMC lately, you’re in for such a treat. Shiny new exhibits make history and science come to life, putting kids “there” in the uncanny way the CMC excels at. You Are Here and Made In Cincinnati were huge hits in the Cincinnati History Museum, providing colorful, captivating snippets and fun facts about the Queen City that grabbed my kids’ attention and had them eagerly gobbling up—and “broadcasting”—local trivia.
Photograph by Sarah McCosham
The Museum of Natural History & Sciences, meanwhile, is a celebration of all things STEAM that’s as fun for adults as it is for kids. From landing on the Moon with Neil Armstrong and wandering amongst prehistoric predecessors in the Ice Age to demonstrating the laws of physics in the Science Interactives Gallery, this revamped part of the CMC just keeps getting better and better. Of course, The Caves are a Cincinnati classic—I remember wandering through the cold, wet caverns deep in the belly of the beast as a kid on school field trips, and this attraction remains as remarkable as ever.
Photograph by Sarah McCosham
Circling back to the beginning (of time? Yes. And this article!), when I say we were once Museum Center regulars, I mean it. Several years ago, me and my rag-tag team of then-toddlers visited so frequently that, when it came time for the CMC to refresh their advertising and media kits, we were asked to “model” for promotional photos. It was quite an honor and it’s always exciting when a friend or relative texts to tell me they spotted us on a banner or billboard.
Photograph by Sarah McCosham
Speaking of which, Julian and Mary, who were 8 and 6, respectively, when we took those photos, were more than happy to recreate the billboard that’s currently seen along 1-71. The unbridled wonder and awe they had in that original photo was unposed, and even though my two tweenagers are a bit more self-conscious these days, that Museum Center magic remains as true as ever.
Cincinnati Museum Center, 1301 Western Ave., Cincinnati
Facebook Comments