Kidzu Children's Museum to reopen Wednesday

After closing in mid-March because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kidzu Children's Museum announced over the weekend that it will reopen to visitors on Nov. 4.

Posted 7:28 p.m. Nov 1, 2020 — Updated 7:28 p.m. Nov 1, 2020

Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

, Go Ask Mom editor

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — After closing in mid-March because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kidzu Children's Museum announced Saturday that it will reopen to visitors on Nov. 4.

Kidzu, which is located inside University Place mall in Chapel Hill, will be open on a very limited basis for now.

From 10 a.m. to noon, Tuesdays and Saturdays, the museum will be open to members only. During these member mornings, there will be room for no more than six families of up to five individuals each. Admission will be free as it usually is for Kidzu members. Pre-registration is required for these member mornings.

On other days and at other times, the space will be available for private rentals for the general public of either one or two hours.

Rentals will be available at the following times:

10 a.m. to 11 a.m., noon to 1 p.m, and 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesdays
10 a.m. to 11 a.m., noon to 1 p.m., 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Thursdays
10 a.m. to 11 a.m., noon to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., Fridays
1 p.m. to 3 p.m,, Saturdays
10 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Sundays

Hour-long play sessions are limited to 10 individuals and cost $75. Two-hour sessions are limited to 20 individuals and cost $130. These sessions are intended for individuals from the same household or quarantine pod, who have been spending time with each other during COVID.

The sessions must be booked at least 12 hours in advance.

As part of its new safety protocols, Kidzu will have:

Enhanced cleaning schedules.
Frequent sanitizing of commonly touched areas and exhibits.
Daily temperature and symptoms checks for staff.
New hand sanitizer stations throughout the museum.
Mask requirements for anybody over the age of 5. Face coverings will be strongly encouraged for those ages 2 to 5.

Other changes include contactless check-in, baskets designated for touched toys and a limit to one household or group in most exhibits.

More information about the reopening is on Kidzu's website.

During the closure, Kidzu has been active online, sharing all sorts of virtual activities and programs for families, reaching kids across the country.

But the closure has been hard on the museum, a nonprofit. In September, as Kidzu leaders geared up for a virtual fundraiser, Lisa Van Deman, its executive director, said that the museum had lost more than $500,000 in recent months, forcing some hard decisions, including layoffs. "It's been an emotional hardship to have our museum doors closed for the past six months now," she told Go Ask Mom. "We've lost all of our earned revenue since mid-March, and that's been a real challenge."

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