Timed entries, closed exhibits: Here's what the Triangle's museums might look like when they reopen
From timed entries to more hand sanitizer to shuttered exhibits, visitors will notice some major changes when some of the Triangle's museums reopen in what might be just a matter of weeks.
Under Gov. Roy Cooper's phased reopening plan that eases restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus, museums, aquariums and other cultural sites may begin a "limited opening" starting in phase two, according to Michele Walker, public information officer for the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
The state is currently in the first phase of the reopening and could move to the second phase on May 22 as long as data indicates that the number of COVID-19 case in North Carolina is declining.
As the state prepares for the next phase, officials are currently reviewing reopening plans for the state's museums and other sites now. Local nonprofit museums, including Marbles Kids Museum, the Museum of Life and Science and Kidzu Children's Museum, also are contemplating what's next.
The pandemic and months-long closures already have dug deep holes in museum budgets across the region. At the N.C. Museum of Art, N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences and N.C. Museum of History, where admission is free, the closures have meant canceled ticketed events, paid programs and fundraisers.
Meanwhile, Marbles, the Museum of Life and Science, Kidzu, the North Carolina Zoo and other destinations are missing out on revenue from admissions, along with lost funds that come through gift shop and cafe sales, birthday party rentals, ticketed events and more.
As the stay-at-home order took effect in March, Kidzu in Chapel Hill asked its supporters for help, and they came through — raising $110,000 in just a month to help them stay afloat, even as staff are furloughed and take pay cuts. The museum also was able to get a federal Paycheck Protection Program loan. Still, said Kate Sullivan, Kidzu's development director, "it's an enormous challenge" and an ongoing one as it's not clear when, and if, the museum will be able to operate at its usual level again.
All of the Triangle's museums have worked to stay in touch with fans and visitors through virtual activities, but museum officials said they are eager to serve the community in person again and see kids and families return. At the same time, they're cautious.
"We have a lot of things to consider," said Eric Dorfman, the new director of the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences. "The primary concern is health and safety of the public, but also of the people working for us."
He also wants to be sure that any reopening promotes confidence in the community — that museum officials are making the thoughtful decisions required to reopen the right way and at the right time.
"We want people, when they come, to feel safe and feel like they are being stewarded properly," he said.
Here's how local museums are contemplating possible reopenings.
Marbles Kids Museum
Marbles closed both its downtown Raleigh museum and IMAX theater on March 15. Since then, the museum has encouraged donations and purchases from its museum store and offered daily virtual activities for families stuck at home.
Sarah Brown, Marbles' director of marketing, said Marbles is working on putting in place measures to help protect the healthy and safety of visitors when it is allowed to reopen. Like other museums across the region, it also plans to adhere to all guidance from federal, state and local health and government authorities. It's currently involved in coming up with "innovative new practices" developed with other museums across the state and country, she said.
"While we await further guidance, we are actively planning social distancing adaptations, enhanced sanitation procedures, and extensive staff training," Brown said. "Visitors can expect to see Marbles implement new practices like advance online reservations, timed admissions, phased cleaning protocols throughout the day, and restricted flow patterns. Of course, any and all ideas are being developed in a way that maintains the playful childhood experiences made possible by Marbles."
Similar social distancing and capacity limitations are in development for Marbles IMAX, she said. "Following government guidelines and working closely with the theater industry, we anticipate opening the theater at the same time we open the museum, with strategies like staggered seating, limited admission and more time between show times for extra cleaning," Brown said.
Museum of Life and Science
The Durham museum has been closed since March 14 and quickly launched online and virtual activities to keep families engaged while hunkered down at home. Matt Pusateri, the senior director of marketing, said museum staff is working on a variety of changes to the museum as they consider a reopening.
Some exhibits, particularly hands-on ones, won't reopen in the same format or at all, he said. Changes to the admission desk and museum entry also are being made so visitors have more space to move around as they wait to get their tickets. Bathrooms will have touchless water faucets, he said. And, with most of its 84 acres of space outside, the museum also is contemplating, at least initially, focusing only on the outdoor exhibits during a reopening.
"We're still assessing that," he said.
Pusateri knows that even if the museum is open, it's unlikely to track the visitor numbers that it enjoyed before March.
"We're not going into this assuming that if we open in August, it will be the same amount of visitors that we had in 2019," he said. "We're starting with the assumption that it may take a while for things to feel a little more normal."
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
The downtown Raleigh museum suspended its operation on March 17 and has canceled its summer camps, but has continued to offer virtual programs online. Staffers also have been working on an extensive plan for resuming operations once it's time to reopen.
"We've been looking at really every different aspect we possibly can, and you can imagine the questions are pretty complex," Dorfman said. "There are a lot of nooks and crannies. There are a lot of things you can touch. And, of course, kids are one of our primary audiences, and social distancing is not something they do well."
Among the changes the museum is contemplating include timed tickets to limit the number of people inside the building. Admission would still be free, Dorfman said. "There will be a lot of communication around whatever we do," he added.
The museum also may close in the middle of the day for an hour or two for cleaning. And staffers also are looking at keeping sections of the museum, such as the butterfly house and the bridge that connects the museum and its Nature Research Center, closed for a longer period. It's difficult to maintain social distance on the enclosed bridge, he said. And staffers also want to ensure the museum's animals, including the sloth in the butterfly house, remain healthy.
"Science just doesn't know if sloths can get COVID," Dorfman said. "Better to keep him safe than run a risk."
High-touch exhibits and other screens that aren't activated by touch, but kids still can't resist touching, may also remain closed in the beginning.
"Kids, especially, will think anything is a touchscreen," he said. "So they are going to touch it even when it's not. So we may keep the computers off for a little while."
Dorfman also said the museum will have more hand sanitizer for people to use and will recommend face masks. "We will strongly encourage people to wear some sort of cloth face covering when they come in," he said.
It's likely that the museum will have a "soft opening" at the beginning, opening for just 100 people or so, possibly museum members, to ensure the changes they've put in place are working. "They'd be helping us get ready for the general public," he said.
What's next for it's popular events and festivals isn't clear. The museum had to postpone its annual Reptile and Amphibian Day in March because of the pandemic. Dorfman said the museum is exploring options for its other major events, including BugFest, which draws thousands of people each fall. "We're going to hold it in person if possible," he said. "But if it's not, we'll look at online options."
North Carolina Museum of History
The downtown Raleigh museum closed March 17 to the public, eventually canceled its summer camps and has been offering online activities. Ken Howard, the director, said it's likely the museum will be open for fewer hours once it does reopen, possibly limiting entry to museum members and older visitors in the morning and opening to the general public in the afternoon.
At the same time, museum staffers are considering limiting the total number of people inside the museum at one time and possibly requiring everybody to wear a mask inside, except for children under 6 who may have a hard time keeping it on.
Howard said it's likely they'll also turn off some of the touchscreen exhibits and interactive displays. If they can purchase enough, they're also considering placing sanitizing hand wipes near some of the activities so visitors can wipe them down before and after they touch them.
Other plans call for placing lots of hand sanitizer across the museum, more cleanings of high-touch areas, signs reminding people to stay at least six feet apart and possibly closing some galleries, such as the kid-focused Tar Heel Junior Historian Exhibit's discovery gallery, which includes books and toys for little ones to play with.
Inside the museum shop, customers likely will be limited, traffic will be one way and plexiglass will provide a barrier between customers and cashiers. Stanchions may also be used to ensure visitors don't get too close to front desk staff inside the museum.
Howard said he expects the museum will limit visitors into the museum to 100 or 150 at a time for the first 30 days, then welcoming more inside after that.
"We're hoping, by the end of 90 days, to be fully open to everybody," he said.
Kidzu Children's Museum
Kidzu Children's Museum in Chapel Hill closed on March 15 and canceled its summer camps planned for June. At the moment, leaders do plan to hold camps in July and August, but don't expect to reopen the museum until after those camps end.
"We think we're just going to have camp, and that's it," Sullivan said. Holding camps will allow the museum to test cleaning procedures and new operational processes, she said.
"It would change if parents pull their kids from camp or the governor pulls us back to shelter in place, she said.
Once camps end, she said, "we'll move into a very gradual phase two opening after that."
"Kidzu is in a unique, but challenging situation," she said. "We don't have a huge outdoor space. We don't have windows. We don't have that very easily ventilated space."
Kidzu surveyed families to find out what they might consider with a museum reopening. The museum, which sits inside University Place mall, found that they love Kidzu, but they're also cautious.
"Families are letting us know that they are going to make a decision based on what the virus is doing and how safe they feel," she said. "One good piece from the survey is we felt so much love."
Among the changes that may take place inside Kidzu once it does reopen include timed ticketing, lots of hand sanitizer, personal protective equipment and more regular cleanings.
"But, right now, I think we're going to go slowly," she said.
Others
The N.C. Museum of Art, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and the North Carolina Zoo also are thinking about what's next.
"While we don't have an exact date for reopening, we have begun to plan for it and to imagine the new visitor experience," said Katherine White, the art museum's deputy director. "NCMA visitors can expect hand-sanitizing stations, social-distance guidance, a lower visitor capacity, and more frequent cleaning when returning to enjoy their art collection."
Morehead Planetarium in Chapel Hill, part of UNC-Chapel Hill, is waiting for decisions from university leadership, said Malenia Swinton, the marketing and communications manager.
"We’re currently just trying to have contingency plans ready to act on whenever we do have a directive from UNC," Swinton said.
The N.C. Zoo may reopen at some level during phase two, but no plans are set in stone.
"We are currently working hard to prepare for resuming operations, but we don't have an exact date," the zoo shared in a Facebook post Monday evening.
How can you support them?
While any reopening will bring welcome revenue to the museums, it won't be enough to cover what's been lost. At Marbles, said Brown, "reopening with limited capacity and with higher operating costs related to the new procedures will extend the shortfall well into the future."
To support local museums, leaders are encouraging people to make donations, shop their store online, buy a gift card or renew or buy a membership.
"We're so very grateful for being taken care of," said Sullivan of Kidzu. "But we all have to work together, moving forward. And it's going to be a tough one."
