Take the Kids: Marbles packs fun into former hallway in new River Playway exhibit

In its quest to squeeze as much space for play inside its downtown Raleigh museum as it can, Marbles Kids Museum transformed a six-foot-wide, 80-foot-long hallway into a river-themed exhibit that features everything from a slide to a climber to a ranger station.

River Playway opened last Saturday to a crowd of eager museum members, who rambled down the former-hallway-turned-Neuse-River exhibit, which was made possible thanks to a $99,500 grant from Duke Energy last year and is designed to spark curiosity about the Neuse River Basin.

"We're hoping kids and families will enjoy the space and take the adventure outside," said Michelle Ward, Marbles design specialist who worked on the exhibit.

The narrow hallway, once an entry into Marbles' offices, now offers an immersive experience for kids. There's something to see above, below and all around you.

There's a beaver dam, complete with a beaver costume and soft Velcro branches that kids can move to build.

There's a ranger station inside what was a former Marbles employee lounge. There, you'll find Neuse River maps, a desk with various opportunities to learn about river creatures, dress up clothes and a climber that allows kids to go up to the lookout tower and peer out into the exhibit below them.

From there, you'll see a tree with animals peeking out and an opportunity to view play across the rest of the museum.

Farther down, just before the exit, there's a slide that takes kids "underwater."

All along the way, there's something to see. In three spots, for example, interactive projections display pictures of water and fish, which move as you walk over them.

"They swim away and react to you," said Chris Alexander, Marbles' director of exhibits.

River Playway is free with admission, which is $7 per person. Find it on the second floor between Moneypalooza and Kid Grid. Both my nine-year-old and I were blown away that Marbles managed to pack in so much activity into such a narrow space.