'It's so special': Londoners bid farewell to the old Children's Museum on Wharncliffe Rd

Families in London marked the end of an era on Sunday enjoying the last day of the Children's Museum at its longtime home on Wharncliffe Road — where it's been since 1982. 

Youngsters explored dozens of exhibits and activities for a final time before the museum reopens at its new 100 Kellogg Lane location sometime next year. But it was a bittersweet goodbye for their parents, many of whom were regular visitors to the museum when they were kids.

"There are so many fond memories here. I came as a kid, and then bringing my daughter here has been really cool to see how the museum has changed and grown with the community," said Amanda Donald, who was there with her five-year-old daughter. 

For more than four decades, the Children's Museum has been a major establishment in southwestern Ontario. It first opened in 1977 at the London Towers on Dundas and Colborne Streets, but quickly outgrew the area and eventually moved to its present-day location at the former Riverview Public School building on Wharncliffe Road. 

Now, having outgrown its current facility yet again, the museum is in the final phase of a $23-million expansion at the old Kellogg factory which will be twice the size of the old one. It's also projected to draw about 150,000 visitors annually and contribute $6.4 million to the economy.

Saying goodbye to the existing museum was a full-circle moment for Sara Heald, whose very first job was at the museum in 2002, where she worked for about a decade. The opportunity to visit the museum one last time with her two kids was heartwarming, she said. 

"I feel very emotional today walking in and knowing that today is the last day I'm going to be in this physical space but I'm also very excited for the new space," said Heald. 

"The museum has served so many people and I just can't wait to see the next spot, there's so much you can do here and it's made me a very well-rounded individual being a child growing up here, working here, and now being a parent. It's just a whole bunch of feelings." 

Shawna Maldonado came to the museum with her husband and four-year-old son to make some final memories at the site and rejoice in some the nostalgia from her childhood. 

"Back in the day there used to be a lady that would come here, we'd call her the 'Snake lady' and she'd bring reptiles that you could touch and hold. There's always so many different people here and my son makes new friendships every time he comes," she said. 

"We live in Old South so I'll miss how close this place is to my house, and the history and familiar murals in the rooms upstairs that have been here for so long. The freedom of exploring and being in a safe environment like this is just amazing."

Donald said the museum has helped her daughter become more social and interactive with other kids she sees on a regular basis, adding that it's been special witnessing her daughter's growth within the space.

"The museum provides a lot of different opportunities and everyone can enter it at a different level, whether it's sensory play or if they're ready to read and explore. It's just open-ended for everybody and I think that's why it's so special to families," she said.

Although the families will dearly miss the museum's soon to be former site, they look forward to the new exhibits and exciting adventures its new location has to offer, they said.