Spot on. Haven’t been to Marbles in years, but when the kids were little, we had a membership and were there at least once a month. I think the location is great, the building is unique and it works. Unless they are bursting at the seams and need more space, and / or there are no other lots to build tall buildings in DTR, there is no point moving it. It brings a lot of people downtown and activates the area around Moore square. We used to go down there with the kids, and grab a snack or lunch somewhere close-by afterward.
With empty surface parking lots, and other underutilized space all through DTR, let’s not move one of the main attractions in DTR just for the sake of moving it.
I had also assumed that whatever 30 story tower is built in the triangular parking lot behind the IMAX that was recently sold/rezoned, they could lease the bottom few floors to expand into that building.
The plan pre-pandemic (very early design stage) was a 3-story expansion in the current courtyard to better connect all the various parts of the campus.
I’m glad they are looking at offering ‘aged-up’ play areas. Marbles is awesome for kids 2 through about 7-8. After that age the enthusiasm kind of fizzles. Would be nice if they add an area geared for kids from about 8-12 or so. Would really expand the usage of the museum.
…oh… I was hoping that meant “aged up” to, say, 30 or so. Maybe some ping-pong tables, shuffleboard, would also love a giant ball pit with a big ass slide going into it for adults only. Guess I might be a little off the mark here.
If memory serves, those plans came out when they were applying for some county funds, which they did not get (I think basically all the $$ was promised to PNC improvements, the conventon center, and the Cary indoor sports facility).
Has anyone heard anything more recent? Is it trying to proceed without the requested funding?
IMO Marbles is a major draw and I would like to see it supported. I think it is a top 5 attraction in Raleigh.
I had thought they had been awarded a portion of the money but not all that they applied for. Hospitality proceeds seem like a big question mark now though.
I hope you are right. I thought they had been denied, but maybe like you say they didn’t get full amount but got something. Of course, even if they were promised, those funds might not have come through bc of Pandemic. Obviously hospitality took a hit the last two years.
Looks like Marbles’ longtime CEO Sally Edwards is stepping down and they are looking for a replacement.
The new CEO will obviously have a huge impact of the next steps. I hope they get a good person for the role and that he/she can successfully expand the museum in its current location.
I miss (the concept and experience of) Exploris and think it would be beneficial for Marbles to re-adapt aspects of the interactive cultural exhibits that I remember. I think that would help with expanding “aged up” attractions and maintain the mental engagement for older kids and visiting adults… if they are ever able to ‘expand’ somehow.
Exploris was such a unique place and I’m still salty about the loss of such an experience that hasn’t quite been replicated anywhere else in the area (that I’m aware of) since the rebranding. Idk if I’m adequately recalling or if it’s because I was getting older myself, but I remember most of the exhibits at Exploris feeling much more “grown up” and appealing to a wider age range of kids/young adolescents. I know the rebrand was supposed to appeal to a younger age group, but I was around 12 when it happened and recall feeling very annoyed and turned off to what then felt like a “dumbing down” of the museum. I genuinely loved Exploris from an anthropology/humanities-centric POV and wish today’s kids could enjoy that same, if not better, experience. The Museum of History isn’t in the same vein and a school classroom doesn’t cut it.
Perhaps not at the current Marbles site, but I definitely believe older kids/ pre-teens (like 9 - 13/15) could use an age-appropriate interactive museum experience of their own without being surrounded by snot and screaming children.
And if such an attraction were preferably located somewhere downtown, that’d just be another cool texture adding to the cultural fabric of the city.
Sounds awesome. I moved here in '08 when I was only ~16 so I missed out on ever experiencing Exploris. We had kind of a similar “museum” in Rochester called the “Strong National Museum of Play” that I really loved as a kid, but that had exhibits upstairs that were just as cool for older kids - like a whole “Evolution of Toys” exhibit and a play radio station / play news station exhibit.
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