Bentonville children's museum reopens to the public

BENTONVILLE -- The Scott Family Amazeum opened to the public Saturday after being closed since March because of the covid-19 pandemic.

About 150 people visited the museum, said Paul Stolt, Amazeum Marketing Manager.

The venue featured member preview days Wednesday-Friday to show the enhanced safety procedures that have been put in place in response to covid-19, according to the venue's website.

"The health, safety and well-being of our members, guests and staff are, and continue to be, our highest priority," Stolt said.

The museum's opening plan was approved by the Arkansas Department of Health in June, but the Amazeum remained closed while staff consulted with pediatricians, health officials, other museums and national museum organizations to gather as much information as possible prior to welcoming families back to the venue, he said.

The safety procedures that have been put in place include reserved, ticketed entry for two-hour visits to the museum, according to the website. The venue will close between each two-hour time block for enhanced cleaning and disinfecting.

Visitors will also enter and exit through designated doors and are asked to keep 6 feet between families, the website said. Amazeum staff members and visitors 10 and older must also wear masks. Children ages 2-9 are encouraged to wear face coverings, while they're not required for those 2 and younger.

"We continue to monitor the situation with covid-19 on a daily basis," Stolt said.

Alice and Rabia Shattuck of Prairie Grove took their 4-year-old son, Charlie, to play at the museum Saturday.

The experience wasn't limited by the safety parameters the museum has put in place, Rabia Shattuck said, noting Charlie headed straight for the Sound Canon when he arrived.

"It was great," Charlie said, "because it's so cool."

Alice Shattuck said the family spent a lot of time going to parks and libraries prior to the pandemic, adding it was a struggle to go from having many available activities for Charlie to having nothing accessible.

"It's just nice to be here and be safe and to get out and do something he enjoys," said Rabia Shattuck.

The museum has adapted as many of their experiences as possible to maintain an interactive, playful and exploratory experience for visitors, Stolt said.

"For many of our experiences in the 3M Tinkering Hub, Hershey's Lab and on the museum floor, we created single-use kits, and props used in play are exchanged during the day when we periodically close for enhanced cleaning," Stolt said. "One of the things that made it easier is that the museum focuses on cleanliness and maintaining a healthy environment all the time -- it's baked into how we plan to do what we do every day."

The museum is unable to provide Hershey's Lab experiences that involve consuming food and exhibits that feature moving air at this time, he said. The cafe is also closed for food service.

Charles and Michelle Astor of Fort Smith visited the Amazeum with their 3-year-old son, Jensen. Jensen wasn't inhibited by any closed exhibit, Charles Astor said, and simply moved on to explore what was accessible.

The Amazeum added some new experiences to its outdoor areas during the temporary closing, Stolt said, to include a large game board on their Playscape, a pavilion of swings designed by Arkansas-based Somewhere Studio and three scaled chairs that can be accessed at any time.