The Lynn Meadows Discovery Center is a children’s museum in Gulfport that encourages visitors to touch and interact with exhibits, as well as play and have fun!
The Discovery Center is located in the renovated Mississippi City Elementary School (which was constructed in 1915), and it offers 15,000 square feet of indoor exhibit space, plus an ample outdoor play space. There is also a theater and Viking kitchen. If you are looking to visit Lynn Meadows, it is open from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Monday – Friday and then on Sunday from 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. For children on the autism spectrum and their families, the Discovery Center has Sensory Sundays, which is the second Sunday of each month from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Sensory Sundays allow for fewer crowds, as well as noise and light reduction so these children on the autism spectrum and their families can enjoy a comfortable, as well as fun, and enjoyable experience! The Discovery Center also offers sensory-friendly backpacks that children with sensory processing disorders can use during their visit. These backpacks include tactile, visual, and auditory aids so these children can be more comfortable during their visit. If you would like one of these backpacks for your visit, be sure to ask the admissions desk for one. Sensory Sundays for the rest of the year include the following dates: June 12, July 10, August 14, September 11, October 9, November 13, and December 11. Admission for Sensory Sundays is free.
When you are inside the Discovery Museum, you can enjoy several hands-on exhibits. For instance, the Super Colossal Climbing Structure simulates the sea and it allows children to go from one floor to the next (the climbing structure spans the height of the museum). There is another fun exhibit named “The Little Pet Vet” where children can see what happens when their pet visits a veterinarian. You can also find outdoor exhibits such as Kids Street, which is a real subdivision that has kid-sized proportions, as well as Tree House Village, a playhouse in the tops of 100-year-old trees. Another outdoor exhibit named “On the Green” overlooks the Gulf of Mexico. In addition, while in this area, you can paint with water on natural slate, or you can play one of the instruments that are planted in the ground at the Musical Garden.
If you’re looking to plan a trip to the Discovery Center, it is located at 246 Dolan Ave in Gulfport. You can contact them at (228)897-6039 and at [email protected]. At the end of your visit, there is a gift shop if you’d like to get a souvenir!
Photos Courtesy of gulfcoast.org