The Carousel Museum in Bristol will be free to kids 12 and under through the end of 2024. The free admission was made possible by a grant from the Connecticut-based Barnes Foundation, which funds educational programs in the state.
Morgan Urgo, executive director of the museum, said during Gov. Ned Lamont’s free summer admission program, the Carousel Museum was seeing up to 200 visitors a day. Because of that success, she said, her staff was looking for a way to extend free admission year round.
“We partnered with the Barnes Foundation to pilot this program,” Urgo said. “So we are going to be free to all children, no matter where they live, and it’s going to be so exciting.”
The museum is more than just beautifully sculpted and painted carousel animals on display, Urgo said. For kids, it’s also an educational adventure.
“The story of the carousel is very much the story of America, and American immigrants specifically, so we tell that story to older kids which is great,” Urgo said. “And then there’s also a lot of engineering and science with the construction of the carousel and the mechanisms, so we hit all of the STEAM and STEM active points.”
In addition to helping children build skills in science, technology, engineering and math, Urgo said the museum also offers many hands-on learning activities for the little ones as well.
“When they come for general admission we have drop-in studio activities, there’s always activities for kids to do,” Urgo said. “And then we have a Tinker Workshop, which is for younger children, that’s really self-directed play which is really fun.”
The free admission does not include rides on the museum's indoor carousel, Urgo said.
