For children in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the nearest children's museum is more than 150 miles away in Marquette or Traverse City, MLive.com reports.
"For families without transportation or gas money, this is challenging and discouraging," saysquel Fernandez-Earns, president of the Soo Locks Children's Museum, which is set to open in Sault Ste.
Marie in March.
But thanks to volunteers and community support, the museum will be different.
It will have interactive exhibits specifically designed for kids to touch and explore.
The exhibits will have both historical and cultural significance, and are being created with input from the area's two tribal communities, the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians and the Bay Mills Indian Community.
"The (museum) will offer children an outlet in this underserved area, providing hands-on experiences that have the potential to heal and inspire," Fernandez-Earns tells MLive.com.
The museum, which will have 10 exhibits for children 2 to 12 years old, began taking shape in 2016 following a community survey and a feasibility study that showed a children's museum would succeed in the community for a variety of reasons, including tourist interest.
The location is perfect in an area where parents "have a hard time making ends meet despite working
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