FOUR NEW EXHIBITS TO OPEN AT CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
Starting October 1, Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples (CMON) invites families and visitors to experience a vibrant transformation as the second floor reopens with an exciting lineup of brand-new exhibits.
After months of anticipation, CMON proudly introduces three innovative exhibits and a revitalized library space as part of its second-floor reopening. Guests can explore the following new experiences:
Critter Care: Our beloved Adopt-A-Pet Vet Clinic has been completely reinvented as Critter Care, a hands-on adventure where visitors follow Miso, the clinic’s resident cat, as she guides Gary the dog through his very first veterinary visit. Kids will dive into animal care, biology, and empathy, while discovering the real skills professionals need to build a career working with animals. As visitors move through the exhibit, generously sponsored by BarkBox and Heidi Searle, each activity has levels of complexity, so there’s a genuine challenge waiting for everyone, from wide-eyed toddlers to curious elementary schoolers.
Junior Deputy Academy: Junior Deputy Academy puts visitors inside the world of law enforcement, from sharpening investigative techniques and running 911 operations to, yes, climbing behind the wheel of a patrol car. There’s even a friendly competitive edge built in, with a training obstacle course that lets kids race the clock and see who comes out on top.
Age-appropriate activities encourage children to practice critical thinking, build confidence, and learn when and how to ask trusted adults and emergency responders for help. Whether responding to a pretend emergency, locating destinations on a Collier County mission map, or collecting clues to solve a case, every child becomes an active participant in protecting and serving their community.
CMON on Ice: CMON on Ice is back at CMON! Step onto our indoor sock skating rink and glide across a “frozen” lake surrounded by a charming woodland landscape—no skates required. This immersive exhibit invites children and families to move, play, and imagine together while building balance, coordination, creativity, and confidence. Along with sock skating, families can enjoy dress-up opportunities, imaginative play, and interactive games led by CMON educators. Designed for children of all ages and abilities, CMON on Ice brings the excitement of a winter adventure indoors for a fun, active, and unforgettable museum experience. Open through January 3, 2027.
Additionally, on October 5, CMON will debut a new exhibit in our first-floor CMON Corner, expanding the museum’s interactive offerings.
Power Up!: Power Up! invites children and families to become electrical engineers as they design, build, and test working electrical circuits using hands-on components. Through open-ended exploration and guided design challenges, young learners discover how electricity flows, how circuits are completed, and how switches, motors, lights, speakers, and sensors work together to power everyday technology.
This exhibit encourages experimentation, problem-solving, and creative thinking by allowing visitors to build increasingly complex circuits while learning foundational engineering concepts. As children test ideas, troubleshoot designs, and modify their creations, they develop resilience, critical thinking, and confidence through the engineering design process.
Whether creating a light-up alarm, spinning fan, musical circuit, or motion-activated invention, every activity demonstrates that engineering is about curiosity, creativity, and discovering how things work. Power Up! inspires the next generation of inventors by transforming abstract STEM concepts into exciting, hands-on experiences that make learning both meaningful and fun.
“Reopening our second floor is an exciting moment for CMON and for the families who have been so patient during construction,” said Jonathan Foerster, CEO of Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples. “These new exhibits and refreshed spaces give children new ways to care for others, solve problems, move their bodies, and follow their curiosity. We can’t wait to welcome families back upstairs to play, learn, and dream together.”
Admission to CMON on Ice, Critter Care, Junior Deputy Academy, and Power Up! is included with general museum admission.