The Hatchery is an area specially set aside for guests aged 3 and under (with their caregivers). It contains activities designed to sharpen fine and gross motor skills, and a number of other developmental skills in the youngest guests. The Hatchery has a half-wall barrier to make space where caregivers can feel assured they and their littlest children can interact in a warm, safe and welcoming area. There is also a live video feed showing the museum’s remote areas so caregivers with older children won’t lose track of them as they explore within the museum walls.

The Hatchery was funded with a grant from the Optimist Youth Foundation and another grantor with interests in the Traverse City Area. Inkind support was donated by Lynne Moon. Ken Reece, Dan Kohler, Dan Geiger and Jeremy Selden provided the labor necessary to transform the area into a welcoming space for the Museum’s smallest guests and their caregivers.