Children's Museum to open site at Mall of America

The Minnesota Children's Museum plans to open a temporary satellite location at the Mall of America starting in September.

The "pop-up" space will coincide with much of the planned $28 million construction at the museum's St. Paul location. The mall space will open this September and remain open until January 2017.

The 4,400-square-foot space on the mall's third floor will host popular exhibits like Storyland and Ball-o-Rama, as well as appearances by Clifford the Big Red Dog and Curious George, said museum President Dianne Krizan.

Mall and museum officials have been talking about the exhibit for about a year. Krizan said the pop-up location will help expose the museum to mall visitors from across the world.

The price tag for opening and operating the mall space amounts to about $500,000 through the end of its run, according to a museum spokesperson. Most of the operating expenses will be covered by Legacy Amendment funding from the state.

The Minnesota Children's Museum will break ground on its expansion this fall. The project is paid for with funds from the state of Minnesota, St. Paul, Target Corp. and Best Buy, among others. Museum officials said about 90 percent of the funds for the expansion have been raised. Improvements will include redesigned galleries, a new cafe and additional play areas.

The museum's St. Paul location will be open during most of the construction, although it will close between September 2016 and the planned grand opening in January 2017.