Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention

This is not a review so much as it is a heads up.
Call ahead. They are not always open to the public.

I stumbled upon the Cade Museum as I was searching for new field trip venues for my first grade class. Immediately, I was intrigued by its mission: to inspire future leaders, inventors, entrepreneurs, scientists, engineers, and creative thinkers and makers.
The permanent museum building will be a central feature of a beautifully reconstructed Depot Park in downtown Gainesville. It’s currently under construction and the first phase is projected to be completed in late 2015 (?), but the museum’s Creativity Lab is open for classes and camps. The offerings range from Lego Robotics to labs linking art/​music with science. These are open for all children and families to sign up online, and they also set aside a week every month for school field trips.
Yesterday, our class went on their field trip for a «Magnificent Matter» lab, led by the program director Patty Lipka. It was so incredibly informative, creative, hands-​on, messy (in the very best of ways), and just plain FUN. Many of the kids proclaimed it the «best field trip ever,» and the adults (myself included) had just as much fun as they did.
Patty’s enthusiasm was instantly infectious. She knew just how to keep the us laughing, learning, and engaged for the entire two-​hour lab, which, let me tell you, is not an easy feat to pull off with a gaggle of extra-​rowdy 6– and 7-​year-​olds. She customized the lesson perfectly to suit the students’ grade level and interests, and she started off the lab with a BANG (literally)! The kids were able to take home what they created during the experiments, and I received a bag containing all the ingredients I’d need to conduct one of the experiments on my own. The folks over at the Cade Museum are clearly passionate about establishing an educational culture that encourages curiosity and a love of learning.
All-​in-​all, it was pretty much the perfect field trip experience. It’s definitely one that I’ll be taking my classes on every year. It seems to be relatively unknown to most of the staff and parents at my school, so I’m happy to spread the word. Gainesville is lucky to have such a great resource to add to its growing innovation culture, and the Cade Museum deserves all the support it can get. Once the park and new building are open, I’m absolutely certain that the Cade will quickly become one of the centerpieces of our little town. Mark my words.