It’s been a difficult series of months for the youngest members of the Baton Rouge community, with limited socialization and smile-covering masks occupying what would typically stand out as one of the most rambunctious periods of a child’s life. Lucky for them, though, after more than a year of closure, Knock Knock Children’s Museum is reopening its doors on June 5, reinstating its full interactive experiences just in time for summer.

Thanks to months of work spent reviewing the COVID safety of Knock Knock’s 18 learning zones, the children’s museum became the first of its kind in the state to have its COVID protocol approved by both the Louisiana Department of Health and the State Fire Marshal’s office. And although these safety protocols will remain in place for the time being, playing, creating and exploring Knock Knock will be just the same as guests remember.

“The experience that folks were able to come and have before COVID is still very much the one that people are able to come and have now,” says executive director Peter Claffey.

Knock Knock will open for two-hour sessions twice a day on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The shifts are broken into a morning session from 10 a.m. to noon and an afternoon session from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m to ensure proper cleaning of each area.

Knock Knock has also reduced some of the manipulative objects in some of the learning zones to allow for a more expeditious cleaning. Following each shift will be a one-hour cleaning of each zone to swap out all of the loose parts and pieces and then reopen for the next group, says Claffey.

Due to capacity regulations, people will have to register online in advance through Knock Knock’s website, which is currently open to registrations for the whole month of June. The museum will cap out capacity at about 200 people per  shift.

“The important thing is going to be that folks need to go online and buy their tickets in advance,” Claffey explains. “You can come 15 minutes ahead of your scheduled shift to get checked in and maximize your two-hour visit in the museum.”

During the closure, the Knock Knock team was busy with not only establishing COVID-friendly guidelines, but also with numerous exhibit repairs and general housecleaning to services that give the museum almost a new finish and feel.

“We’ll be ready for play with a great team,” Claffey says. “We are all super excited, myself included, to be able to welcome visitors back into the museum.”