M is for Museum: New Sesame Street Museum to Open in DC

The new National Children’s Museum, which is slated to open in 2013 at the National Harbor complex, has signed a new partner – Sesame Street. Under the agreement, the Sesame Workshop will work closely with the new Museum in developing programs, exhibits and acting as virtual tour guides.

The museum, which closed its Capitol Hill location in 2004 in preparation for the move, will be a massive, interactive learning complex that seeks to “give all children the opportunity to learn, explore, and connect with opportunities to get involved and make a difference in their community, their country, and their world.”

The partnership with Sesame will dramatically increase the visibility of the new museum and with it interest from children who will surely want to interact with their favorite Sesame characters. Specifics are still being developed, but Sesame characters will act as virtual docents, leading families through the learning complex as well as contributing to specific exhibits.

The only problem is that the Museum will be located at the new National Harbor complex, located across the Potomac in Prince George’s County, Maryland and home to the mammoth Gaylord National Convention Center. The only way to access the complex is by car and, for many people, a visit to National Harbor is more trouble than it is worth. Hopefully, with the introduction of the new museum, the great minds at National Harbor will find ways to make the area more accessible to families from around the D.C. region and those visiting on vacation.