Explore & More’s proposed facility at the Aud site at Canalside is coming into focus. Explore & More was selected last year by the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation (ECHDC) to operate the planned children’s museum that is expected to open by Memorial Day weekend 2016.

Flynn Battaglia architects is working with Gyroscope Consultants to create a master plan for the 40,000 sq.ft. museum. ECHDC has committed to contribute between $5 million and $8 million towards the core and shell of the building. Explore & More is raising funding to build out the space including finishes and exhibits. That tab could approach $6 million.

Gyroscope, the firm that has is leading the master planning process, is an award-winning, full-service, comprehensive, museum planning, architecture and exhibit design firm specializing in museums undergoing expansion, re-positioning and relocation. Gyroscope’s mission is to design learning environments that provide value for children, families, and communities.

Explore & More is a non-profit organization established in 1994 that provides an environment for creative play and learning through hands-on exhibits, activities and programs that spark creativity, curiosity and imagination. They are currently located in East Aurora and draw approximately 50,000 visitors to the facility there. Once open at Canalside, the museum is anticipating on drawing crowds of over 130,000 visitors per year.