Milwaukee Public Museum to close during the RNC, while other downtown museums are also changing things

Amy Schwabe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Updated ·2 min read
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The Milwaukee Public Museum has decided to close to the public when the Republican National Convention comes to town, from July 15 through July 18.

The museum, located at 800 W. Wells St., falls inside the security perimeter for the event — the area from Cherry Street on the north to West Clybourn Street on the south and from North Water Street on the east to North Ninth Street on the west. Although specific road closures and security checkpoints have not yet been released, places within the perimeter will likely "be impacted in some way," Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said when the security perimeter was announced in February.

Madeline Anderson, the museum's director of communications, said the "potential impact on anticipated visitor traffic" based on the museum's location within the security perimeter was one of the factors that led to the decision to close during the convention.

But she added that the museum will be open extra hours the two days prior to and two days following the RNC in order to give out-of-town visitors a chance to experience the museum. Rather than closing at 5 p.m. on July 13, 14, 19 and 20, the museum will stay open until 7 p.m.

Evelyn Klausen, left, 13, stands behind a tree while her family, including her father, Daryl Klausen, mother, Amanda, and sister, Grace, 17, look at a dinosaur exhibit while in the Third Planet wing of the Milwaukee Public Museum.
Evelyn Klausen, left, 13, stands behind a tree while her family, including her father, Daryl Klausen, mother, Amanda, and sister, Grace, 17, look at a dinosaur exhibit while in the Third Planet wing of the Milwaukee Public Museum.

A few other downtown museums have also decided to change things up during the RNC.

The Betty Brinn Children's Museum also will be closed during the RNC, from July 15 to July 18. The children's museum has also decided to move its usual third Thursday of the month Community Access day — which features free admission — from July 18 to July 25.

The Milwaukee Art Museum will be open during its regular hours and offer free admission during the convention, on July 14 and July 16-20.

And while Discovery World has not finalized its plans for the week of the RNC yet, it has decided to move its summer day camp programming during that week from the downtown science museum to a Waukesha County Technical College site.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Public Museum to close during the RNC