Museum Updates LeFleur’s Bluff Education & Tourism Complex Media Kit

---

ABOUT THE LEFLEUR’S BLUFF EDUCATION & TOURISM COMPLEX

The LeFleur’s Bluff Complex is the shared campus between the MDWFP’s Mississippi Museum of Natural Science and the Mississippi Children’s Museum.

The first phase of the project opened a new state-of-the-art 30,000-square-foot playground in December 2021, The LeFleur’s Bluff Playground, which has welcomed more than 60,000 guests since opening.

Construction has begun on the second phase of the project, which will include an adventure trail connecting both museums and an outdoor pavilion.

The overall master plan includes a new and unique golf experience, Otter Creek Golf Park, along with several outdoor amenities for children and adults of all ages to enjoy. This visionary plan will create one of the best urban parks in the country, which will bring together four award-winning museums and countless outdoor amenities and experiences for locals and tourist, alike. 

OTTER CREEK GOLF PARK

Otter Creek Golf Park will be a unique golf experience unlike any other in the state, with design influence from Robert Trent Jones II, world-renowned golf architect, and Nathan Crace, Mississippi based golf architect. The course will feature a 10-hole, par-3, walkable course with holes ranging from 70-150 yards, a state-of-the-art driving range, 18-hole putting course, separate putting green, a new clubhouse, and will be accessible for nighttime play. 

The Mississippi Children’s Museum and MDWFP’s Mississippi Museum of Natural Science are collaborating on this project to bring together the four museums in the LeFleur Museum District, as well as preserve urban green space, and provide an enriching experience for children, families, and adults of all ages. In addition to the entertainment experience Otter Creek will provide, it will also serve as an educational venue for MCM’s after school students to continue their weekly programs with First Tee of Central Mississippi. 

The Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation is the signature sponsor of the LeFleur’s Bluff Playground, Outdoor Pavilion and Museum Trail. Federal funding will provide concept and design planning for a biking and pedestrian bridge across Lakeland Drive connecting all four museums in the award-winning LeFleur Museum District.

PRESS RELEASES

MISSISSIPPI CHILDREN’S MUSEUM

The Mississippi Children’s Museum (MCM) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a mission of creating unparalleled experiences to inspire excellence and a lifelong joy of learning in all children. MCM’s two museums, located in Jackson and Meridian, are designed around five primary initiatives, with correlating exhibits, programs, and outreach efforts. These initiatives include: Literacy, STEAM, Health and Nutrition, Cultural Arts, and Mississippi Heritage – the keys to helping our children mature into healthy and productive adult learners. In response to community needs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, MCM shifted operating and programming priorities to best serve Mississippi’s children and combat learning loss through facilitating virtual schooling and creating online educational enrichment – services that continue today through a robust, daily afterschool program and an online platform for teacher professional development. 

In 2021, MCM celebrated a monumental year by receiving an Institute of Museum and Library Services National Medal, the nation’s highest honor for museums, and through opening its first satellite museum, MCM-Meridian, which received the 2021 Governor’s Award for Travel Attraction of the Year. For more information visit: www.mschildrensmuseum.org. 

MDWFP’s MISSISSIPPI MUSEUM OF NATURAL SCIENCE

The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks’ Museum of Natural Science is located in Jackson, tucked within historic LeFleur’s Bluff State Park. The museum overlooks a 300-acre natural landscape, an open-air amphitheater, and 2.5 miles of nature trails. Inside, enjoy face to face encounters with more than 200 species of live fish, turtles, alligators, and other animals in a 100,000-gallon aquarium network of underwater habitats. Explore 73,000 square feet of exhibits featuring natural Mississippi settings filled with native plants and wildlife including deer, waterfowl, fossils, and Mississippi’s endangered species. For nearly 90 years, the museum has thrilled and entertained visitors while pursuing its mission to promote understanding and appreciation of Mississippi’s biological diversity through collections, research, scientific databases, education, and exhibits; and to inspire the people of our state to respect the environment and to preserve natural Mississippi. The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and is a member of the Association of Science – Technology Centers. Please visit www.mdwfp.com/museum for more information. 

DOWNLOAD LOGOS AND PHOTOS

Photos Courtesy of: Mississippi Children’s Museum
Renderings Courtesy of: Wier Boerner Allin Architecture