The books were written, the songs were sung, the sculptures were built, but there was still something left to be done. A place to honor a man and his roots, the world’s first and only museum all about Dr. Seuss. The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum, a bilingual experience that explores the childhood and stories of Theodor Seuss Geisel, will celebrate its opening weekend Saturday, June 3 and Sunday, June 4 in his hometown of Springfield, Massachusetts.
Before the museum opens its doors, the city-wide celebration will begin with an evening hosted by Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place Hotel on Friday, June 2, at 5 p.m. Attendees will be treated to Seuss-inspired hors d’oeuvres, cocktails and live music. Tickets are $100 per person and are now available at SpringfieldMuseums.org/SeussInSpringfield. All revenue will be donated to the Museums’ capital campaign, Seuss in Springfield: Building a Better Quadrangle.
The festivities kick into high gear on Saturday, June 3, at 10 a.m. with the Cavalcade of Conveyances, a parade down the famed Mulberry Street. Led by the giant Cat in the Hat balloon and ending on the Springfield Museums’ campus, the procession will include antique cars and other vehicles as well as dignitaries and Springfield school children. The celebration continues as the doors to the new museum will be open to the public for the first time. Visitors will also enjoy performances on the Quadrangle Green by the SHOW Circus of Easthampton, MA, and students from the Community Music School of Springfield, who will present original music inspired by the work of Dr. Seuss. The parade and all other outdoor activities are free and open to the public.
On Sunday, June 4, the Museums will host a members-only character breakfast from 9 to 11 a.m. Attendees will enjoy light fare from the Museums’ own Blake House Café, meet the Cat in the Hat and Things 1 and 2, and enjoy private access to the Dr. Seuss Museum. Tickets are $5 per person and are now available at SpringfieldMuseums.org/SeussInSpringfield (pre-registration required). After the Museums open to the general public, the SHOW Circus will return for more tricks and amazing feats and award-winning children’s musician Mr. G will perform literacy-themed original songs. All outdoor activities are free and open to the public.
The first floor of the Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum will feature a 3,200-square-foot hands-on exhibition that invites children to explore new sounds and vocabulary, play rhyming games, invent stories, and engage in activities that encourage teamwork and creative thinking. Young Ted in Springfield is inspired by the soon-to-be Dr. Seuss’s childhood experiences and explores the city’s influence on his work. Readingville transports visitors into the world of the author’s most famous books while nurturing specific literacy skills.
The second floor will be filled with personal memorabilia belonging to Theodor Geisel and his family. Ted, Dr. Seuss, a collection donated by his stepdaughter Leagrey Dimond, includes original oil paintings, zany hats and bowties, the original Geisel Grove sign which used to hang in Forest Park, and the drawing board, breakfast table, sofa, and armchair from his sitting room and studio. Other exhibits on the second floor highlight the creation of the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden by Geisel’s other stepdaughter, sculptor Lark Grey Dimond-Cates; and rare family photos and home video from the author’s grandnephew and namesake Ted Owens.
The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum was created with the gracious consent of Mrs. Audrey Geisel, the widow of Theodor S. Geisel, and Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P. Opening weekend festivities are sponsored by American International College, Geddes School Supplies and the TD Charitable Foundation. The MassMutual Foundation is the Season Supporter of the Springfield Museums.