Maryland Center for History and Culture Reveals WayFinders: Making Sense of Our World, a New Hands-On Exhibition for Children and Families

Opening March 26, 2026, in MCHC's newly renovated WayFinder Wing, the immersive exhibition invites visitors to explore Maryland history through touch, sound, scent, observation, and discovery.

BALTIMORE, March 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Maryland Center for History and Culture (MCHC) will be unveiling WayFinders: Making Sense of Our World, a new permanent exhibition designed for children, families, and school groups, opening Thursday, March 26, 2026, in the newly renovated first floor of the Thomas & Hugg Building. As part of the new WayFinder Wing, the 5,000-square-foot exhibition invites visitors to explore Maryland's past and present through hands-on, sensory experiences rooted in curiosity, observation, and place.

A New Way to Experience Maryland History

Created with family learners at the center, WayFinders encourages visitors ages 5 and up and their families to engage with history beyond just sight. Throughout the exhibition, children and adults can touch, listen, smell, look closely, build, experiment, and create as they encounter stories connected to Marylanders who made sense of their world through their senses. The exhibition is designed as a hands-on, multi-generational learning environment with short, family-friendly interpretation, multiple entry points for different ages and abilities, and a non-linear path that invites exploration.

"WayFinders reflects the kind of history experience we want to create at MCHC, one that invites children and families to participate, ask questions, and see themselves in the story," said Katie Caljean, president and CEO of Maryland Center for History and Culture. "At a time when Maryland and the nation are reflecting on the 250th anniversary of American independence, this exhibition offers a meaningful way for visitors to connect with the people, ideas, and experiences that shaped our world and continue to shape it today."

An Exhibition Anchored in Curiosity and Discovery

At the center of the exhibition is a sculptural WayFinding Tree, an interactive anchor that connects visitors to the exhibition's core idea: that wayfinding is not only about maps and directions, but also about how people use their senses to navigate the world around them and lead others. Surrounding the tree are immersive stations and experiences inspired by featured historical figures, including Mary Katharine Goddard, Benjamin Banneker, Charles Willson Peale, and Mendes Cohen, as well as the Indigenous Peoples of Maryland, whose voices and knowledge ground the exhibition in Maryland's landscape and the enduring presence of Indigenous communities.

"WayFinders brings history to life through sensory, hands-on experiences that encourage visitors to explore with curiosity and intention," said Catherine Rogers Arthur, vice president of collections and chief curator for the Maryland Center for History and Culture. "By combining objects, environments, and interactive moments inspired by historical anchor figures, the exhibition gives children and families new ways to discover how people used observation, creativity, and tools to make sense of a changing world."

What Visitors Will See and Do

Visitors can begin their journey at a "WayFinder Toolkit" station, where they can pick up a sketchbook, magnifier, compass, stool, or a Find-It board before exploring the gallery. Inside, they can turn clock gears inspired by Benjamin Banneker, calculate cicada cycles, explore a tactile plan of Washington, D.C., smell the difference between a healthy and unhealthy beehive, set their names in type like Mary Katharine Goddard, fold a colonial letter, try a bucket elevator inspired by Charles Willson Peale's Exhumation of the Mastodon, create silhouette stories in a shadow play theater, and sketch the landscape like Mendes Cohen.

The exhibition also opens with Indigenous Peoples of the Chesapeake, which introduces visitors to the land, waterways, relationships, and knowledge systems that shaped this region long before Europeans established permanent settlements here. Developed with guidance from MCHC's Indigenous Advisory Panel, this section affirms that Indigenous peoples are the original WayFinders of the Chesapeake. It reinforces the continuity of Indigenous presence, culture, and knowledge in Maryland today.

A New Family Destination at MCHC

In addition to the exhibition itself, the broader WayFinder Wing introduces a new family-centered destination within MCHC, including updated visitor amenities and dedicated spaces for making, gathering, and learning. The first-floor renovation includes updated restrooms, a nursing room, a public lunchroom, a classroom makerspace, the T. Rowe Price Community Gallery, and a refreshed France Hall Auditorium, expanding MCHC's ability to serve children, families, educators, and community partners in more interactive and welcoming ways.

The opening of WayFinders also comes during the lead-up to America's 250th anniversary in 2026 and Maryland's statewide 250 commemoration. In that moment, the exhibition offers a family-centered way to connect Maryland history, place, and identity across generations.

Opening Week and Visitor Information

WayFinders: Making Sense of Our World opens to the public on Thursday, March 26, 2026, with a public opening day and ribbon-cutting at 12 p.m. MCHC will also host a WayFinder Weekend Workshop on Saturday, March 28, with additional hands-on experiences for children ages 5 and older and their families with free Museum admission between 1 and 4 pm. For the Weekend workshops, families should register to attend at www.mdhistory.org/calendar/wayfinder-family-workshop-weekend.

ABOUT THE MARYLAND CENTER FOR HISTORY AND CULTURE
The Maryland Center for History and Culture (MCHC) collects, preserves, and interprets the history, art, and culture of Maryland. Originally founded as the Maryland Historical Society in 1844, MCHC inspires critical thinking, creativity, and community through its Museum, Library, and education programs. The Museum is open Wednesday-Sunday, 10 am-5 pm. The H. Furlong Baldwin Library is open Wednesday-Friday and the second Saturday of each month. Learn more at mdhistory.org.

SOURCE The Maryland Center for History and Culture