The kids run the ship at this interactive Miami Children’s Museum exhibit

Visiting the Miami Children’s Museum recently felt a little like a trip to Hawaii. That’s because visitors were decked out in leis that were handed out during the unveiling of the newly renovated Carnival Cruise Line Upper Deck Exhibit.

Miami Children’s Museum CEO and Executive Director Deborah Spiegelman and Tracy Mourning, founder of the Honeyshine Mentoring Program for girls and Godmother to the Carnival Breeze, presided over the ceremony. Girls from the Honeyshine program also participated in the festivities, standing front and center as they were recognized by Mourning.

After popping champagne bottles full of confetti, the exhibit area was officially opened. Guests passed under a few blow up limbo sticks as the steel drums welcomed everyone into the renovated exhibit. Modeled after a Carnival ship, the permanent exhibition is now equipped with several new interactive areas.

Kids can experience what it’s like to navigate a ship at the Navigational Control Station or build a ship from Lego blocks at the Lego table. A Destination Wall lets kids stand in front of a cut out that’s part of a map showcasing Carnival’s various destination ports.

At the 32-foot I-Wall, visitors use a sliding mechanism over a blueprint diagram of the Carnival Vista to zoom in on particular area of the ship. A full color picture is displayed, teaching about that particular area. They can learn about the bridge, radar dome, thrusters, crew area, SkyRide and IMAX Theatre, to name a few.

BONUS: Because of Carnival Cruise Line’s partnership with Dr. Seuss, there’s also Dr. Seuss Bookville with a reading wall including some of the author’s most popular titles and cozy seating area. Kids can sit and read their favorite stories or discover new ones.

The Miami Children’s Museum is at 980 MacArthur Cswy., Miami. https://www.miamichildrensmuseum.org/

This story was originally published July 19, 2017 at 6:07 AM.