A new destination for families, educators and the Northwest Arkansas community will open this fall when the Scott Family Amazeum officially opens The Hangout on Saturday, November 7.
The grand opening, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., will mark the public debut of a major expansion of the Amazeum campus, introducing new spaces for dining and community gatherings, early childhood learning, and outdoor exploration. The Hangout includes Headwaters Café & Lounge, the River Rooms, The Overhang, the Early Learning Advancement Center and Imagine Outdoors.
“The Hangout is an investment in how our community learns and connects,” said Jennifer Martinez Belt, chief philanthropy officer of the Scott Family Amazeum. “For more than a decade, we’ve seen what can happen when people have the ability to wonder, explore and discover together. The Hangout gives our community more ways to do that, whether you’re two years old and discovering something for the first time, an educator exchanging ideas with colleagues, or a neighbor stopping in for coffee. This is about creating a place the community can truly make its own.”
Headwaters Café & Lounge: Headwaters Café & Lounge will be open to the public, creating a new place to start the morning with coffee, meet a friend for lunch, take a break along the Razorback Greenway or spend time before or after an Amazeum visit. Museum admission is not required to visit the café and lounge, making Headwaters an everyday gathering place for museum guests and the broader community.
River Rooms: Created in response to the community’s need for more accessible gathering spaces, the River Rooms offer flexible, rentable spaces for birthday parties, meetings, professional development, workshops and community events. With convenient access to parking and other amenities at The Hangout, the rooms provide organizations, businesses, educators and families with a creative setting for gatherings of all kinds.
The Overhang: The Overhang extends The Hangout outdoors with a covered gathering space where visitors can relax, eat and spend time outside. Located at a central point on the Amazeum campus, the space offers easy access for pedestrians and cyclists and creates a natural connection between the Amazeum, Razorback Greenway and surrounding community.
Early Learning Advancement Center: The Early Learning Advancement Center (ELAC) is a dedicated early learning space designed specifically for children ages 0 to 6 and the adults who learn alongside them. Recognizing that the earliest years of life build the foundation for future learning and development, the ELAC creates opportunities for young children to develop curiosity, confidence, creativity and problem-solving skills through hands-on, play-based learning.
The ELAC also includes the Discovery Studio, a dedicated space for deeper hands-on learning and exploration with young children, caregivers and educators. Through workshops, professional learning and collaborative experiences, the Discovery Studio supports the adults who shape children’s learning and provides opportunities to explore research-based approaches that foster curiosity, creativity and joyful learning.
Imagine Outdoors: Imagine Outdoors brings learning into the natural environment, inviting children and caregivers to build, explore, experiment and connect with nature. Through open-ended experiences designed to encourage curiosity and discovery, the new space gives families another way to learn together beyond the museum’s indoor exhibits.
The Hangout is part of the Amazeum’s Expanding Futures capital campaign, an initiative designed to increase access to hands-on learning experiences while creating new opportunities for community connection. Together, the new spaces expand how and where the Amazeum serves Northwest Arkansas, creating opportunities for learning that reach from a child’s earliest years to families, educators and the broader community.
The Hangout will celebrate its grand opening Saturday, November 7, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Support for the project comes from The Scott Family, Walmart Spark for Good and the Walker Family Foundation. For more information about The Hangout and the Expanding Futures campaign, visit amazeum.org.
About the Scott Family Amazeum
The Scott Family Amazeum is an interactive museum dedicated to igniting curiosity and inspiring creativity through hands-on learning experiences that integrate science, technology, engineering, art and math. Designed for families and learners of all ages, the Amazeum features 50,000 square feet of engaging exhibits, including the 3M Tinkering Hub, Walmart Market, Lift, Load and Haul, Water Amazements and rotating traveling exhibits, along with outdoor spaces that invite open-ended exploration.
Welcoming more than 250,000 guests each year, the Amazeum operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supported by its members, donors and community partners who share a passion for making and learning through play.
