Port Discovery Children's Museum is saying goodbye to the Egyptian tomb that greeted visitors since its 1998 opening day and replacing it with something distinctly Baltimore: an exhibit called B'More You that will transform more than 4,500 square feet in the historic Inner Harbor building when it opens in summer 2027.
The museum announced plans for the new exhibit this week, according to I95 Business, describing it as an indoor urban oasis inspired by the energy, creativity, and connection found in Baltimore's neighborhoods. The space will begin with a park area where families can pause before diving into a Baltimore-inspired rowhome designed for children to explore, collaborate, take on challenges, and discover things about themselves and others, per the same report. Port Discovery President and CEO Carter Polakoff called it an exciting next chapter for the museum, saying it will create a joyful, surprising, unmistakably Baltimore space where children can play, explore, and build confidence, perseverance, and kindness.
Retiring a Disney-Designed Original
B'More You will replace Adventure Expeditions, the interactive Egyptian tomb exploration exhibit that was co-developed with Walt Disney Imagineering and has been part of Port Discovery since the museum first opened, according to Port Discovery Children's Museum. The exhibit closed permanently on September 7, 2026, after 28 years, and before it shut its doors for good, the museum hosted a 21-and-up farewell event called The Final Expedition on August 28, letting nostalgic grown-ups wander the tomb space after hours, as noted by Visit Baltimore.
Port Discovery staff and designers reviewed Adventure Expeditions to identify elements worth preserving, repurposing, or reimagining as they moved forward, per the I95 Business report. Hope Myers, the museum's vice president of exhibits and facilities, said the goal is to honor the old exhibit's history while creating something that reflects current understanding of play and children's development. The museum says it aims to carry forward Adventure Expeditions' spirit of exploration into an experience designed for a new generation.
Character-Building Through Play
B'More You is funded by grants from Lilly Endowment Inc. and the State of Maryland, the museum confirmed. That tracks with a $2.5 million grant Port Discovery received from Lilly Endowment in April 2025 through the Association of Children's Museums' national Fostering Character Through Children's Museums initiative, which supports 23 institutions nationwide, according to Baltimore Fishbowl.
The new exhibit leans on Port Discovery's At Play Learning approach, which recognizes play as one of the most powerful ways children learn, per I95 Business. Through problem-solving, teamwork, trying again, and expressing ideas, B'More You is meant to give kids chances to practice curiosity, kindness, and persistence. More broadly, the museum says its At Play Learning framework supports development of problem-solving, communication, resilience, collaboration, and confidence through meaningful play.
Part of a Larger Overhaul
The project is being built within Port Discovery's master infrastructure renewal plan, which is steering the museum toward becoming a next-generation learning hub for children, families, and educators across Maryland, the announcement states. CambridgeSeven, the architecture firm partnering with Port Discovery on the design, has a long history on the city's waterfront, having designed the nearby National Aquarium in 1981 along with previous expansion projects at the museum itself, according to CambridgeSeven.
Port Discovery occupies the historic 80,000-square-foot Wholesale Fish Market building downtown, a 1906 structure designed by architects Simonson & Pietsch after the Great Baltimore Fire, per Wikipedia. The museum receives more than 265,000 visitors annually, and more than half of its field trip students come from Title I schools.
B'More You isn't the only recent addition to the renewal plan. In October 2025, the museum opened Galactic Builders, a space STEM zone, and Skies, a low-key sensory space, as part of the same five-year expansion strategy, according to Baltimore's Child. The museum also features The Charm Mart.
A Local Institution's Long Arc
Port Discovery traces its roots back to 1976, when it opened as the Cloisters Children's Museum at a historic estate in Lutherville, and later merged with the Maryland Children's Museum in 1990. In 2019, the museum completed a $10.5 million overhaul that introduced the four-story SkyClimber climbing structure and the S.S. Friend Ship cargo ship replica. The museum describes itself as Maryland's leading children's museum, combining immersive exhibits, community partnerships, and professional learning to help kids build confidence and discover new possibilities.
