Omaha’s Kiewit Luminarium officially opens

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - The wait is finally over as the next big thing in downtown Omaha is officially open: The Kiewit Luminarium.

It’s a project that’s been in the works for years and now it’s finally filled with curious minds.

“We want to introduce our kids to as much science as we can,” says Greg Graham who visited the new museum.

Graham and his family were some of the first to explore the shiny new interactive facility on Saturday. They say they’ve already purchased their membership pass and plan to come back often.

“We’re really, really interested in our kids learning science and we can read them books, we can show them pictures of things, but to be able to have them explore on their own and learn things that we try to teach them hands-on is super cool,” says Beth Graham.

Officials involved in the multi-million dollar Luminarium say it’s been a labor of love, but it’s been well worth it.

“We don’t have oceans. We don’t have mountains. But, we have the Luminarium,” said founder Bruce Grewcock at Saturday’s grand opening, alongside the Luminarium CEO, the Board of Directors and Mayor Jean Stothert.

“The Luminarium, it’s a place for big thinking,” Stothert says. “It’s a place for what-if ideas, for learners, teachers, the curious the creative, and the inspired.”

Stothert says the Luminarium is yet another attraction that puts Omaha on the map and is one puzzle piece that makes up the vision of the RiverFront and the city as a whole.

“Downtown Omaha is growing into a place of innovation, education, entertainment, and entrepreneurship,” she says. “The momentum we have right now is unbelievable and undeniable. This type of progress requires initiative, experience, and commitment to our community. We’ve come a long, long way in the last 30 years, and it’s a great time to be downtown. But now, it’s time to open new doors to STEM careers and to discover and explore and be amazed.”

The science museum is a place that community members, like the Graham family, have been waiting for.

“We had been talking about how this sort of thing is kind of a void in a city of this size,” Greg tells 6 News. “It’s pretty cool so far. The fact that the first thing we were told is you can’t break anything, let the kids go touch, let the kids go learn, it was good.”

The Luminarium is open Saturday until 6 p.m. It will open again on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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