MILWAUKEE — Several Milwaukee museums on Thursday jointly announced they will reopen to the public in March following COVID-19 closures.

The Milwaukee Art Museum, Discovery World, the Harley-Davidson Museum, and the Milwaukee Public Museum will reopen with safety protocols in place, approved by health officials with the City of Milwaukee. Protocols include robust cleaning procedures, hand sanitizing stations, and online ticketing to ensure social distancing and limiting of capacity levels. Staff and visitors will be required to wear face coverings at all times.

“Throughout this pandemic, the Milwaukee Art Museum has learned a great deal from other museums about how to reopen and safely welcome guests,” said Marcelle Polednik, PhD, Donna and Donald Baumgartner Director, Milwaukee Art Museum. “This collaboration, more than at any other time, has been invaluable. Our coordinated reopening is one more way we can support each other and reflect the importance of Milwaukee’s cultural organizations in the community.”

Admission to the Milwaukee Art Museum will be free for all on March 5, thanks to Educators Credit Union. The Museum will be open Fridays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with galleries on the main and lower levels accessible to the public.

“We’re thrilled to have visitors back inside Discovery World and to offer our community the opportunity to once again explore Milwaukee’s amazing cultural institutions,” said Bryan Wunar, Discovery World President & CEO. “It’s time to open our doors so that we can continue fulfilling our missions of connecting families with fun and educational learning experiences.” 

Beginning March 27, Discovery World will be open Wednesdays through Sundays, from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The noon to 1 p.m. time slot will be reserved for deep cleaning. 

“Milwaukee is a city of museums, with visitors filling our galleries from all over Wisconsin, the U.S., and even the world,” said Dr. Ellen Censky, CEO & President, Milwaukee Public Museum. “Though we've all made successful forays into the virtual realm, being onsite is something that has been greatly missed. We’re extremely excited that we can partner together and reopen to give the community a variety of experiences to share safely in-person again.”

Starting March 4, the Milwaukee Public Museum will be open Thursdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with special Community of Curiosity programming on dinosaurs that can be accessed virtually before, during, or after your visit. 

“Our team has been eager to welcome our friends and neighbors – safely – back to our campus,” said Bill Davidson, Vice President of the Harley-Davidson Museum. “With robust health and safety plans in place, we’re confident our guests can comfortably enjoy a visit to our new exhibit, “Off-Road Harley-Davidson,” a bite at MOTOR® Bar & Restaurant or a visit to The Shop. Together, with our partners across the city, we have been diligently working to make sure we do our part to keep Milwaukee moving in the right direction.”

The Harley-Davidson Museum, including Motor Bar & Restaurant and The Shop, will be open Fridays through Sundays starting March 5. The museum and shop will be open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.