Welcome, Everyone

Accessibility

Harbor House is for every child. Every body, every sense, every pace of play — here is exactly what to expect, at the museum and on this website, so you can plan with confidence.

At the museum

Step-free throughout: step-free entrance and elevator to all floors — no route in Harbor House requires stairs.
Wheelchair-accessible exhibits: wheelchair-accessible exhibits throughout, with play at seated and standing heights in every world.
Sensory support at the door: sensory kits and noise-reducing headphones at the welcome desk (sample) — just ask, no explanation needed.
A quiet room: a calm, low-light quiet room on the second floor, open to any family, any time, for as long as you need it.
Easy arrivals: accessible parking and drop-off at the Harbor Lane entrance, closest to the step-free doors.
Service animals welcome: service animals are welcome in every world, everywhere in the museum.
Nursing room: a private nursing room near Ocean Explorers, with rocking chairs, dimmable light and room for siblings to sit.
Restrooms: restrooms are on the ground floor beside the welcome desk, and on the second floor next to the quiet room, with family restrooms on both floors.
Changing facilities: accessible changing facilities on both floors, including a larger family changing space near the welcome desk — and every restroom has a baby changing table (sample).
Strollers welcome: strollers are welcome everywhere, with stroller parking at the welcome desk, and a few strollers to borrow free at the welcome desk (sample). Everything is step-free, with an elevator to all floors.
Allergy-aware café: the Harbor Café keeps an ingredient list for every item, keeps nut items separate, and the terrace welcomes packed lunches — ask the café crew about any allergy.

Sample facilities — demonstration website. A real museum would publish its verified access details here.

Sensory guide, world by world

Every world feels different. These levels — Low, Moderate and High — help you choose where to start, where to recharge, and what to save for a high-energy moment.

Dino Discovery

Roars and dig-site buzz at the big encounter, every 20 minutes — a gentler, quieter version is available on request.

Sound High

Light Moderate

Movement High

Crowds High

Mission Space

Launch rumble is volume-controlled, with a watch-from-outside option; gentle motion and bench seating in a dim starfield.

Sound Moderate

Light Moderate

Movement Moderate

Crowds Moderate

Ocean Explorers

Our calmest world — dim, gentle and slow-paced, and ideal for sensory breaks. Willa the Whale passes every 15 minutes.

Sound Low

Light Low

Movement Low

Crowds Low

Imagination Factory

A happy workshop buzz and creation dance music, in the museum’s brightest colors. Creations are saved on-device only.

Sound Moderate

Light High

Movement Moderate

Crowds Moderate

Adventure Island

Climbing and ship play for big energy. The secret cave is exciting, never scary — and a shortcut path skips it entirely. Little ones are welcome too — they can meet Captain Coral on the beach while bigger explorers hunt.

Sound Moderate

Light Moderate

Movement High

Crowds High

Little Builders City

Toddler friendly: giant soft blocks and low platforms. Listen for the city bell at build celebrations.

Sound Moderate

Light Moderate

Movement Moderate

Crowds Moderate

Calm times to visit

🌅 Sensory-Friendly Morning

First Sunday monthly, 9–10 AM (sample) — lower lights and sound, fewer guests, extra quiet spaces, and a crew briefed to take everything at your family’s pace. See Events for the next date.

🐋 A calm space, any time

Need quiet in the middle of a busy visit? Head for Ocean Explorers — our anytime calm space — or the second-floor quiet room. Early weekday openings are usually the museum’s quietest hours.

On this website

The welcome should start before you arrive. This site is built to be usable by everyone, too:

Calm mode: a Calm mode preference you can switch on across the site. It is saved on your device and quiets animation and busy effects, so pages change gently instead of whizzing.
Reduced-motion support: if your device asks for reduced motion, this site listens — transitions and moving scenes settle down automatically.
Keyboard navigation: every page, menu and activity can be reached and used with a keyboard alone, with a clearly visible focus outline and a skip-to-content link.
Text alternatives: images and scenes carry text descriptions, and the museum map offers a fully accessible list navigation alongside the picture map — every world is reachable from the list.
Big touch targets: buttons and links are sized for small hands and big thumbs alike — nothing important hides behind a tiny tap.
No autoplay sound, anywhere: nothing on this site makes a noise until you ask it to. Ever.

🧪 Honest demo note: Harbor House is a demonstration website, so this page describes the accessibility this site is built and tested to provide, alongside sample museum facilities. Found something on this site that does not work with your technology? That is exactly what the contact page is for — please tell us.

Tell us what you need

Every family’s needs are different, and the list above cannot cover them all. If there is something that would make a visit — or this website — work better for your child, ask us before you come and we will do our very best.