Construction crews hoist and install a model tugboat Sept. 27 into the expansion of the Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Construction crews hoist and install a model tugboat Sept. 27 into the expansion of the Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Tugboat docks at its final home: Imagine Children’s Museum

The model ship is part of a new exhibit about the maritime industry and the Port of Everett.

EVERETT — By spring, kids at Imagine Children’s Museum can take the helm of a tugboat, play with balance, capacity and weight on model cargo ships, and admire a mural of Everett’s seaport.

All of that is planned for a new exhibit called “Export, Import, Our Port” in the $25 million, three-floor expansion under construction on Hoyt Avenue just south of Wall Street. Crews hoisted the centerpiece 20-foot, 2-ton tugboat shell into place last week.

“What we thought was important for children was to understand some of the vessels that we all see out in the Sound here,” museum executive director Nancy Johnson said.

There’s a dichotomy between the expansion’s two floors. The first, featuring a woodland exhibit, is about wonderment of the natural world in Snohomish County. A gray whale skeleton will be displayed on the second floor. It has engineering, distribution, port and maker space galleries that examine humanity’s ability to shape the world.

Highlighting the maritime industry makes sense in a city with a seaport that processes between $21 billion and $30 billion in exports annually. One wall will have a mural of the Port of Everett’s working facilities, including cranes and some types of ships that move cargo.

“Seaports touch everything — 99% of the goods that come into the country travel by sea,” port spokesperson Cat Soper said. “It’s no doubt seaports play a critical role in everybody’s daily life.”

The Port of Everett committed $100,000 toward the expansion, specifically for the port exhibit. Images and information about careers, cargo and vessels also were shared for the museum to glean for displays.

A model tugboat exhibit is hoisted Sept. 27 into the expansion of the Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

A model tugboat exhibit is hoisted Sept. 27 into the expansion of the Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

There already are school classroom programs organized through the museum, and supporting a room dedicated to what the port does is well worth the money, Soper said.

“This is career-connected learning,” Soper said. “They are learning about something for their future.”

Mukilteo-based Edge Concrete built the tugboat. The company also made the “dino dig” and treehouse on the rooftop of the main museum.

Once the expansion opens, the welded-steel tugboat will be an interactive and wheelchair-accessible feature. At the helm, the console lets users learn about and try their hands at navigation, speak with crew in the engine room, hear noises from working tugs and see footage from the perspective of being in a real pilothouse.

“What you see up there is a good portion of the boat, but there’s still a portion yet to be put on,” Johnson said. “We build these iconic pieces for a lifetime.”

Before the coronavirus pandemic, Imagine Children’s Museum saw around 230,000 visitors per year. Those numbers plummeted during the closure throughout the pandemic, with the museum cautiously reopening its doors in June.

Museum staff offered online programs and take-home kits while forging ahead with expansion and fundraising. Johnson said the museum has reached just over $17 million of a $25 million target.

“We believe we will continue to see individuals and businesses and foundations step forward because of the tremendous value this is bringing to our community,” Johnson said.

Reservations are required due to public health concerns related to COVID-19. The museum is open Wednesdays through Sundays.

Ben Watanabe: bwatanabe@heraldnet.com; 425-339-3037; Twitter @benwatanabe.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Police Cmdr. Scott King answers questions about the Flock Safety license plate camera system on Thursday, June 5, 2025 in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mountlake Terrace approves Flock camera system after public pushback

The council approved the $54,000 license plate camera system agreement by a vote of 5-2.

Cascadia College Earth and Environmental Sciences Professor Midori Sakura looks in the surrounding trees for wildlife at the North Creek Wetlands on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Cascadia College ecology students teach about the importance of wetlands

To wrap up the term, students took family and friends on a guided tour of the North Creek wetlands.

Community members gather for the dedication of the Oso Landslide Memorial following the ten-year remembrance of the slide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
The Daily Herald garners 6 awards from regional journalism competition

The awards recognize the best in journalism from media outlets across Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

Edmonds Mayor Mike Rosen goes through an informational slideshow about the current budget situation in Edmonds during a roundtable event at the Edmonds Waterfront Center on Monday, April 7, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds mayor recommends $19M levy lid lift for November

The city’s biennial budget assumed a $6 million levy lid lift. The final levy amount is up to the City Council.

A firefighting helicopter carries a bucket of water from a nearby river to the Bolt Creek Fire on Saturday, Sep. 10, 2022, on U.S. 2 near Index, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Snohomish County property owners can prepare for wildfire season

Clean your roofs, gutters and flammable material while completing a 5-foot-buffer around your house.

(City of Everett)
Everett’s possible new stadium has a possible price tag

City staff said a stadium could be built for $82 million, lower than previous estimates. Bonds and private investment would pay for most of it.

Jennifer Humelo, right, hugs Art Cass outside of Full Life Care Snohomish County on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘I’ll lose everything’: Snohomish County’s only adult day health center to close

Full Life Care in Everett, which supports adults with disabilities, will shut its doors July 19 due to state funding challenges.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Lake Stevens in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Judge rules in favor of sewer district in Lake Stevens dispute

The city cannot assume the district earlier than agreed to in 2005, a Snohomish County Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday.

Herald staff photo by Michael O'Leary 070807
DREAMLINER - The first Boeing 787 is swarmed by the crowd attending the roll out of the plane in on July 8, 2007 at the Boeing assembly facility in Everett.
Plane in Air India crash tragedy was built in Everett

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner in the crash that killed more than 200 people was shipped from Everett to Air India in 2014.

Photo courtesy of Kristi Nebel
Folk duo Steve and Kristi Nebel will be among the musical acts performing at the Edmonds Arts Festival, which takes place Friday through Sunday.
Photo courtesy of Kristi Nebel
Folk duo Steve and Kristi Nebel will be among the musical acts performing at the Edmonds Arts Festival, which takes place Friday through Sunday.
Coming events in Snohomish County

Send calendar submissions for print and online to features@heraldnet.com. To ensure your… Continue reading

Everett council approves another $4.8M in stadium spending

The money will pay for more detailed design work and initial costs related to acquiring the land needed to build the project.

The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction faces a lawsuit from a former employee alleging wrongful termination. (Photo by Bill Lucia/Washington State Standard)
Ex-Washington state worker claims she was fired over school board vote on trans athletes

Darby Kaikkonen has sued the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and Superintendent Chris Reykdal, alleging retaliation and wrongful termination.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.