Need something to do with the kids this summer? Here’s a new option in Bluffton

Parents in the Bluffton area will soon have another option for summer fun with the opening of the second location of The Sandbox Children’s Museum.

The children’s museum is expected to open July 1 within Tanger 2 Outlets in a 4,500 square-foot space, according to a news release from the museum. It will be the second location for the museum after the first one opened on Pope Avenue on Hilton Head Island in 2005.

“We’re thrilled to welcome The Sandbox Children’s Museum,” Ashley Doepp, general manager for the outlets, said.

The Hilton Head location began as the vision of five local mothers who were looking for a place for children to play in an education setting, the release said. Now, The Sandbox and its outreach programs have served more than 350,000 children and families.

“We can’t wait to bring play and learning to even more children,” Nancy Fish, executive director, said.

The new location will serve children up to 12 years-= old and include science, technology, engineering, entrepreneurship, arts, making, math and music learning. Marketplace exhibits will also be inside along with dedicated space for toddlers and an art studio, the release said.

The space will be designed to reflect Lowcountry culture with a shrimp boat as the main play exhibit.

The Sandbox will have special introductory admission for the first month of $5 per person over the age of 1. Memberships will include both the Bluffton and Hilton Head locations.

The museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays from April through December and from noon to 7 p.m. on Sundays, Fish said. The museum plans to shorten its hours during January, February and March.