Posted: July 13, 2026 1:17 pm
by Marisa Tracey, Visitor Services Director and Children’s Museum Coordinator
The Johnstown Children’s Museum is such a fun and exciting place! There’s food to shop for and cook, blocks to build with, a big slide to go down, and water to play in! Even better, The Johnstown Children’s Museum is a hidden gem in Johnstown and doesn’t get too crazy crowded, even on its busiest days. But what happens when it is a busy day and now those block towers are crashing to the ground, there are excited yells down the slide, the cashier is calling for a price check, and the dam is failing and splashing you? All the fun and excitement may now seem a little too exciting…even overstimulating. You want to keep having a good time, but you need a quiet place to collect your thoughts.
Enter…Calm Down Cove! Calm Down Cove is located in the secondary stairway landing, right off The Johnstown Children’s Museum.
Why is The Calm Down Cove important? A space like this gives people the opportunity to step away for a minute, collect their thoughts, and identify their emotions. What are you feeling? Why are you feeling it? How can you help yourself regulate and come back to center? The Cove is that quiet place away from the main floor and offers fidgets, sensory opportunities, breathing exercises, activities, and books—hopefully we have all the tools you need to feel more like you again.
As the space is in a stairwell, we ask that all children be accompanied by an adult. There is also a sign in sheet by the doorway to ensure that each family can have a private experience!
This is the first step into incorporating more sensory tools throughout the children’s museum. You can also look forward to the implementation of different tools to make leaving the museum for the day a little bit easier—we know that it’s difficult to transition away from having a blast!
Have an idea for The Cove? Email Mtracey@heritagejohnstown.org
Would you like to see something specific in The Cove and would like to contribute? We have some ideas on The Johnstown Children’s Museum’s wishlist!
