A Dr. Seuss Museum Is Coming!

Dr. Seuss's Oh the Places You'll Go may have inspired us all about the possibility of traveling through a landscape of shifting geometric figures. But not even he probably imagined that people would one day travel to the Northeast U.S. for a Dr. Seuss museum in Springfield, Massachusetts. It's true, though! Such a place will soon be opening in Dr. Seuss' hometown, and we all need to hop in our skeegle-mobiles and get there as soon as it opens.

Dr. Seuss, the pseudonym of Theodor Geisel, is a still a household name 14 years after his death, and the Dr. Seuss books continue to be classics. There's just something timeless about his stories: from the messages in Dr. Seuss books, to his stories like How the Grinch Stole Christmas or The Lorax, we always had fun with his titles. And now children and adults will be able to experience his work in a whole new way by paying a visit to the museum, The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss, which is scheduled to open in June of 2016.

According to Kay Simpson, vice president of Springfield Museums, which oversees five museums in the area, The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss will not only feature information about Theodor Geisel's life and work, but will also focus on literacy for visitors of various ages, which is a major issue for Springfield where only 37 percent of third graders scored "proficient" or higher on 2014 reading assessments, will below the Massachusetts average. The museum, which is bilingual and interactive, hopes to fight that trend.

As Simpson told the Boston Globe, encouraging kids to read for fun can greatly improve reading scores, and she believes that promoting Dr. Seuss books is an ideal way to do that. “We want to introduce people to him,” she said. “Ted was all about getting kids excited for reading.”

Springfield is already home to the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden, which was such a success it inspired the town to create a museum to honor the late, great author. The main exhibit space will feature sections like "Dr. Seuss's Neighborhood" and "Readingville" and will play host to numerous children's literacy activities and include three dimensional recreations of scenes from his books. The second floor, which is set to open in 2017, will recreate Geisel's workspace down to the paintings on the walls.

In other words, if you live anywhere near Springfield, Massachusetts, you should go visit this museum. Because it sounds awesome.