The Rabbit hOle announces membership pricing ahead of March 2024 opening

My Father’s Dragon written by Ruth Stiles Gannett and illustrated by Ruth Chrisman Gannett // Photo courtesy Rabbit hOle

Kansas City’s brand new children’s literature museum, Rabbit hOle, announces membership pricing ahead of its 2024 opening, and those memberships are available to the public today.

Co-founders Pete Cowdin and Debbie Pettid have spent 28 years in children’s literature as co-owners of The Reading Reptile in Westport. Now, they’re bringing the books they love to life. Rabbit hOle hosts a fully immersive visitor experience with interactive exhibits, a letterpress print shop, a writing lab, a resource library and reading room, and a full-service bookstore. They have secured the rights to depict over 70 classic titles, covering 100 years of children’s publishing. Visitors can explore these stories in a brand new way, including visiting David Shannon’s No, David!, Thacher Hurd’s Art Dog, and Esther Averill’s The Fire Cat.

The Rabbit hOle’s home in North Kansas City has been in the works since 2018. Cowdin and Pettid have taken this once 150,000 square foot warehouse and turned it into a piece of wonder and whimsey. Of the 150,000 square feet in the building, only 70,000-80,000 of it is currently active.

Cowdin and Pettid want this museum to grow continuously with no plans of ever fully being a completed project, similar to the City Museum in St. Louis.  They worked closely with authors like Kate DiCamillo, writer of The Tale of Despereaux and Because of Winn-Dixie, Brian Selznick, writer of The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Wonderstruck, and The Marvels, and Daniel Handler, writer of A Series of Unfortunate Events, Imaginary Comforts, and The Story of the Ghost of the Dead Rabbit as well as many others to help guide the creation of the Rabbit hOle as part of a national advisory board. Together, a 29-person staff of fabricators, carpenters, mental workers, and artists worked to create a museum that properly captures the essence of the stories it’s telling.

While Rabbit hOle focuses on children’s literature, the museum is meant for readers and non-readers of all ages.

“We want families to come with a very deeply intergenerational experience,” says Cowdin. “There’ll be 100 years of children’s books represented. We want to create more culture around children’s literature and bring families and kids and grandparents and schools and teachers into a place that celebrates literature in a way it’s never been celebrated on this scale.”

Their mission is to create a living culture around literature, accessible to all, that will nourish, empower, and inspire the reading lives of children and adults.

“Whether they like to read or not, they’re gonna come into the Rabbit hOle and have a great day and develop a new relationship with stories they didn’t have before.”

Individual memberships are $100 per year and include admission, bookstore discounts, exclusive member-only events, and discounted special exhibitions. Educators can expect to pay $150 a year, with added educator-only events and discounted teacher workshops. Family discounts start at $200 for a family of four and $500 for a family of eight.

Daily visit tickets are $16 a person, with children two and under free. The Rabbit hOle is part of Museums for All, a national IMLS  program that offers discounted admissions to qualifying families. The Museums for All Membership package will be available for $25 for a family of four or $3 admission per guest.

A list of exhibits will be released as soon as December 1. The Rabbit hOle will open its doors to the public March 12, 2024, and will host the Fox Rabbit Spectacular to celebrate the official opening with food, drinks and special guests. Memberships can now be purchased on their website. Follow The Rabbit hOle on Instagram and Twitter for updates.