On Tuesday I had the pleasure of getting a sneak peek at the renovations happening at the Museum of Natural History. Like a lot of you, I've been missing our visits to the museum since it closed for repairs in September. My son Alex has been too, and when he heard I was going he quickly instructed me to find out how Gus the tortoise was doing. And so I'm happy to report that Gus seems to be taking all the upheaval in his stride and, in fact, even has his own office right now (which he kindly shares with a couple of humans). Here he is enjoying life with his regular cheerful demeanor:

The museum will be reopening in June – yeah, I know it was supposed to be in January, and then in March, but they really seem to mean it this time! They've been busy cleaning out some nasty asbestos, overhauling the freight elevator, updating the lighting system – these are things that as visitors we won't necessarily notice, but are necessary for the museum. What visitors will notice right away will be things like higher ceilings, which in the future will allow for larger exhibits or parts of exhibits to be suspended from the ceiling, the original brick floor, fresh paint, more light, a new entrance and reception area – all which make for a nicer visitor experience.

Here's a look at what the museum is looking like now:

Definitely NOT child-friendly at the moment! And where did all the mushrooms go?

This is the back of the old museum shop. I remember it being very dark and gloomy. Apparently these lovely windows had been blocked up, but the plan is to keep the windows and enjoy the light and the view. Nice!

But the really good stuff? That's the promise of Netukulimk, a new permanent experiential exhibit focusing on forest ecology which plans to go beyond glass cases and stale displays. You'll be walking through a giant log, people. Experiencing and exploring this habitat. An enlarged bee hive will be brought into the forest of Netukulimk. And the snakes, frogs and other critters normally housed in glass cages in the Nature Centre? These guys will be finding a new home as part of the forest as well – though still in glass cages! Visitors will also get to watch more of the behind the scenes work that goes into caring for these critters, with a new work space for the naturalists that is open to the public for viewing.

Unfortunately, Netukulimk doesn't open until November, but the museum is planning on organizing the space so that visitors can watch the renovations and exhibit being put together. Opening in June though are two new temporary exhibits – Venom and a meteorite exhibition. The museum is also planning lots of fun events to start things off, and the changes that will be completed for June are just the start of a new beginning for the museum, with lots of changes planned over the coming years.

I have to admit to feeling a bit impatient. Closed for nine months and we still have to wait another five for the big reveal? But I trust that they aren't *actually* trying to piss us off, and I really have no understanding of how renovations of this scale work, so I'll stop my grumbling and enjoy the changes that will be ready for June, and try to wait patiently for the rest. And, of course, I'll welcome back Gus with open arms in June.