Portland Museum

Help make Portland Museum's AHOY Children's Museum a Boatload of Fun!

CHART A COURSE FOR ADVENTURE! The Portland Museum, a cornerstone of cultural heritage and education in Louisville’s West End, is quickly approaching the opening of its long-awaited, ambitious project: AHOY – Adventure House of You. Alongside our neighborhood community we broke ground on this innovative, interactive children’s museum last year, and we’ve since worked tirelessly alongside the experts at Louisville's own Weber Group to design and install a magical world within the walls of the historic Victorian mansion now christened the AHOY house.

The wonder of AHOY can’t be contained in one house alone though! Developing alongside the indoor exhibits is a fully-featured outdoor playground focused on the creative repurposing of interesting objects, the centerpiece of which being THE SHRIMPING BOAT! Originally built in 1949 this 50-foot vessel for decades traveled the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to fish the mighty Atlantic out of New Orleans, but always returned home to Louisville where for the last few years it has rested. Until now! Thanks to a generous donation from the original owning Vogt family and engineering work from Pace Contracting this storied ship was flown on a crane over the streets of Portland and permanently docked at AHOY. Now, with your help, we can transform this piece of maritime history into a playground for Louisville’s children of today!

YOUR GIFT CAN HELP US MAKE A PLAYGROUND FOR ALL!!

“The opportunity for children in west Louisville to have easy access to a creative space where they can dream and explore is vital,” says Kacie Chase, President of the Portland Museum board, “AHOY will not only provide this space but will also offer a new way for people across Louisville to connect with the rich history and vibrant future of the West End.” 

Our Executive Director Katy Delahanty has traveled the world as a proud member of the International Play Association and has assembled a globetrotting team of playground professionals with eyes set on AHOY! Transforming pre-existing objects like the shrimping boat into places for play isn’t only environmentally conscious but teaches children that adventure can be found anywhere. This is vital for those growing up in Louisville’s underprivileged West End, and AHOY will be a place they can be comfortable within and proud to share.

Louisville's FIRST Children's Museum: BY Kids FOR Kids!!

Originally conceived by AHOY Director Danny Seim as a place for his own children to play, AHOY has since expanded into a collaboration between Portland Museum, community leaders, other nonprofits like Squallis Puppeteers and the KY Science Center, design and play professionals, and most importantly: LOCAL KIDS! AHOY has been designed from the ground-up with the needs and wants of our community’s children in mind, with many key features drawn from direct suggestions and research done through creative programming. “We wanted AHOY to be a museum for children, by children,” Seim says. “Their ideas helped us create a place that is not only fun and educational but also deeply connected to the community it serves.”

Donate today and help us bring these dreams of children to life!

Creative partnerships spanning the globe are bringing AHOY to life! AHOY's groundbreaking ceremony!AHOY exhibition designs made in collaboration with Wolfgang & Hite