Colorful mural of a landscape with mountains, ocean, pink flowers, green trees, and flying birds at sunrise or sunset.

Fort Gilbert

Construct your own sanctuary in our signature outdoor hideout! Fort Gilbert is a dedicated space where hands-on building meets creative relaxation. Using a unique system of canvas panels, clips, and oversized blocks, young engineers design custom outdoor retreats while developing spatial planning, structural problem-solving, and teamwork skills. 

Rig up walls, roofs, and tunnels by draping fabrics and securing connections with simple clips and fasteners. Test structural stability as you engineer hideaways that are both functional and comfortable. Climb to elevated wooden platforms to survey your creation from above, hang hammocks for lounging, or use oversized blocks to build towering fortress bases that provide the foundation for fabric construction. 

This exhibit offers a perfect balance between active building and peaceful retreat. Whether clipping up a new hideaway, masterminding an elaborate multi-room headquarters, or simply resting in a self-made sanctuary, Fort Gilbert teaches that building isn't just about the end result - it's about planning, testing, modifying, and creating a space that's entirely your own. 

    • Canvas & Clip System: Modular panels that allow children to rig up custom walls, roofs, and hideaways 

    • Hammock Platforms: Elevated, wooden decks designed for lounging and viewing the museum from a new perspective 

    • Oversized Blocks: Large-scale building materials perfect for constructing towering fortresses and structural bases 

    • Engineering: Designing and building structures that are both functional and stable using varied materials 

    • Math: Understanding scale, symmetry, and balance while stacking blocks and hanging canvas 

    • Tangible World: Balancing and connecting objects to create a private, usable space 

    • Creative: Designing a "canvas retreat" and masterminding the layout of a secret base 

    • Physical Abilities: Navigating between wooden platforms and using fine motor skills to secure clips 

    • Social: Collaborating with friends to build a shared clubhouse or fort 

Explore More 

This exhibit is located in Outdoor Discovery Area. Also explore: Discovery Campground | Tumble Land 

  • Child with brown hair lying in a beige fabric hammock hanging between wooden posts, looking at the camera with a curious expression.
  • Two young girls are smiling and sitting together on a light-colored outdoor swing or seat. The girl on the left has blonde hair and is wearing a purple t-shirt with a tiger graphic and colorful design, and star-patterned pants. The girl on the right has light brown hair, a plaid top, and white pants. They are outdoors with some wooden posts and gravel visible in the background.
  • Four young girls sitting and smiling in a hammock at an outdoor playground, with a wooden fence and trees in the background
  • A young boy with short curly hair wearing a blue t-shirt, sitting in a hammock, surrounded by wooden playground equipment.
  • A young boy in a red shirt building a structure with wooden triangle-shaped blocks on an orange wooden deck.
  • A young girl with brown hair and blue eyes leans over a purple and yellow playground barrier, looking pensively into the distance on a sunny day.
  • Two young boys, one leaning over a colorful playground barrier and the other standing at its base, engaging with each other at a playground.
  • A young girl with blonde hair sitting on a wooden surface outdoors, near a yellow toy truck, with plants and a railing in the background.