Pretend Vet Clinic and Fire Station Updates Coming to
Our World

Fall is here and with it comes some exciting updates to the Our World gallery. Here’s a brief overview of what’s coming soon to the popular pretend town.

Goodbye Hardware Store, Hello Vet Clinic

The hardware store is shutting its doors to make space for a vet clinic and pet grooming parlor. Visitors will take on multiple roles, taking care of their animal as a pet owner, providing care as a veterinarian, or working onsite as clinic employee or retail worker.

The experiences will provide an opportunity for children to build and practice empathy, caretaking and communication skills.

Building Entrance

Before entering the vet clinic, visitors will walk through a new building façade inspired by the look and feel of a historic St. Paul storefront.

Intake Desk

Upon entering the vet clinic, visitors will check in for their pet’s appointment at the intake desk, or work at the desk as a clinic employee, helping people prepare for their appointments. Visitors can fill out a patient care chart or an after-care card, identifying any special care or instructions for their pet once they return home.

Animal Crates

The large stack of colorful, variously shaped animal enclosures will be hard to miss! As they wait for their appointment, visitors can make their pet’s wait more comfortable by using one of the crates. What other animals are waiting in the stack of crates? There’s even a kid-sized crate at floor level for young visitors to play in.

Exam Area   

For animals in need of a checkup, the exam area is where visitors can provide medical care using play equipment. Animal patients can be examined and treated at an exam table using an X-ray machine, thermometer, microscope and other diagnostic tools to analyze an animal’s health.

Grooming Station  

Using a spray nozzle, dryer and clipper, visitors can pretend to bathe, dry, trim and brush the animals. No grooming job is complete without a bow or handkerchief accessory to top off a pet’s fresh look!

Retail Area  

The opposite corner of the clinic features a display of pet supplies where visitors can shop for pet care products such as food, toys and accessories. Or, they can work at the cash register, selling items to customers.

The Fire Station Gets a Face Lift

Fire Station

Don’t worry, the fire station and fire truck are staying right where they are. However, the station will soon be reconstructed to highlight the training that firefighters do to work together effectively as a team. Visitors will challenge their fitness with stairs and a fire pole, test and hone their aim in a target training game and get a hands-on feel for how heavy a firefighter’s gear really is.

Construction on these updates in Our World has begun. This means that portions of the gallery may be closed at times as our team installs the new experiences. Disruptions will be minimal and the rest of the gallery will remain open for play.