Four of downtown Tucson's museums are teaming up the last Friday of each summer month, with three extending their hours for a special evening of art, history and culture.

The Downtown Experience brings together four local museums for special summer programming, including after-hours activities, exhibits and cultural experiences. Participating museums include Children's Museum Tucson, Presidio San Agustin del Tucson Museum, Tucson Museum of Art and the Tucson Jewish Museum and Holocaust Center.

Three of the four museums will extend their hours for each event, while the Tucson Jewish Museum and Holocaust Center will welcome visitors during its regular Wednesday through Sunday hours of 1 to 5 p.m.

The series aims to bring the community together to celebrate the area's largest museums and enjoy a night out on the town.

Downtown Tucson Partnership President and CEO Crystal Moore said the vision for the experience is "embracing the community with a collaboration in the arts and history and engaging people downtown in a way (they) wouldn't normally do."

Moore said the hope is that people will take the opportunity to visit each museum and finish off their night with dinner at one of downtown's many restaurants.

The experience is a partnership between the Downtown Tucson Partnership and museum owners, who had already been interested in hosting a summer event series.

"The partnership was very organic and quickly gained momentum," Moore said.

The series kicked off June 26, with Moore saying the first showcase set the tone for the rest of the summer events. Tucson Museum of Art rolled out Momentos, a celebration of the intersection of art and community, and visitors to Children's Museum Tucson were treated to a family-friendly Bubble Bash.

Over at the Presidio San Agustin Museum, attendees were treated to a Fire and Ice Night, which included docent-led lantern tours, blacksmithing demonstrations with Xerocraft and special themed events from the adjacent Brandylion Tea and Spirits.

Moore said the Downtown Tucson Partnership has already begun working on a Downtown Experience for the fall, which would include even more area museums.

"I think that it could become seasonal," she said.

Moore hopes the experience will bring together community members to enjoy the museums while building momentum for an even larger partnership in the future.

One of Moore's favorite downtown museums is Children's Museum Tucson, where she loves to bring her own grandchild. She said she believes it's entertaining for visitors of all ages, not just children.

"I love seeing adults become children again and children getting excited," she said.

Moore and her colleagues at the Downtown Tucson Partnership are excited to see the outcome of the first Downtown Experience, as well as those still to come. She hopes the community will take advantage of the cooler evening weather and explore creativity and history while enjoying a night out.

Remaining Downtown Experience dates include July 31 and Aug. 28, with Momentos and Fire and Ice Night returning for both dates.

Children's Museum Tucson's July 31 theme is "splash," with water play in the courtyard, reusable water balloons, sprinkler games and an ice pop station. Aug. 28's "slime smash" invites attendees to play with all things smashable and slimy, from oobleck to dough to good old-fashioned slime.

Zaida Josephene-White  is a Sahuaro High School student and Tucson Spotlight intern.

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