Last week a long-awaited new museum opened in Washington, D.C. that will be a must-see destination for readers and language lovers. Planet Word is promoted as “a revolutionary museum dedicated to the power, beauty, and fun of language and to showing how words shape the human experience.”

 The  museum’s press release notes, “Planet Word will be the world’s first voice-activated museum, featuring immersive galleries and exhibits that will engage visitors of all ages in experiencing words and language from a wide range of perspectives.” Planet Word is housed at DC’s historic Franklin School building, which has been rehabilitated and beautifully restored. Thanks to efforts led by Planet Word’s CEO and founder Ann B. Friedman, general admission will be free.

You can check-out what to expect from the museum’s interactive exhibits here. They include “Where Do Words Come From?,” a 22-foot-tall talking word wall that shares the story of the English language, “Word Worlds,” which allows visitors to transform a room with color, sound, and motion by painting with words, and “Words Matter,” where visitors can record and listen to stories about how the power of words has shaped their lives.

I usually visit DC at least once a year, so I look forward to seeing Planet Word when the world returns to normal. Until then, I’ll be following the museum’s progress on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) .