![A LOOK INTO THE FUTURE — Mark Florant, a member of the Board of Directors, welcomes visitors into the Palo Alto History Museum during its preview on May 3. The museum is set to open in 2026. “They [visitors] can come in here and take a peek,” said Steven Staiger, the town historian. “I think they've been impressed with how beautiful the building is, and get an idea of what the exhibits could be."](https://verdemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/photo5-1200x800.jpg)
The Palo Alto History Museum staff is excited to open its doors in the spring of 2026 after a successful sneak peek on May 3 following the May Fete Parade.
According to Steve Staiger, Palo Alto’s town historian, more improvements must be made before the museum’s opening.
“We need to hire an executive director,” Staiger said. “I have ideas of what the topic should be, but I’m not skilled enough to take that idea and visually show it to the public, so we also need to hire that person.”
After the parade, the museum exhibited May Fete Parade displays spanning the decades, along with models of old airplanes.
Dana Tom, a visitor at the museum, said he heard about the preview while walking through Heritage Park.
“It [the preview] is a chance for me and other people to learn about our local history,” Tom said.
Another aspect of the museum’s opening process is having the community give recommendations about what they want to see.
“High school students and faculty are welcome to join in and play their part,” Staiger said. “We would want someone of your age and experience as a Palo Alto resident to advise us on what excites high school students.”