Indiana State Museum is about to unveil the first part of its ambitious expansion plan ahead of the institution's 150th anniversary in 2019.

A multi-year project valued at US$17.8m (€16.2m, £14.5m), the museum and its 11 historic sites around the state are being redeveloped to offer world-class facilities.

The first phase of development will be opened to the public on 3 November when the museum unveils its three newly-renovated galleries focusing on science, culture and history.

In the updated Natural Regions, Contested Territory and 19th State galleries, visitors to the museum will be able to crawl into a black bear’s cave, hear the sounds of pre-contact Indiana, pack their own covered wagon and hear Little Turtle’s speech at the signing of the Treaty of Greenville, among a host of other exhibitions and features.

In addition to the museum’s development, the historic Levi Coffin House in Fountain City, will open a US$3.8m (€3.5m, £3.1m), 5,200sq ft (483sq m) interpretive center on 10 Dec. In addition, the museum is planning to invest a further US$4m (€3.6m, £3.2m) on the other 10 historic sites it manages across the state.

Phase two construction at the museum will begin the first quarter of 2017 and will include renovations of the museum’s Ice Age and Prehistoric Native Americans galleries, as well as the Naturalist Lab.

The third phase of development includes galleries that cover cultural history from 1840-1930 on and the Ancient Seas, with both scheduled to close in Q1 2018 and reopen to the public in the Q3 of the same year.

Phase four includes the museum’s What Shapes Us gallery, which will reopen to the public in the Q1 2019.

The final phase of development covers the cultural history galleries from 1930, which after a full renovation will reopen in Q3 2019 in time for the museum’s 150th anniversary.

“Because of all the changes in technology, we are changing the way we tell Indiana’s stories,” said Tom King, Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites president and CEO. “We are boldly transforming our galleries to change how visitors experience Indiana’s history. We’re creating more immersive, interactive exhibitions, as well as creating spaces that can be changed on a regular basis so that visitors will have something new to enjoy each time they visit.”

The developments are being funded by a combination of state funding, grants and private donations. The majority of capital funding for the project has already been raised.