PITTSBURGH — Mister Rogers is taking his neighborhood to the streets of New Orleans.

A traveling exhibit that had visited 31 museums in 22 states will be made a permanent exhibit at the Louisiana Children's Museum. The exhibit, which includes a replica of King Friday's castle and a closet full of sweaters and sneakers such as the ones worn by Fred Rogers, opened Friday, the one year anniversary of the museum's reopening after being closed after Hurricane Katrina.

"With children and families not being back in their homes, a lot of them, the visits to this museum is somewhat of a calming and safe place," said David Newell, known to millions of children and adults as Mister Rogers' friend Mr. McFeely on the hit children's show. "That was part of the rationale behind giving it to the museum. It's a wonderful gift to the city and the children."

The museum was closed for 10 months following the August 2005 hurricane. It suffered extensive roof and water damage, and its staff of 40 dropped to a low of four, said Julia Bland, the museum's executive director.

In June 2006, more than 5,000 visitors came out to celebrate the nearly 21-year-old museum's reopening. Tens of thousands of visitors have gone through the museum since.

Bland said New Orleans is a city of neighborhoods, which makes the Mister Rogers' exhibit a natural addition. The museum shows kids how to pilot a tugboat down the Mississippi, shop at a grocery store and learn about healthy habits.

"The commitment of our neighbors to rebuild their homes is the driving factor of rebuilding neighborhoods and ultimately reclaiming our city," Bland said. "As Fred Rogers said, 'At the heart of every neighborhood are its children.' For the Pittsburgh Children's Museum to offer the Louisiana Children's Museum a new neighborhood is the ultimate gift of resiliency."

Jane Werner, executive director of the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, said the museum decided in 2006 to take the traveling exhibit off the road and find a permanent home for it. Werner said New Orleans was a natural choice because of Rogers' belief that neighbors need to look out for each other.

"We hope the exhibit will give the families of New Orleans a respite from the stresses and strains of living in the city," she said. "Hopefully, it will give families time to talk, listen and learn from each other."

The hands-on exhibit invites children — and adults — to step into Mister Rogers' world. The only thing behind glass is an original pair of sneakers worn by Rogers on the show, which still airs today in reruns.

"I think it's a nice gesture to say that here are some people thinking about their hardships. It's a little comforting to invite them into a neighborhood that's calming," said Newell, who was on hand — in full costume — for the exhibit's opening in New Orleans.

Visitors can enter the exhibit through a front porch and come into Mister Rogers' living room. They can play with a miniature trolley, try costumes on in King Friday's castle and play with puppets in X the Owl's big oak tree.

The exhibit is similar to one that is already a permanent part of the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh.

Newell said through these exhibits and other projects, he and other members of Pittsburgh-based Family Communications Inc. hope to preserve Rogers' legacy and extend his message for generations to come.

Rogers died of stomach cancer in February 2003.