When Abby Walsh learned a King Tut exhibit was set to open this summer in Indianapolis, she begged her mother to go.

Abby, 9, Ann Arbor, Mich., had read the book, “Tut’s Mummy: Lost . . . and Found,” and became fascinated by the story that included a boy her age being crowned king in ancient Egypt nearly 4,000 years ago.

So Abby and her mother, Jennifer Walsh, were among the first visitors Saturday for opening day of “Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs” at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.“I will remember this for a long time,” Abby said. “It is really cool because I already know a lot about all of these artifacts, so I’m able to tell my mom about each one.”The display, which includes more than 100 treasures from the tomb of King Tut and other ancient Egyptian sites, was expected to rival opening day of any exhibit at the museum to date, including Dinosphere in 2004. Museum officials declined to give a crowd estimate Saturday.However, a steady crowd, including participants from as far away as Florida, toured the display’s breathtaking statues, intricate jewelry and priceless artistry spanning more than 2,000 years of the ancient civilization.Saturday’s opening, which included live music, a brief speech from an archeologist and people roaming the museum in Pharaoh costumes, marked the first time the exhibit has been displayed in a children’s museum, said Mark Lach, senior vice president of Arts and Exhibitions International, the private company overseeing the tour.“We have been to some of the great museums in the world, but this place has a special atmosphere,” said Lach about the Children’s Museum. “There has been more fun, excitement and anticipation today than any place we’ve been because King Tut seems to have a real connection with kids.”The traveling exhibition will be on display through Oct. 25 at the Children’s Museum. Lach’s firm has only one other stop planned, in Canada, before the artifacts are eventually returned to a museum currently under construction in Egypt to go on permanent display.John and Libby Ray traveled from Terre Haute with their sons, 11-year-old Christopher and 7-year-old Aaron, to see the exhibit. They were the third group in line when the doors opened.Christopher said his favorite part was seeing all the gold, including a pair of golden slippers worn by Tut in his tomb, while the giant King Tut statute at the end of the tour impressed his younger brother most.“I wanted to make sure we were here for opening day,” Libby Ray said. “I knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”