Our Mission:
Ignite the natural curiosity of every child through the power of play in a dynamic, awe-inspiring environment
PLAY. It's what we do.
MUSEUM HOURS
Daily Admission: $9/person
ADMISSION: $9/PERSON, AGES 1+
A membership to the Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota includes unlimited access to the Museum’s galleries during regular business hours, special discounts in the Museum gift shop, and invitations to exclusive members-only events for only $9 a month! The Museum offers a variety of membership packages to suit the needs of individuals, families, and groups.
Browse the Museum’s membership packages to find an option that works best for you. Contact Museum staff for further details.
Free Museum admission all day!
Now Open!
the children's museum's biggest exhibit ever
UPCOMING EVENTS
Pollinators
Butterfly House Guided Tours
Baby Play
Art Explorers in Cecil’s Imagineering Loft
Young Explorers
Butterfly House Guided Tours
Bookmobile
Art Explorers in Cecil’s Imagineering Loft
Butterfly House Guided Tours
STEAM-Powered Fridays at CMSM
Exhibits
At the Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota, each exhibit is intentionally designed as a robust educational resource that contributes to the well-being of children and the community. Our exhibits are created with an understanding of children’s development and based on local settings and landmarks with play potential for children, their parents, grandparents, caregivers, and teachers to explore, think, discover, learn, and enjoy.
Explore
Children learn best through hands-on play.
Think
Young minds need challenges and experiences to grow!
Discover
The Museum environment captivates children with a wide variety of interactive exhibits.
Learn
Exhibits are thoughtfully designed to spark curiosity and imagination.
Enjoy
Not only is play an incredible source of fun, but it is also crucial to children’s well-being.
Impact Stories
"A Place for Everyone"
“The Children’s Museum is a place where everyone can and be welcome and find some thing that they’re interested in. If you’ve never been here, I’d say get down here right away!”
"I can’t explain how grateful I am for the Children's Museum"
“I love that my kids can come to the Children’s Museum, be creative and imaginative and make friends in the process. We visit weekly and every time we leave each of my four kids has made a new friend.”
What people are saying about CMSM
THE LATEST FROM THE CMSM Blog
Playing Together as a Family
Our spaces at the Museum are designed with ages 0-9 at the forefront, but that doesn’t mean they’re not fun for everyone! We recently shared the valuable ways play is good for people of any age, and we want to follow up with ways families can play together both in our spaces and in your
Play is for Grown-ups, too!
The Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota is targeted for children ages 0-10, which means parents or caregivers are always present. We are not a drop-off facility. One of the fun things Museum playworkers and other families get to observe is how those parents and caregivers interact with the exhibits as well. We have found there
CMSM Partners with Feeding Our Community Partners
Mankato— July 29, 2022—The Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota recently established a new community partnership with Feeding Our Community Partners (FOCP) through their Summer Pack Food Program. The Museum worked with FOCP and provided a One-Day Family Free Pass for each of the 1000 food packages distributed in June. Kim Kleven, Vice President of Education and