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: $12/person
ADMISSION: $12/PERSON over 12 months
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 less than $12 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.
CMSM is excited to announce the expansion of our Access for All program with a new initiative for families with newborns and infants! Gateway to Baby Play Memberships are available to families of newborns and first-time parents up to their child’s first birthday. This Membership includes free admission for two parents and their baby until their first birthday. To obtain a Gateway to Baby Play Museum Membership, simply fill out the application here and return to CMSM.
Presented by the glen a. taylor foundation
Taylor Farm | Open for Play
Southern Minnesota is renowned for its vast fields of corn and soybeans that captivate us from car windows and school buses, now, get ready for an up-close and awe-inspiring encounter with farming like never before. This immersive experience revolves around four key elements: the AGCO – Fendt Tractor, Pigs on Wheels, the Barn, and a Corn Field.
This inviting space allows its visitors to engage in a hands-on, life like agriculture exhibit. Walk a few miles in a farmers shoes as you tend to the corn field then hop in the AGCO Fendt tractor to work the land. The Tot Spot is a great place for the youngest of learners to enjoy with their caregivers while those a little more sure footed move pigs through the pens using sorting boards. Children and caregivers can work together to tend to the pigs, scoot them across the floor to new pen areas and create new friendships!
SING-A-THON OF CELEBRATED SONGS
View our video Book - may there always be...
Thank you to everyone who came to the Jim Gill sing-a-long last Saturday. It was wonderful to see so many friends dancing, singing and enjoying our very own video book. If you didn’t get a chance to see it, we hope you enjoy it! May there always be…
UPCOMING EVENTS
Baby Play
STEAM Explorers
Art Explorers in Cecil’s Imagineering Loft
Young Explorers
Outdoor Explorers
Bookmobile
Art Explorers in Cecil’s Imagineering Loft
STEAM Explorers
Baby Play
Art Explorers in Cecil’s Imagineering Loft
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.
Discover
The Museum environment captivates children with a wide variety of interactive exhibits.
Think
Young minds need challenges and experiences to grow!
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
Warm Weather Sensory Activities
Sensory play is beneficial to children all year, and in the cold months of winter, making messes indoors feels worth it on some of the longer days. But summer provides the perfect opportunity to engage in sensory play with children, because you can take the messes outside! Sensory play not only captivates their imagination but
Summer Cooking with Kids!
At the Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota, we have three kitchens: the mud kitchen, the Cabin kitchen, and the play kitchen in the farm-to-table Grow It Gallery. These exhibits are always popular, because children love this kind of pretend play. Play kitchens are a particularly popular resource for pretend play, as it benefits children and
Grow Healthy and Strong With the 5-2-1-0 steps
By Michelle McDonough, M.D., family medicine physician in Mankato, Minnesota. Like a tablet with a low battery, or a car running low on gas, your body can run out of energy without its fuel and energy source — food. Just as a tablet needs the right cord to charge and a car requires the correct