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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: $10/person

Sunday 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday Closed
Tuesday 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Friday 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

ADMISSION: $10/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.

Become a member of Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota and enjoy unlimited family time!
Thursday, March 23, 1:00-3:00pm
Included with admission or Museum membership.

UPCOMING EVENTS

March 2023
Baby Play programming at the Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota Mankato

Baby Play

With a goal to support first-time parents or those who ...
28 Mar
10:00 am - 11:30 am
North Mankato Taylor Library Bookmobile

Bookmobile

The North Mankato Taylor Library Bookmobile makes weekly stops at ...
29 Mar
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
April 2023
No event found!
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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.

Explore Exhibits Mankato Clinic Tree of Forts cargo nets climber treehouse Childrens Museum of Southern Minnesota

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

Cognitive Benefits of Play-Childrens Museum of Southern Minnesota

The Benefits of Play, Part 3: Cognitive

Spring has sprung on the calendar, even if the Dotson Back 40 is still covered in snow. The warmer weather has us itching to move our bodies and start playing hard again. In doing so, we will use all parts of our bodies and minds.   In this third and final installment of our series on all

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Read it Again - Why Repetition Matters

Read it Again! Why Repetition Matters

National Reading Month is a good time to read about reading.  National Reading Month is a good time to read about reading. National Reading Month is a good time to read about reading.  Does the repetition annoy you? Might it be exhausting to read the same sentence over and over and over again? Maybe for

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National Reading Monthh at the Childrens Museum

Celebrating “National Reading Month” at CMSM

March is “National Reading Month”. We love to read at the Museum all year long, but we’re excited to give it some attention this month. One of the ways we encourage our guests to read while they are here is through the descriptions within some of the exhibits. Reading them aloud to children or encouraging

Read More »