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
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.
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.
Thursday, March 23, 1:00-3:00pm
Celebrating literacy at CMSM with a special visit from the Betsy-Tacy Society! We will have actors dressed as book characters and Maud – the well-known author of the books. We will have short musical performances on the stage, book readings by the infant and toddler porch, Bunny bowling in the Grow It Gallery and time period crafts in the Loft!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Making Minnesota Author Visit
STEAM Explorers
Baby Play
Art Explorers in Cecil’s Imagineering Loft
Young Explorers
Outdoor Explorers
Bookmobile
Art Explorers in Cecil’s Imagineering Loft
LEGO® Explorers
Museum Closed on April 4
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
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
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
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