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: $13/person

ADMISSION: $13/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 $13 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!
Ignite Your Child's Curiosity With

UPCOMING EVENTS

June 2025

Baby Play

Join us on the Infant and Toddler Play Porch! With a goal to support first-time parents or those who are caring for an infant, the Museum staff – who have a background in and a passion for early childhood development, will offer content specific to our birth to two age range.  Although topics such as […]
03 Jun
10:00 am - 11:30 am
Young Explorers Weekly Programming at the Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota in Mankato

Young Explorers

This program is for all age groups that are visiting the Museum! Activities are inspired by place, seasons and nature, play schemas and child development. On the 2nd Wednesday each month throughout the year, Young Explorer program activities inspired by one of the six areas of wellness (Move, Relax, Eat Well, Sleep, Maintain, Discover) will […]
04 Jun
9:30 am - 11:00 am
North Mankato Taylor Library Bookmobile

Bookmobile

The North Mankato Taylor Library Bookmobile makes weekly stops at the Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota on Wednesday afternoons from 2-3pm. Join us for story time on the Lauri Kuch Memorial Stage each week!
04 Jun
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

SAAP Night

These quarterly events invite children with sensory challenges or other special needs and their families to experience and enjoy the Museum free of charge at a time when there is a limited number of visitors present.
04 Jun
4:30 pm - 6:30 pm
The Power of STEAM Part 6 Math_Childrens Museum of Southern Minnesota

STEAM Explorers

STEAM brings together a powerful combination of skills, techniques, and experiments! Join us weekly on Friday mornings to explore a variety of STEAM related child-led play activities!
06 Jun
9:00 am - 11:00 am
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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

January 24, 2025, 10:00am:

The Museum will be closed Sunday, April 20.

We will reopen Tuesday, April 22.

The Museum will be Closing at 2pm on
November 16 for a Private Event