History

Madison Children’s Museum was founded in 1980 as the vision of a group of early childhood specialists. The founding board of directors and volunteers built traveling exhibits that were displayed at neighborhood centers, parks and playgrounds. They also operated a pilot museum in the basement of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters. The success of the pilot program prompted the museum to relocate to a warehouse at Bedford and West Washington. The new location was a success, and the museum was often filled to capacity.

After a successful capital campaign, Madison Children’s Museum opened its doors in another rented location on 100 State Street in 1991. The museum flourished at this site and once again outgrew its space. In 2005, MCM acquired a $5 million, five-story office building through the generosity of W. Jerome Frautschi. The museum undertook a $10 million capital campaign to renovate the building, create an accessible green roof, and install new exhibits. The new facility opened on August 14, 2010, and greatly expands the museum’s capacity to serve larger audiences, older children, and school groups in a strong interdisciplinary program that emphasizes the arts, sciences, history, culture, health, and civic engagement.

Mission

Madison Children’s Museum (MCM) connects children with their families, their communities, and the world beyond through discovery learning and creative play.

Hours

The museum is open Tuesdays-Sundays from 9:30a.m.-5:30p.m. and closed on Mondays. The first Wednesday of every month, the museum hosts Twilight Wednesdays, which features free admission from 5-8p.m.

Admission Prices

• $7.95, adults and children
• $6.95, seniors and grandparents
• $1 per person, Family Access admission (for adults and children utilizing WIC, Head Start, free or reduced school lunch, Birth to 3, SSDI, foster care, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Unemployment Insurance, or other public assistance program)
• FREE for museum members and children under 1 year old.

Dual

one year – $55
two years – $100

• Unlimited free admission for two named people
• Discounted parking in the MCM lot

Family

one year – $85
two years – $160

• Unlimited free admission for four named people
• Discounted parking in the MCM lot
• MCM one-time family pass to share with friends (good for four people – value $28)

Family Plus

one year – $125
two years – $240

• Unlimited free admission for six named people
• Discounted parking in the MCM lot
• Two MCM one-time family passes to share with friends (good for four people each – value $56)
• Free admission to Association of Children’s Museums‘ 165 member museums (including Chicago, Milwaukee, Rockford, Appleton & St. Paul)
• Free admission or other benefits at any Association of Science & Technology Centers Admission and benefits vary by institution. Please call ahead before visiting any ASTC museum.

Member Mornings

First Tuesday of the month, 8:30-9:30 a.m.
MCM is offering a new set of events exclusively for members! During the school year, on the first Tuesday of the month from 8:30-9:30 a.m., the museum will open just for members. We designed Member Mornings to allow our members a quieter experience in the museum. Come early and enjoy the exhibits before we open to the public.

Member Evening Events

This fall will also kick off our quarterly member evening events. If your family enjoys visiting the museum in the evenings, these events are designed just for you! The Member Evening Events have included:

• Members Pajama Party
• Members Spring Sock Hop
• Members Birthday Party

Discount Rewards

10 Percent Partners
Present your membership card at these participating businesses to save 10 percent on your in-store purchases:
• The Roman Candle Sparkler • 100 N. Hamilton Street, inside MCM!
• Ian’s Pizza • 115 State Street
• Noodles & Company • 232 State Street
• Clary’s Old Fashioned Popcorn • 105 State Street
• Frida Mexican Grill • 117 State Street
• Tutto Pasta Trattoria State Street• 305 State Street
• Bradbury’s Coffee • 127 N. Hamilton Street
• Subway on the Square• 19 W. Main Street
• Gotham Bagels • 112 E. Mifflin Street
• Henry Vilas Zoo Gift Shop & Concessions • 606 S. Randall Ave
• Swim West • 10 percent off Family Swim Punch Passes

Member Classes

Visit madisonchildrensmuseum.org for a full listing of free Workshops and classes for MCM members.

Awards

2011– MCM received Madison Magazine’s Best of Madison Gold Award for Best Museum

2011– Wisconsin Builder Top Projects Award presented to Madison Children’s Museum and J.H. Findorff & Son

2011 – MCM received the MetLife Foundation & Association of Children’s Museums’ Promising Practice Replication Award for its Only Local initiative; the funds will allow for the development of an online tool kit that will share MCM’s green practices with museums everywhere

2011 – Starnet Worldwide Commercial Flooring Design Award in the Environmental Achievement category presented to Sergenian’s Floor Coverings for its work on Madison Children’s Museum

2011– MCM won In Business magazine’s Commercial Design Award in the Best New Development or Renovation–Education category

2011 – MCM was ranked the fifth-best children’s museum in the U.S. by Parents magazine

2011 – MCM received the Downtown Madison, Inc. Community Asset Award

2010 – MCM received the Best Practices Award from the Association of Midwest Museums for its Only Local initiative, which includes green practices and involvement of the local community in planning for the new museum

2010 – MCM received the 2010 Promising Practice Award from MetLife Foundation and the Association of Children’s Museums for its Only Local initiative, which includes green practices and involvement of the local community in planning for the new museum

2007 – MCM was rated as one of the “Top 20 Children’s Museums in America” by Grand Magazine

2004 – MCM won the American Folklore Society Dorothy Howard Prize for Folklore and Education for the Hmong at Heart exhibit

2003 – MCM was selected as one of just nine children’s museums in the country to receive a grant for the Freeman Foundation Asian Exhibit Initiative, administered by the Association of Children’s Museums

2002 – MCM was rated one of the top 10 children’s museums in the nation, Child Magazine