About

Our Mission

The mission of the Children’s Museum of Denver is to create a community where children, newborn through 8, and their grownups learn through play!

*For the safety of all our guests, there are no adults allowed in the Museum without children, and no children allowed without adults.

About the Museum

Since its inception in 1973, the Children’s Museum of Denver has served the metro-Denver community as a learning institute dedicated to the education and growth of young children, newborn through age 8, and their caregivers.

Serving more than 289,000 children and their grownups annually, the Museum provides rich play experiences and a dynamic learning environment for children to discover, explore and enjoy. We offer innovative and interactive Playscapes (hands-on exhibits), engaging daily programming and exciting year-round special events.

The Children’s Museum of Denver is a 501(c)(3), private non-profit organization, and a Tier II SCFD member.

Brief History

The first Children’s Museum of Denver opened in 1973 in a converted school bus. The Museum quickly outgrew this original facility, as the need for a participatory, hands-on educational institution for children and families was immediately apparent. We required a more permanent location in the community, so the organization leased and renovated a building on Bannock Street in Denver, opening to the public in January 1975. Within months, the Museum was drawing record numbers of visitors from throughout the metropolitan area. Planning soon began for a larger facility, and in 1984 the Museum opened a new building in its present location along the west bank of the Platte River.

Children’s Museums

The Children’s Museum of Denver is a member of the Association of Children’s Museums, a trade organization comprised of over 510 members. Currently, children’s museums represent one of the fastest growing segments within educational/cultural institutions in the United States. Over the last decade the number of children’s museums has grown by 100%, annually reaching nearly 30 million children and families. Children's museums rank second only to zoos among museum-related attractions in their ability to attract ethnically and culturally diverse audiences and address the needs of young children.