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Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota facts for kids

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Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota
Logo of the Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota
Established 1 May 2015 (2015-05-01)
Location Mankato, MN
Type Children's Museum
Nearest parking On-Site

The Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota (CMSM) is a super fun place in Mankato, Minnesota, just for kids! It's a special children's museum where you can explore and learn through exciting art and science activities every day.

Inside, you'll find awesome exhibits like a pretend quarry where you can dig and discover. There's also a giant tree with cool tree forts to climb. You can even try a vertical wind-tunnel and watch things float! When the weather is warm, the museum also has outdoor farm exhibits for you to enjoy.

How the Museum Started

Building a Dream Museum

A group of teachers and educators first started working on opening a children's museum in 2009. They wanted to create a special place for kids to learn and play. It took a lot of hard work and planning to make their dream come true.

Overcoming Challenges

In the summer of 2014, there was a big flood. The floodwaters sadly damaged the museum's planned exhibits. But the team didn't give up! They worked hard to rebuild everything. The CMSM finally opened its doors on May 1, 2015.

Where the Museum Is Located

Cleaning Up the Site

The place chosen for the museum needed a lot of cleaning up. It was an old site that had some polluted soil and waste. The museum worked with an environmental agency to make it safe.

Making it Safe for Fun

With help from a special grant, over 2,500 tons of old soil and waste were removed. That's like removing the weight of many, many cars! The building that was already there was also made safe. This way, it could be fixed up and used for the museum.

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