Miami Children's Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1983 |
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| Location | 980 MacArthur Causeway Miami, Florida United States |
| Type | Children's Museum |
| Public transit access | Metrobus S line |
The Miami Children’s Museum is a super fun place in Miami, Florida, on Watson Island. It's a special kind of place called a non-profit museum, which means it's all about learning and not about making money. The museum teaches kids about arts, culture, their community, and how to communicate with others. They also help kids who speak more than one language and those with special needs.
Contents
The Museum's Journey
The Miami Children's Museum has an interesting history. It started in 1983 and was first called the Miami Youth Museum.
Early Days and Growth
In 1985, the museum opened its first small space inside a mall. It was about 2,000 square feet, which is like a big apartment. Just one year later, in 1986, it moved to the Bakery Center shopping mall. Here, it got bigger, reaching 4,000 square feet.
More and more people started visiting! The number of visitors jumped from about 10,000 to nearly 20,000 each year. The museum also started a "community outreach program" in 1987. This program helped the museum reach even more people outside its walls. At its busiest, the museum welcomed almost 48,000 visitors. The outreach program reached nearly 900,000 people!
New Plans and Challenges
In 1991, the museum received its first big grant from the State of Florida. A grant is like a gift of money given for a special purpose. The next year, the museum decided it needed a brand new building. Over the next few years, they received almost $2 million in donations and grants. One important grant came from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
In 1996, the Bakery Center mall was going to be torn down. So, the museum had to move temporarily to the Miracle Center in Coral Gables, Florida. At the same time, they were looking for a permanent spot for their new building. They found a great location near the Vizcaya Metro-Rail Station in partnership with Miami Dade County. In 1997, the museum officially changed its name to the Miami Children’s Museum.
Finding a Permanent Home
In 2000, there were some disagreements from people living near the planned new site. This caused the museum to look for a different location. A new team was formed to find a better spot. This team raised $8.2 million by the end of 2000!
They found a perfect place on Watson Island. In 2001, the plans for the new building were finalized. The State of Florida gave another $500,000 to the museum in 2002. This brought the total state funding to $2.4 million. The fundraising campaign was very successful, raising $16.1 million in just six months!
Grand Opening and Expansion
In 2003, the new Miami Children’s Museum opened its doors on Watson Island. This amazing new building was designed by Arquitectonica. It was a huge 56,500 square-foot space! The museum continued to grow. In 2005 and 2006, they added a special area for a charter school. This was helped by another $500,000 grant from the State of Florida.
What You Can Explore Today
Today, the Miami Children's Museum is a fantastic place to visit! It has:
- 14 permanent galleries filled with exciting exhibits.
- Classrooms for preschool children.
- A special center for parents and teachers to find resources.
- A "Kid Smart" educational gift shop.
- A large 200-seat auditorium for shows and events.
- A Subway restaurant if you get hungry.
Since 2003, over 5 million people have visited the museum! It now welcomes more than 400,000 visitors every year.
See also
In Spanish: Museo Infantil de Miami para niños
