The Children's Museum of Memphis (CMOM) is located in Midtown Memphis at 2525 Central Avenue in
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mo ...
, USA.
CMOM's mission is to create memorable learning experiences through the joy of play in hands-on exhibits and programs. The museum offers interactive exhibits and programs for children and their families. The museum houses over 20 hands-on exhibits.
The museum is open Tuesday - Sunday from 9 am to 5 pm. It is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
History
The Children's Museum of Memphis is located in the former National Guard Armory that was built from 1941 to 1942. The Children's Museum of Memphis Founders are Polly Glotzbach, Harriet McFadden, Mars Widdicombe, and Harry J. Phillips Sr.
In 2013, the museum opened an exhibit called ''H2Oh! Splash'', a splash pad with a garden theme that was funded, in part, through a gift from the
Katherine and John Dobbs family foundation.
Timeline
* 1985 Children's Museum Planning Group formed.
* 1987 The Children's Museum of Memphis incorporated as a private, non-profit educational corporation.
* 1988 The museum signed a lease with the City of Memphis for the National Guard Armory complex.
* 1990 After raising $3 million for construction, opened to the public on June 16.
* 1991 Celebrated first birthday in June with a first-year attendance of over 200,000 visitors.
* 1993 Celebrated third birthday with cumulative attendance of over 500,000 visitors.
* 1995 Celebrated fifth birthday with cumulative attendance of over 750,000 visitors.
* 1997 Celebrated seventh birthday with cumulative attendance of over one million visitors.
* 1999 Began a $6 million capital campaign to expand the museum by with four new exhibit galleries.
* 2001 Finished the $6 million capital campaign (raised $7.2 million) to expand the museum. Ground-breaking ceremony and construction began on March 23.
* 2002 Museum expansion completed and opened on August 3. Welcomed the museum's 1,500,000th visitor.
* 2005 Welcomed the museum's 2,000,000th visitor.
* 2008 Welcomed the museum's 2,500,000th visitor.
* 2009 Hootin' Andy's Safety Train Brain Station opens.
Arlo Guthrie
Arlo Davy Guthrie (born July 10, 1947) is an American folk singer-songwriter. He is known for singing songs of protest against social injustice, and storytelling while performing songs, following the tradition of his father, Woody Guthrie. Gu ...
, folk singer, is the voice of Andy.
* 2012 Museum's campus was named the Katherine and John Dobbs Family Center.
* 2015 The museum leased the Memphis Grand Carousel from the City of Memphis and sent it off for restoration
* 2016 The museum built the Memphis Grand Carousel Pavilion and Ballroom to house the carousel once it returns from restoration
* 2017 The Memphis Grand Carousel was shipped back to Memphis where it was installed in the new facility. It is open to the public for daily rides.
Gallery
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See also
*
List of museums in Tennessee
This list of museums in Tennessee encompasses museums defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or ...
*
List of children's museums in the United States
This is a list of children's museums in the United States.
See also
* Children's museum
* Science museum
* List of nature centers in the United States
The following is a list of nature centers and environmental education centers in the United ...
References
External links
Museum website
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Museums in Memphis, Tennessee
Children's museums in Tennessee