Visitor Information
⚬ All visitors, including members, must make a reservation in advance.
⚬ Visits are limited to two hours. Please arrive on time and depart after playing for no more than two hours.
⚬ All visitors age 5 and over are required to wear a mask, whether or not they have received a vaccine or previously had COVID-19.
⚬ Children ages 2 to 4 are encouraged to wear a mask.
⚬ Bring your own masks.
⚬ Plan to practice social distancing
⚬ If you are sick or experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, please do not come to the museum.
Things to Know Before You Visit
COVID-19 Precautions
The health and safety of our staff and visitors is our top priority. In preparation for opening, museum staff have:
- Enhanced our procedures for cleaning and sanitizing all museum spaces
- Greatly limited visitor capacity and implemented timed ticket entry
- Put up Plexiglass barriers in the box office and security desk area
- Installed additional hand sanitizer stations throughout the museum
- Removed soft props and costumes
- Removed or modified some experiences, including face painting and air play
- Upgraded air filters and created new protocol for monitoring air flow
- Created process for staff wellness checks to be performed daily
Tickets
What if the day or time I want to visit is sold out?
We appreciate the excitement to return to family play and learning. We encourage you to try again and consider off-peak times for visiting the museum. Thank you for your understanding.
What if I buy advance tickets but can’t visit on that day or at that time for some reason? Can I reschedule or get a refund?
Tickets are non-refundable. However, if someone who is planning to visit has a fever, persistent cough or other signs of illness, please call 651-225-6000 to reschedule your visit.
Can I use museum tickets I already have?
Yes, please call 651-225-6000 to make a reservation with existing tickets.
Food & Amenities
Will the café and store be open?
The café and store is open with additional sanitizing, social distancing and other precautions in place. The menu and hours may be limited.
Do you have quieter spaces for resting, nursing, etc.?
Do you have restrooms and changing rooms available?
We have family/single stall and multi-stall restrooms on all floors. Changing stations are available on all floors in all restrooms (except the single stall restrooms on the first floor).
Are there lockers available?
Does the museum have WiFi?
Yes, free WiFi is available. Choose MCM-Public on your mobile device. Text “playing wifi” to 56512 for the current password. Or, ask a staff person in an orange shirt for the code.
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General Information
Can I bring a stroller into the museum?
What should I wear/pack?
This is a playful space where children and adults alike can play throughout the museum. To get the most out of your experience, we suggest wearing comfortable clothes and shoes and bringing:
Water bottles – Consider bringing your own water. The museum water fountains have been temporarily turned off
Extra clothes – Sometimes children get wet in our Forces at Play and Sprouts exhibits.
Sunscreen – Two of our galleries are located outside.
May I drop off my children at the museum?
Experiences
What galleries and experiences will be open and closed?
All permanent exhibits will be open except The Scramble, which will be closed. We have removed soft props and costumes. We have closed or removed some components, including the face painting station. The air blowers in Forces at Play will not be turned on.
What age range does the museum serve?
Kids from 1 to 10 or even older have fun in the museum. We have hands-on exhibits that appeal to a variety of ages and interests. Most of the exhibits have something for everyone, but here’s a general guide:
For older kids:
The Studio – A maker space with real tools and authentic materials
Super Awesome Adventures – Carpet skating, laser maze and green-screen climbing wall
For 3 and under:
Sprouts – Joyful landscape of discovery with its own water tables
Tot Spots – Many exhibits have an area designed specifically for our youngest visitors
Will outdoors spaces be open?
No. The Backyard and Tip Top Terrace are closed for the season.
Will the water features be open? Are there special safety precautions in place?
The water features in Sprouts and Forces at Play will be open. The water in Sprouts is treated with disinfecting UV light. The water in Forces at Play is fresh and not recirculated or reused.
Masks
Why are you requiring visitors to wear a mask?
We are requiring most visitors to wear a mask because it’s the right thing to do. Public health officials say wearing masks in public is an essential part of reducing the transmission of COVID-19.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that people wear cloth face coverings in public settings when around people outside of their household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.
In St. Paul, Mayor Melvin Carter signed an executive order requiring masks in businesses and city-owned facilities. This order exempts “young children at risk of suffocation” and “persons who cannot medically tolerate wearing a face covering.”
Why did you pick age 5 as the cutoff for requiring masks?
What about people who can’t wear a mask for medical reasons?
Our policy is that all adult visitors must wear a face covering during their visit.
The museum understands that some adults and children either cannot tolerate wearing a mask or should not wear a mask for medical reasons.
Museum staff will ask any adult not wearing a mask to wear a face shield instead. The museum has face shields available adults may use during their visit. If a visitor declines to wear a face covering, staff will ask the visitor to leave the museum.
Please plan accordingly. If any adult in your party does not want to wear a mask or face shield, this person should not visit the museum.
Adults and children may remove their mask or face shield temporarily while dining in the museum café.
We value all our visitors and look forward to a time when we’re able to welcome everyone back without special precautions in place. In the meantime, we’re asking people to do what they can to help us provide as safe an environment as possible for our visitors and staff.
Cleaning
How often do you clean the museum and the props?
Capacity
How many people will be in the museum at any one time?
The museum abides by capacity limits laid out by the state’s current Stay Safe order, which describes maximum of 25% of capacity. We are spacing out reservations to make sure we can limit capacity and maintain social distance in galleries and common areas.
Family Memberships
Can I apply the price of admission to a membership?
Birthday Parties & Field Trips
Can I book a party or field trip?
Accessibility
Do you have support materials for children with different abilities?
Minnesota Children’s Museum is dedicated to making our space accessible and inclusive to people with a wide range of abilities and preferences. Learn more about some of the options we provide for you to personalize your play here. If you have specific questions or need accommodations, please call us prior to your visit.
Lost & Found
Do you have a lost and found?
Yes. Lost and found is located at our security desk near our West Seventh Street entrance. You may reach the security desk at 651-225-6056.
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Our exhibits are funded in part with money from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund that was created with the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.
