The Utica Children’s Museum is opening fun again for the first time since 2020 and bringing all the fun–and of course, incredible learning opportunities!
The Utica Children’s Museum has been a community pillar for years bringing educational fun to children all around Central New York.
The museum has a wide variety of exhibits focused of different areas. Exhibits are all play-based in order to best keep children occupied and interested. Exhibits can target a child’s inner intelligence, help them socialize with others and develop teamwork skills, introduce them to aspects of culture within the Utica area and worldwide, help them problem solve and more!
Here’s some of the featured exhibits at the all-new Utica Children’s Museum:
The Climber
This two-story exhibit is a physical challenge with ramps, platforms, rope webs and more designed to help children problem solve and navigate a challenging obstacle while also developing their confidence.
World Market
This culturally-driven exhibit celebrates diversity from the Mohawk Valley area. Different stations around the market celebrate music, food, art and language of different regions from around the world.
Built It Up
This is a STEAM-focused activity for all the future engineers and architects. In this exhibit children can experiment with building and engineering and all the features that go into it–plumbing, electricity and more!
Let’s Experiment
Like it says in the title, this is all about creativity and coming up with interesting solutions to problems. With fun prisms, racetracks, and even an animation station, children can flex their mind-muscles.
Seasons
Children can see all four seasons of the Mohawk Valley demonstrated in this exhibit–so much so they can even control it with the Weather Command Station!
The Cove
One of the most important parts of fostering a child’s mind is teaching them when to take moments to pause and calm down. This serene space is full of calming colors, soft lighting and relaxing soundscapes.
The Children’s Museum first opened in 1963, with its original home being the basement of the Utica Public Library. As time went on and the museum grew in popularity, its location changed numerous times, gaining new exhibits as it went along.
In 1979, the museum moved to the former John C. Heiber Dry Goods Building and have exhibits over two floors. By 2002, four of the floors became devoted to museum exhibits. And in 2007, the musuems’ building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
After years of success in Bagg Square, the museum decided to move in 2020. The onset of COVID-19 meant all programming was moved online and reconstruction of the museum stopped. In 2021, while the new museum was under construction, the Mobile Museum traveled the community to keep the fun going during this transitional period.
And that brings us to today–the museum’s grand reopening at 106 Memorial Parkway!
With the museum’s reopening this spring comes a new brand with a special focus on nurturing children in this post-pandemic world, new families, skills children will need in the future and inclusion.
All exhibits are brand new and are focused on the needs of the surrounding community in order to best support the community this fixture is based in. And what better way to accomplish this than with local students and arts professionals working in tandem–you’ll see this reflected in the six different brand marks of the new museum.
The new Utica Children’s Museum is focused on connection and positive social experience among the Mohawk Valley community.
The museum will officially reopen on May 1, 2025.
Museum Hours
Wednesday – Saturday: 10:00 am – 4:30 pm
Sunday: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Admission Prices
General Admission (Adults and Children): $15.00
Children Under 1 receive free admission
The museum’s new location is 106 Memorial Pkwy, Utica, NY 13501.
Experience a live show via Amtrak to Utica Station.in Central NY —Don’t forget to use Amtrak’s See New York and Save 15% discount!
