Dino Island Opening Soon!

Miami Children’s Museum (MCM) and Kokoro, the originators and innovators of museum-quality robotic dinosaurs, collaborate to transform the What’s New? Gallery into a prehistoric adventure for the entire family.

Journey back 230 million years into the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Visitors will explore 2,500 square feet of custom sets for nine lifelike, robotic creatures, including a Tyrannosaurus Rex, Apatosaurus, Triceratops mother and baby, Maiasaura family, and a suspended Pteradon. Walking, feeding, roaring, fighting, hatching and caring for their young, Kokoro dinosaurs act and interact with captivating realism.

Check our website for further info about this wonderful exhibition! MCM Exhibits!

Knight Foundation Supports Miami Children’s Museum Expansion With Endowment Campaign Grant

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation will help ensure the viability of the Miami Children’s Museum for years to come with a $100,000 grant to its newly launched Capital Endowment Campaign. The grant will support the museum’s expansion and help launch an aggressive fundraising campaign to eliminate remaining debt for that project.
“This grant will go a long way toward kicking off our Capital Endowment Fund Campaign,” stated Deborah Spiegelman, executive director of the Children’s Museum. “Knight Foundation has always been a strong supporter of MCM and its programs and we are grateful for their gift.”
“For thousands of students each year, the Miami Children’s Museum is their first museum experience. Knight Foundation wants to ensure it leaves a lasting impression that encourages kids to become engaged in their city’s cultural opportunities,” said Dennis Scholl, vice president/arts at Knight Foundation.

MCM KNIGHT GRANT
The Miami Children’s Museum is located at 980 MacArthur Causeway on Watson Island in Miami. For 25 Years it has been nurturing an environment in South Florida where children and families are welcome to play, learn, imagine and create. It has been lauded as a quality standard not just in our own community, but as an outstanding example of childhood development that has garnered positive attention on an international scale. From its many permanent exhibits to the exciting interactive traveling shows (ie: The Wizard of Oz, Blue Man Group, Dr. Seuss, etc.) MCM has been enriching the lives of all children by fostering a love of learning and enabling them to realize their highest potential.
For more information about Miami Children’s Museum call: (305)373-KIDS (5437) or visit www.miamichildrensmuseum.org.

About Miami Children’s Museum
Founded in 1983, Miami Children’s Museum is dedicated to enriching the lives of all children by fostering a love of learning and enabling children to reach their highest potential. Visitors of all ages are encouraged to play together, learn, imagine and create. The 56,500-square-foot facility includes 14 galleries, classrooms, and a 200-seat auditorium. The museum offers hundreds of bilingual, interactive exhibits; programs and classes, including special needs classes; Subway restaurant; KidSmart educational gift shop and learning materials related to arts, culture, community and communication. To learn more about the museum, please visit our website: www.miamichildrensmuseum.org.
Miami Children’s Museum receives both private and public funding. MCM is sponsored in part by the City of Miami; the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Cultural Affairs Council, the Mayor and the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners; and the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Arts Council.

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation advances journalism in the digital age and invests in the vitality of communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. Knight Foundation focuses on projects that promote informed, engaged communities and lead to transformational change. For more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.

Our Building

Located on Watson Island, our 56,500 square-foot facility was designed by Arquitectonica International, Inc., an award-winning Miami-based architecture and design firm.

Our facility includes 14 galleries, classrooms, parent/teacher resource center, Kid Smart educational gift shop, 200-seat auditorium and Subway restaurant. We offer hundreds of bilingual, interactive exhibits; programs and classes and learning materials related to arts, culture, community and communication.
The building, for and about children, represents the elements of the world - earth, wind, water and fire. A landmark in South Florida, our playful building and magnificent location inspires children and adults.

The History of the Museum

In September 2003, after 12 years of planning, we opened our new $25 million home on Watson Island near Downtown Miami.
Over the past twenty years, we relocated and expanded our space several times in response to public involvement. In the mid-90’s, planning was initiated among community leaders for the construction our very own stand-alone buildinng.
Miami Children’s Museum was established in 1983 as the Miami Youth Museum. Our first home was a 2,000 square foot facility located in a shopping center in West Kendall.
Key Events in the Museum's History

1983 Miami Youth Museum was founded by forethinking community leaders.
1985 The 2,000 square-foot Miami Youth Museum opens in a mall on Sunset Drive. Visitorship is 9,301.
1986 The Museum moves to a 4,000 square-foot facility in South Miami’s Bakery Centre. Visitorship is 10,525.
1987 Visitorship climbs to 18,871. The museum institutes its Community Outreach Program, which reaches 137,100 people.1988 The museum increases its exhibition space by 2,000 square feet and visitorship grows to 26,165. Community outreach is expanded.
1990 The museum enlarges again, by 3,000 square feet and visitorship grows to 35,929. Community outreach serves 899,000 people.
1991 The museum reaches visitor capacity of 47,686, where it remains for five years and the museum receives its first State of Florida Cultural Facilities grant.
1992 The museum’s board plans to build a new facility. A capital campaign is initiated with a $1 million lead gift. The museum receives a prestigious Institute of Museum and Library Services grant.
1994 The museum receives additional State of Florida Cultural Facilities grants, now totaling nearly $2 million and the capital campaign continues to grow.
1996 Pending demolition of the Bakery Centre forces the museum to move temporarily to the Miracle Center as fund raising and planning for the new facility continues.
1996 A careful search and a partnership with Miami Dade County lead the museum’s board to secure a site at the Vizcaya Metro-Rail Station.
1997 The Miami Youth Museum changes its name to Miami Children’s Museum to distinguish it from its precursor and clarify its scope.
2000 Neighborhood opposition and the threat of protracted litigation caused the Board of Directors of Miami Children’s Museum to seek a new site for the building of its community treasure. A Leadership Committee to identify a new site was born, chaired by Alan Potamkin and Norman Braman, which raised $8.2 million by the end of 2000.
2001 The plans to build Miami Children’s Museum on a magnificent waterfront site on Watson Island were finalized.
2002 The State of Florida awarded $500,000 to the museum, bringing funding from the State to $2.4 million dollars. The campaign achieved over 90% of the goal, $16.1 million in the first six months of the year.
2003 The Miami Children’s Museum (MCM) opened in a new 56,500 square foot facility on Watson Island, near Downtown Miami.
2005 We received a grant of $500,000 from the State of Florida Division of Cultural Affairs to support the build-out of our Charter School area, adding a total of 10 new classrooms to our facilities.
2006 In order to accommodate educational classroom programs, the build-out of the facility was completed, adding 10 educational classrooms.