Great River Children's Museum Opens In St. Cloud This June

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- After years of planning, fundraising, and construction, the Great River Children's Museum in downtown St. Cloud is almost ready to open its doors to central Minnesota families.

They will officially open their doors to the public on Tuesday, June 10th.

The museum's Grand Opening Celebration Weekend will be June 20th through the 22nd. The three-day celebration will feature a new activity each day.

Executive Director Cassie Miles says it's been a long journey to get to this point.

If I talk about it too much, I'll get emotional, but it's been five years in the making for me, longer than that for the founding board who have been working at this for over a decade to lay the path to raise the funds. For all of us to get to open the doors together, it's a bonding experience, it's scary, it's exciting.

Great River Children's Museum, photo by WJON.com's Jim Maurice

The museum has also created a new Path to Play Fund.

This new fund will help to remove cost barriers for things like field trips, classes and camps, memberships, and general admission tickets.

Donate

Stearns Bank is matching the first $25,000 in donations.

Anyone who donates $25 or more, or buys a membership before the end of the day on June 2nd, will receive an invitation to the exclusive Member and Donor Preview Days happening from June 3rd through June 8th.

Great River Children's Museum, photo by WJON.com's Jim Maurice

Buying your tickets online

The Great River Children's Museum has partnered with Gearbox Functional Creative in St. Cloud for a new website design. Attendees will need to go to the website to buy their memberships and buy a timed-entry ticket in advance.

Children's Museum Website

Tickets will only be sold online, which will help manage capacity.

Great River Children's Museum, photo by WJON.com's Jim Maurice

Join the Children's Museum team

The Great River Children's Museum is currently looking for Admissions Desk staff and Play Team members.

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The recently hired Dr. Jarrod Hall as the Director of Experience, Nancy Reins and Guest Experience Manager, along with several other Play Team members.

A Community Asset

The Great River Children's Museum will have over 31,000 square feet of space with eight core exhibits. There will also be a rotating exhibit gallery, teaching kitchen and rooftop deck. A community gathering space will be available for workshops, birthday parties, corporate retreats, and other group rentals.

Miles says the museum will provide some impressive visuals for the downtown community.

It's truly an explosion of color in the best way possible. We have lights that can change color in our atrium space with our three story exhibit Climber to the Clouds. It's really the piste resistance when you drive downtown, and you see that lit up at night, it's just gorgeous.

The Great River Children's Museum will be the second-largest children's museum in Minnesota, behind the Minnesota Children's Museum in St. Paul.

Miles says they are estimating about 130,000 people to visit the museum annually.

The museum's hours will be 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, with later hours on Thursdays.

Great River Children's Museum, photo by WJON.com's Jim Maurice