The Minnesota Children’s Museum has been in its current location since 1995, with major expansions and renovations occurring in 2005 and 2017, and with District Energy providing cooling to the museum since it opened in its current St. Paul location. The 2017 remodel provided the perfect opportunity to expand the services provided by District Energy to include heating and domestic hot water.
The exhibits were designed with the philosophy that open-ended activities give children the space and freedom to explore, putting children and their imaginations in the driver’s seat. Activities without directions or predetermined outcomes encourage kids to figure things out for themselves as they experiment, tinker, and work together. Beyond the joy of free play, the goal is to help kids develop lifelong skills such as creative thinking, confidence, collaboration, and critical thinking.
The Museum has three floors which house 10 permanent exhibits that appeal to children from 6 months to tweens. Most of the exhibits have special areas called “Tot Spots” especially for younger children. A couple of highlights include The Scramble—a 4-story climbing adventure with a 2-story slide, The Studio—a maker space with real tools and authentic materials, and Super Awesome Adventures, which includes a green-screen climbing wall, laser maze, and carpet skate park. Plus there are two outdoor galleries that are open seasonally
District Energy St. Paul is proud to take the worry out of energy production, so that the team at the museum can focus on their visitors having fun. In addition to the museum’s great exhibits, the museum hosts a variety of activites and events including birthday parties, a 21+ event called “Adults @ Play”, and more.