Top 8 Children's Museums in Oregon, United States

Specialties A museum's name tells you a lot about what it treasures. You hear the name--art museum, history museum, automobile museum--and you immediately know what you'll find there: objects, rare and wonderful; encounters with the unusual; beauty for beauty's sake. The specifics differ, but in each case, the collection takes center stage. Our name shows what we treasure, too, and it tells you how we're different. We're a museum that doesn't act like a museum because our audience--children and the adults who care for them--is more important to us than anything we collect. Indeed, our audience is the essential component that gives our exhibits meaning. Instead of investing in precious objects, we use familiar materials to craft priceless opportunities for children to learn through play. Our approach is inspired by the early childhood schools of Reggio Emilia, Italy; built on inquiry-based learning strategies; and influenced by a strong image of children as intelligent, creative, and resourceful. History Established in 1946. In 1946 visionary Portlander, Dorothea Lensch, founded the "Junior Museum and Adventure House," as part of Portland Parks and Recreation. Lensch, who served as Portland's recreation director from 1937 to 1972, was particularly dedicated to meeting the needs of Portland's underserved communities. She developed innovative programs for children with special needs and for economically disadvantaged families, a legacy that lives on in our mission and core values. We moved to our current location in Washington Park in 2001, thanks to the incredible efforts of our partners including the Rotary Club of Portland and Portland Parks and Recreation. Our new building, the former home of the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), is five times larger than the one we left behind, allowing us to expand our programs and add a school. In 2014 we completed Outdoor Adventure, opening new kinds of exploration and discovery to our community. We now host over 313,000 visitors every year.

ScienceWorks is a fun, engaging science center where kids and adults can rediscover wonder. The innovative museum features nearly 100 interactive exhibits, an outdoor garden, live science demonstrations and dynamic programs year-round that encourage children and adults to learn about more about various scientific principles. ScienceWorks offers educational programs for students and teachers, as well as public programs including workshops, lectures, birthday parties, summer festivals and science camps.

Kid Time is a hands-on children's museum and discovery space focused on stimulating brain development in young children (ages 0 - 10), providing a fun educational experience, and promoting positive relationships among families. Our mission is to encourage all children to learn and grown through creative play.

Adventure! Children's Museum is an opportunity for kids and their families to have fun adventures and learn to be explorers, artists, and innovators! The museum features several permanent exhibits (Squish! Pacific Northwest Camping; The Big Build; The Art Lab, and more) as well as a rotation of new exhibits. Coming soon: Little Visits Japan and Little Visits UK! New Shakespearean Globe Theatre!

Bunny with a Toolbelt's Window of Wonders is a gallery you enter with your eyes and leave with your mind blown. Illuminated from dawn to midnight, hundreds of tiny critters fill the classic Portland storefront, artfully displayed in a window-oriented landscape. Everything in this tiny street's-eye-view space is made from reclaimed wood.