Explore Nearby Museums
 Updated: 1/25/2016 
Utica Children's Museum
Utica, New York
Description

The Children's Museum is an educationally enjoyable not-for-profit. Schools, daycares, scouts, families, seniors, tourists interact w/the 100's of hands-on exhibits on our 4 floors for hours of exploring fun! We are the only children's museum adopted by NASA and the Office of Science. The interesting Romanesque Revival exterior remains as imposing as ever, and the charm of the period remains inside with its decoratively paneled central oak staircase, an original glass and wood paneled office, and fourteen foot high ceiling sheathed in fancy pressed tin.

Mission

Our mission is to offer an environment that supports every child?s natural curiosity to learn through hands-on, play-based exploration.

History

One of the oldest children's museum's in the country, we were organized in the October of 1963 by the Junior League. Originally called the Junior Museum of Oneida County, our museum began in the basement of the Utica Public Library. The museum consisted of one exhibit, an Iroquois Longhouse which we still exhibit. The idea of a museum for area children caught on quickly and the museum started to grow. Today we are among one of the oldest children's museums in the country. in July of 1979, the museum was again relocated, this time to its current location in the historic Bagg's Square area. The former John C. Heiber Dry Goods Building, at 311 Main Street, Utica, NY was purchased for $35,000 by borrowing that sum from the Oneida National Bank and Trust Company of Central New York. At this time, the name of the organization was changed to The Children's Museum of History, Natural History, and Science. The five story brick building was constructed at the turn of the century.

Artifact Collections

The Children's Museum of Utica artifacts collection includes Native American, Erie Canal, Central NY history, Dinosaurs and fossils and meteorites, Space, Science, early American history, trains.

Programs

Chartered by the NYS Board of Regents, we offer several educational resource programs for school field trips, scout troops, and visitors. Programs cover dinosaurs and fossils, living science, music appreciation, Native American, NYS history, Science, Space Exploration, Weather, Arts and Crafts.

We offer group and field trip visits, and volunteer docent led tours upon request.

Facilities

We have four floors of interactive exhibits

Governance

Governed by a Board of Directors.

Library

Access: General Public, Students, Members

Appointment required: False

Services
Children's Birthday Parties

Use the Museum for your child’s next celebration! Let us help you plan a memorable time for your child next celebration in a uniquely enjoyable setting. Parties can be scheduled any time that we are open. You provide all of the food, beverages, and decorations. You set-up, decorate, and clean-up the room (we sweep and mop!). We loosely schedule parties from 10:00 – 12:00 noon and 1:00 – 3:00. Feel free to enjoy the Museum as much as you wish, but the room can only be booked for a 2 hour time. PLEASE NOTE: To ensure the safety of our guests, each child must be accompanied by an adult; we are not a drop off facility. For example, a group of 30 would be 15 kids and 15 adults with the birthday child and one parent free. Due to the size of our Birthday Party room, parties are for a maximum of 38 people.

Gift Shop
Event Rental
Restaurant
Group Tours
Address
311 Main Street
Utica, NY 13501
phone: 315-724-6129
e-mail: ebrando@uticacm.org
home page: www.uticacm.org
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Hours of Operation
Wednesday, Friday - Saturday10 AM - 4:30 PM
Thursday10 AM - 6 PM
Museum Type(s)
Children's
Staff
DISCLAIMER
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MUSEUM CONFERENCES

Virginia Association of Museum's 2025 Annual Conference!

March 15 - 18, 2025

Blacksburg, Virginia

Virginia Association of Museum's 2025 Annual Conference!

Saturday, March 15 - Tuesday, March 18, 2025

The Inn at Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Virginia

Hosted by: Virginia Association of Museums

2025 Conference Theme: Looking Back to the Future For the past several years, many museums have been deeply involved in planning programs and events to observe the 250th birthday of the United States of America. While this is certainly an occasion to celebrate, this anniversary also forces us as a society to reckon with ongoing inequities and challenges within the US that go back to its inception. As museums ask their audiences to look to the past to understand the present and shape a better future, perhaps now is a good moment in time for Virginia’s museum community to take pause and look back at its own history. We are excited to see you in Blacksburg in March 2025 as we take a moment in our hectic schedules to take pause and visit our diverse pasts. Let’s uncover and share our histories to build a more resilient Virginia museum community.

Ohio Museum Asociation 2025 Annual Conference - Athens

March 29 - 31, 2025

Athens, Ohio

Ohio Museum Asociation 2025 Annual Conference - Athens

Saturday, March 29 - Monday, March 31, 2025

TBA

Athens, Ohio

Hosted by: Ohio Museums Association

"Innovation: Museums and Reaching our Potential

The heart of innovation is transformation – shaking up our established way of doing things by introducing new methods, new ideas, and new approaches to both obstacles and opportunities

Museums across Ohio are not just adapting, but innovating to reach their full potential and better serve their communities. No matter their role, museum professionals are introducing forward-thinking perspectives and initiating creative solutions to launch the field into a future where museums can remain trusted and relevant community cornerstones

How can your museum stay true to mission and serve your community in new and meaningful ways? How can we as museum professionals meet the challenges of the future with reinvigorated enthusiasm

Join us in Athens, March 29-31 as we explore these topics and more at the 2025 Ohio Museums Association’s Annual Conference: Innovation: Museums and Reaching our Potential.

For more information, please email oma@ohiohistory.org.

North Carolina Museums Council 2025 Annual Conference

March 30 - 31, 2025

Raleigh, North Carolina

North Carolina Museums Council 2025 Annual Conference

Sunday, March 30 - Monday, March 31, 2025

TBA

Raleigh, North Carolina

Hosted by: North Carolina Museums Council

Museums Unwalled: Expanding Horizon

This theme highlights the importance of museums as dynamic entities that engage with communities, foster education, drive cultural change and often go beyond the building itself. By focusing on areas such as community engagement, digital and virtual presence, interdisciplinary collaborations, sustainability, accessibility, and cultural diversity, we aim to provide a comprehensive and enriching experience for all attendees

The primary objective is to provide a platform for museum professionals and others working in the industry to share ideas, best practices, resources and innovative approaches that demonstrate how museums can reach audiences in and beyond our physical spaces. We aim to inspire attendees to think broadly about the potential of their institutions and to foster a spirit of innovation and community engagement.

By facilitating discussions, workshops, and networking opportunities, the conference will empower current and future museum professionals and to expand their impact, embrace new challenges, and create meaningful connections with their audiences and communities.

Arkansas Museums Association 2025 Conference

March 31 - April 3, 2025

Washington, Arkansas

Arkansas Museums Association 2025 Conference

Monday, March 31 - Thursday, April 3, 2025

Historic Washington State Park

Washington, Arkansas

Hosted by: Arkansas Museums Association

"From the Ground Up: Cultivating Essential Skills in Museums

This year, the AMA conference theme is "From the Ground Up: Cultivating Essential Skills in Museums" As museum professionals we learn and use a wide variety of tools and skills every day

The Arkansas Museums Association is planning its 2025 Annual Conference, which will be hosted by Historic Washington State Park on March 31-April 3, 2025.

The goal of the conference is to support and foster the museum community through a mix of speakers as well as workshops, practical and informative presentations, in-depth discussions, and examples of projects and initiatives that are relevant to museums in Arkansas. Arkansas Museum Association members take ownership in the conference experience as presenters, speakers, panelists, facilitators, and workshop leaders.

For more information, please email arkansasmuseums@gmail.com.

New York Museum Association 2025 Conference in Ithaca, NY

April 5 - 8, 2025

Ithaca, New York

New York Museum Association 2025 Conference in Ithaca, NY

Saturday, April 5 - Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Ithaca Downtown Conference Center

Ithaca, New York

Hosted by: Museum Association of New York

Cultivating Community: Looking In, Reaching Ou

Who are the members of our communities? How can we evaluate our internal structures to help us better understand our organization, define our audiences, and serve our communities? How do we bring all communities together to support our field? How can we support and develop our internal community of staff, volunteers, and board members? How can we advocate for funding that meets operational capacity needs and includes equitable staff support? What changes do we need to make to prioritize the health and well-being of our museum workforce that will support the longevity and sustainability of our institutions and strengthen our ability to build meaningful community relationships

MANY presents conference sessions, workshops, panel discussions, facilitated discussions, and peer-to-peer learning experiences focusing on our 2025 conference theme, Cultivating Community: Looking In, Reaching Out. We will be gathering in Ithaca, in the Southern Tier Region of our state, located on the traditional homelands of the Gayogo̱hó:nǫɁ (the Cayuga Nation)

MANY’s annual conference helps museum professionals build a network to share perspectives, tools, and skills that develop excellence across the field. Our goal is to nurture a community of practice, advance institutional change, and create an inclusive and expansive New York team of collaborators who learn together.

view all conferences
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