Great River Children's Museum Benefits St. Cloud Families and Downtown Business Owners

This article originally appeared on and was written for City of St. Cloud Economic Development Authority by Golden Shovel Agency.

Great River Children's Museum opened on June 10 and immediately attracted families from across St. Cloud and beyond. In its first month, visitors came from 29 states and the United Kingdom. The wide exhibit areas offer plenty of space for kids to play and explore while learning about the world around them. Most activities are designed to accommodate children from birth to age 10, but kids of all ages can find something fun there.

“Everything has been going well since we opened,” says Cassie Miles, Chief Executive Officer at the Great River Children's Museum. “We’ve been having a lot of fun.”  

Not only do parents and kids have a cool new place to go in St. Cloud, but the museum can provide economic benefits to the downtown area and the community as a whole. Here’s why you should check out the new Children’s Museum if you haven’t already.

Mother holding a child up while the child puts their hand under a plastic cloud which is part of a display about the water cycle

There Are Several Rooms for Kids to Explore

Great River Children’s Museum is three buildings merged into one, making it the largest children’s museum in Minnesota. This means there is plenty of space for kids to explore and try new things. The museum is large enough that kids might not see each exhibit during a single visit, so they can keep learning when they return.

“My favorite exhibit changes based on the learning I see every day,” says Miles.

A Play Team member recently observed a very serious child playing at an exhibit where kids scan packages and sort them based on the countries they should be delivered to. When a package is scanned, a voice says “hello” in each country’s language. Miles learned the child was so focused on the activity because their father was a mailman.

Other popular areas include a 35-foot water table where kids learn about aquatic engineering, a climbing course for older kids, and a nature simulation exhibit that transitions from day to night within 20 minutes. Kids can play during the daytime for a few minutes and then watch the room transition to night, complete with constellations, fireflies, and the sounds of animals walking through the wild. Then the day starts again.

The museum will eventually have temporary exhibitions and sensory playtime for kids who prefer quieter learning environments. There are wellness rooms where kids and adults can step aside if they need a break. These rooms have lower lighting and sensory accessories like fidgets and weighted stuffed animals to help guests find the calm they need.

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