Port Discovery Children's Museum

Discoveries Harbour The Children's Museum of Maryland is a nonprofit organization housed in the old Fish Market in the Inner Harbor. It's three stories tall, and it's filled with interactive exhibits and instructional programming. More than 265,000 people visit each year. The museum is geared toward parents and guardians of children under the age of ten.

The first Children's Museum opened in 1976 as a City of Baltimore institution, and it was initially located in the historic Baltimore County building known as The Cloisters. After being donated to the city, the building housed the museum for nearly two decades. In 1990, the Maryland Children's Museum and the Baltimore Children's Museum united to become a single non-profit organization, In Glen Burnie Maryland Children's Museum Foundation. 

The museum's Board of Directors and Mayor of Baltimore Kurt Schmoke have chosen to move it to the city's central business district. The Board of Directors spearheaded a $35 million dollar capital drive that resulted in the Port Discovery Children's Museum moving into the historic Fish Market building in Downtown in December 1998.

In 2019, substantial refurbishment was performed on the structure. It expanded by including a cafeteria and more restrooms, in addition to various new displays. It cost $10.5 million to renovate. The museum doubled as a COVID-19 vaccination clinic for kids in February of 2022. Parents Magazine (2015) and Forbes (2012) both named Port Discovery as one of the best children's museums in the United States.

Port Discovery's work with PACT: Helping Children with Special Needs was recognized in 2009 when the museum was given the Promising Practice Award by the MetLife Foundation and the Association of Children's Museums.

In order to encourage healthy lifestyles among families, Port Discovery was named a "Good to Grow Museum" in January 2011. Out of more than three hundred fifty children's museums in the United States and around the world, they are one of just six to receive this honor. The Association of Children's Museums gave us this honor on a nationwide level. The Port Discovery Children's Museum has reopened, and it's devoted to getting kids excited about learning and having fun.  

The reopening of the Port Discovery Children's Museum is something that CEO and President Bryn Parchman is very happy about. More than ever, children must have opportunities to play. Children learn best via play, but it also helps them deal with emotions, fuels their curiosity, and helps them make sense of the world. The Museum has put quite a lot of thought and preparation into developing a comprehensive reopening plan that centers on new procedures to improve health and safety for both visitors and staff.

The Port Discovery website claims that SkyClimber and other Port activities are great ways for kids to exercise their minds and bodies. The SkyClimber exhibit has a long slide down from the top of a four-story tower, challenging visitors of all ages to climb to the top and back down the way they came. Underwater-themed play space for toddlers and preschoolers. At the Port, kids may learn about the logistics of shipping and the inner workings of ships so that they can imagine themselves in the roles of sailors, engineers, and captains. Check out Thomas A. Dixon Observation Area.

Zide Siegel Tabor & Spigel | ZSTS

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