History

Today, more than 400 children’s museums throughout the United States break the rules of traditional institutions by encouraging visitors to touch, talk, have fun and learn.  In a children’s museum, the audience is most important, not the objects.  The exhibits, however, are catalysts for questions, exploration and discovery and the entire experience is a playground for the mind. 

The Greensboro Children's Museum began with one man’s dream of bringing a children’s museum to Greensboro. Jerry Hyman visited more than 14 children’s museums across the country to gain a better understanding of what distinguishes a children’s museum from other museums.  Hyman was inspired by what he saw and began to share his vision with community leaders in hopes of turning his dream into a reality.

A group of dedicated alumni from the Leadership Greensboro program agreed to serve as the museum’s Steering Committee and began to meet on regular basis. They created a Board of Trustees, hired staff and launched a Capital Campaign to raise the money needed to open.

Three years later after much hard work and dedication, the Greensboro Children’s Museum opened its doors at 220 N. Church St., on May 15, 1999. It was a grand celebration filled with a variety of multi-cultural events, children’s dance ensembles and many other fun festivities.  Since that day, the museum has welcomed over 1,000,000 visitors from all over the U.S. and from many different countries.  Currently the Museum has over 2,000 active members. 

GCM’s VISION FOR THE FUTURE

In late 2006, GCM launched a planning process to consolidate lessons learned from its first decade of delivering interactive learning experiences for children and families in the Greensboro area. 

The result is an Education Plan with a clear vision:   

• To welcome, engage & accommodate children & families from varied backgrounds & experiences

• To promote caring about the natural and material world

• To tap into children’s natural curiosity & imagination

• To engage children in play that encourages them to practice & build foundational skills

• To offer clear opportunities for adults to enrich play and deepen their child’s exploration

Betsy Grant was hired in May, 2007 as Chief Executive Officer to articulate these goals through new exhibits and programs.  Over the last two years, the museum has updated several exhibits including Nonie's house, the Market, The Health Center and Creation Station and built a new train exhibit that opened in May 2009.  In May 2010, the Museum will open its new Edible Schoolyard which will include organic teaching gardens and a kitchen.  A capital campaign will ensue in January 2010.