The Children’s Museum Tucson was founded as the Southwest Children’s Exploratory Center in November 1986 in a small space on Pennington Street. Our founders believed play was an essential part of learning for children. As it grew, it migrated to the Historic Y on University and moved to its current location in the historic Carnegie Library in 1991.

Through all its growth, the Museum never lost sight of the founder’s vision to provide fun, hands-on learning experiences for kids. It now has 17,000 square feet and 13 exhibit areas filled with components that encourage kids to build, create, imagine, explore and discover. This is play-based learning at its best!

In 2015, we expanded with Children’s Museum Oro Valley, a satellite location specially sized for kids ages 0-5. With an Early Childhood Education focus, CMOV’s exhibits and programs are designed to stimulate curiosity and motivate learning through play. Arts-, literacy- and science-based activities help get our small visitors ready for school.