Delaware Children’s Museum

The First State’s Only Children’s Museum on the Wilmington Riverfront

37,000 Square Feet of STEAM-Powered Learning, Hands-On Play, and Creative Discovery for Kids of All Ages

Right on Wilmington’s Christina Riverfront, in a bright yellow building that is impossible to miss and equally impossible for children to walk past without asking to go inside, the Delaware Children’s Museum is the only museum of its kind in the entire state of Delaware. Since opening in 2010, it has become one of the most visited family attractions in New Castle County — a place designed from the ground up to make learning feel indistinguishable from play.

The Delaware Children’s Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

The museum is closed on Monday and Tuesday.

Holiday Mondays operate on adjusted hours of 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. — always verify holiday schedules at delawarechildrensmuseum.org before visiting.

Admission: $15.00 general admission for all visitors. Members and children under 12 months old are admitted free of charge. Teachers and Military Members enjoy free admission on monthly Community Appreciation Program (CAP) nights (check the event calendar for dates) and during Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Labor Day weekends.

Parking: Free parking is available in Riverfront Lot K, located off Beech Street at Shipyard Drive. GPS users should enter 601 South Madison Street for the lot entrance.

Delaware’s First Museum Built Specifically for Children

When Delaware Children’s Museum opened in October 2010, it filled a genuine gap — Delaware was one of the few states in the region without a dedicated children’s museum. The founders envisioned it not just as a play space, but as a “town square” for Wilmington’s families: a place where children from all backgrounds could share a common experience of discovery, creative thinking, and imaginative play.

The museum was developed in partnership with leading children’s museums from around the country, incorporating design principles and educational frameworks refined over decades at comparable institutions in larger markets. The result is 37,000 square feet of exhibits calibrated for children from toddlers through tweens — with enough depth to keep adults genuinely engaged rather than just patiently supervising.

The educational philosophy centers on STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics — delivered not through worksheets or lectures but through direct, hands-on, child-directed exploration. Every exhibit is designed so that children discover concepts on their own rather than being told about them.

The Exhibits

ECOnnect

One of the museum’s most beloved exhibits, ECOnnect puts children in direct contact with natural systems and ecological concepts through interactive activities. At the centerpiece stream table, kids manipulate water locks, dams, and wind-power elements — exploring hydraulics and fluid dynamics by actually doing so. The exhibit’s Nature Nook features a small aquarium, live animals, and native plant and insect discovery stations.

Structures

An architecture and engineering exhibit where children design, build, and test structures using a variety of materials. Programming in this exhibit connects to careers in construction, architecture, and engineering — making it one of the museum’s strongest STEAM-aligned spaces.

Stratosphere

A 30-foot indoor climbing structure that sends kids skyward through a network of tunnels, platforms, and challenges. Stratosphere is the exhibit that makes parents realize they underestimated how long this visit would take.

Power of Me

A human body exhibit where children explore anatomy, physiology, and physical performance. Giant skeletal puzzles, an Operation-style organ-placement game, and sports-performance stations (including a basketball shooting area tied to Delaware athletics partnerships) keep the content active and competitive.

Training Wheels

A transportation-themed exhibit designed for younger children, using miniature vehicles to develop motor skills, spatial reasoning, and imaginative play centered on movement and transportation.

Bank on It

A financial literacy exhibit where children explore the basics of money management, banking, and economic decision-making — including creating their own printed dollar bills. It’s never too early, apparently.

S.T.E.M. Room

A daily rotating programming space where the museum’s educators run hands-on science experiments and demonstrations covering topics from food science and aeronautical engineering to the digestive system and mechanical physics. The programming changes regularly, so repeat visitors often encounter something new.

Earth Balloon

An inflatable 19-foot globe that accommodates up to 30 participants at a time for immersive presentations about Earth’s systems, geography, and environment. A genuinely unusual experience — not many museums can say they have a walkable planet.

Programs, Events, and Birthday Parties

Beyond the exhibits, DCM maintains a full calendar of programming throughout the year:

• Daily Art Studio programming — open-ended art-making activities for drop-in visitors
• STEM Room daily rotations — hands-on science experiments with museum educators
• Summer camps for school-age children
• Birthday parties — the museum offers dedicated birthday party packages in a unique and memorable setting
• Special ticketed events throughout the year, including themed nights, family game nights, and holiday programming

The museum also hosts school field trip programs aligned with Delaware curriculum standards, serving thousands of students annually from across New Castle County and the surrounding region.

The Wilmington Riverfront Context

The Delaware Children’s Museum sits on the Christina Riverfront alongside the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation, the Frawley Stadium (home of the Wilmington Blue Rocks), Constitution Yards Beer Garden, and a growing collection of restaurants, shops, and outdoor spaces. A family afternoon on the Riverfront can easily combine a museum visit with a waterfront walk, an ice cream stop, and a glimpse of the Kalmar Nyckel tall ship when she is in port — making it one of the most complete family-friendly half-days available in Wilmington without getting back in the car.