Visit
Plan Your Visit
We’re so glad you’re planning a visit to our museum! Located at 100 N. Hamilton Street on Madison’s Capitol Square, our facility offers three floors of exhibits designed for children up to age 12 and the their families, plus The Roman Candle Sparkler cafe (located in our free-admission DeAtley Community Concourse), on-site parking, family bathrooms, and plentiful stroller parking. Please note that our parking decks will be closed in late May 2013, but city lots and street parking are located close to both of our entrances.
Click here for a floor-by-floor tour courtesy of Madison.com.
Visit our Exhibits page for a description of each exhibit area, and our Calendar page to see what activities we’ll have on the day of your visit.
Hours & Schedule
Off-season (between Labor Day & Memorial Day): 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday; closed Mondays
Peak season (between Memorial Day & Labor Day): 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily
Join us for Twilight Wednesdays on the first Wednesday of the month from 5-8 p.m., when admission is free!
Weather closures: The museum will close when Madison Metropolitan School District closes in the event of extreme weather. If extreme weather occurs on a day when school is not in session, the museum will close if travel for museum employees and visitors is deemed risky. On days when the wind chill is dangerously low, museum staff may elect to close its outdoor exhibit areas (Rowland Rooftop Ramble and Brand Log Cabin) at its discretion. This decision will be made based on whether young visitors and museum staff can be safe and comfortable in these exhibit areas. If a special event is scheduled on a day when there is inclement weather, we will make a decision at least several hours before the event and post it on our website and social media pages. Please check our website’s homepage or MCM’s Facebook page to find out if the museum, its exhibits, or special events are closed due to extreme weather.
Please note that the Art Studio and Rooftop Ramble close a half-hour before the rest of the museum closes, and that the Log Cabin has special drop-in hours only on certain days. Visit the Exhibits page and our Calendar for dates and times.
Days when the museum is closed: The museum will be closed on the following dates to observe holidays or other events.
Wonder Ball fundraising gala – Saturday, August 24
Labor Day – Monday, September 2
Fall Maintenance Week – Tuesday, September 3-Friday, September 6
Thanksgiving – Thursday, November 28
Christmas Eve – December 24
Christmas Day – December 25
Admission Rates
- $7.95, adults and children
- $6.95, seniors and grandparents
- $1 per person, Family Access admission (for adults and children utilizing WIC, Head Start, free or reduced school lunch, Birth to 3, SSDI, foster care, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Unemployment Insurance, or most other public assistance programs). Get more information about Access admission here.
- FREE for museum members and children under 1 year old
Directions & Parking
Parking: Paid car parking is available in the museum’s two-level parking lot, with entrances on North Hamilton and East Dayton streets. Simply park and lock your vehicle, then go to the pay station near the museum’s entrance. Rates for the museum’s ramp are as follows:
0-4 hours, $5; 4-10 hours, $10
Overflow car parking is available at the ramp on the corner of North Pinckney and East Dayton streets. Get your ticket validated at the museum’s front desk for a discounted museum visitor hourly rate.
There is ample bike parking at the facility, both outdoors and covered in the lower level parking deck.
MCM is also on the bus line — visit Madison Metro for route and fare information.
Our Gift Shop
MCM’s Gift Shop is located next to the front desk. We regularly restock it with a fun, engaging and educational assortment of toys, books, puzzles, games, and more. We carefully select affordable and unique merchandise and all proceeds help support our mission to create opportunities for children to learn, connect, and grow through interactive play. Stop by our shop on your way in or out and take the fun of MCM home!
Other Tips
Accommodations: Are you from out of town and looking for a place to stay? Visit the Greater Madison Convention & Visitors Bureau website here to search for hotels.
The museum partners with the Madison Concourse Hotel & Governor’s Club on occasional stay-and-play packages. The Double Tree by Hilton is another partner that offers a Double Tree by Hilton Madison Children’s Museum Hotel Package, including museum passes, breakfast, and more.
Group visits: Madison Children’s Museum offers fun, engaging educational programs and activities for children through age 12. We hope you will consider us when planning your field trips for the school year. Our tour programs support the Wisconsin Model Academic Standards. An MCM visit will serve as a nice addition to a State Capitol tour for older elementary students.
To get on the mailing list for our field trip and group visits catalog, click here, or for more information, please call 608.256.6445, ext. 550. We are currently accepting group visit requests for the 2011-12 school year.
Adult-to-child ratio: We have a 1:5 ratio for adults to children at the museum. If you are planning to visit, please make sure you bring enough adults to supervise your group.
Scouting programs: For Girl Scout programs, click here. For Boy Scouts, watch the museum website for more information or call 608.256.6445, ext. 550, to get on the email update list.
