Mid-Hudson Children's Museum

Coordinates: 41°42′31″N 73°56′20″W / 41.70861°N 73.93889°W / 41.70861; -73.93889

Mid-Hudson Children's Museum
West elevation of museum building
Established	1997
Location	75 North Water Street, Poughkeepsie, NY
Type	Children's
Visitor figures	65,409[1]
Director	Ed Glisson
Public transit access	Poughkeepsie, Metro-North Hudson Line
Website	Mid-Hudson Children's Museum Home Page

The Mid-Hudson Children's Museum is located on North Water Street in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. It has been located in a brick building across from the former Innis Dye Works building, a short walk from the Poughkeepsie station on Metro-North's Hudson Line and right on the Hudson River. It has been there since 2002, five years after its 1997 founding.^[2] Before then it had been located in the South Hills Mall.

Its mission is "enlighten minds through a fun and creative learning environment where hands-on experiences spark curiosity, discovery and the joy of exploration".^[2] All exhibits are hands-on, including a play-space model of the human heart, a Hudson River tides water table^[3][4] and models of Leonardo da Vinci's machine. Sponsors include IBM, a major local employer, Texaco and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.^[5]

Representative Maurice Hinchey secured a $200,000 grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services to facilitate the sharing of exhibits between the children's museum and the American Museum of Natural History.^[6] In 2007 the museum acquired the Pavilion, an 8,000-square-foot (740 m²) open-air building nearby. It will host exhibits showing life in the Hudson Valley over different periods of time, stretching back to prehistory. These are scheduled to be open in summer 2009.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Mid-Hudson Children's Museum, 2007 Annual ReportPDF
2. ^ ^{a b} "About Us". Mid-Hudson Children's Museum. http://www.mhcm.org/new/pages/aboutUs.htm. Retrieved May 12, 2009. 
3. ^ "Hudson River Tides Water Play Table". Mid-Hudson Children's Museum. http://www.mhcm.org/new/pages/Exhibits/hrTidesExhibit.htm. Retrieved May 12, 2009. 
4. ^ Picture of heart-model play space
5. ^ "Exhibits". Mid-Hudson Children's Museum. http://www.mhcm.org/new/pages/exhibits.html. Retrieved May 12, 2009. 
6. ^ "Hinchey Announces New Partnership Between Mid-Hudson Children's Museum, American Museum of Natural History & Poughkeepsie City School District; Details Federal Grant For New Exhibits" (Press release). U.S. House of Representatives. September 26, 2005. http://www.house.gov/hinchey/newsroom/press_2005/092605midhudsonchildrensmuseum.html. Retrieved 2009-05-12.