The Children’s Museum of Tampa, Florida area was established in 1986 with the assistance of a wide variety of private and public partners. Neighborhood volunteers were also instrumental in the museum’s establishment. The Children’s Museum of Tampa has been providing its services to the children and families located within the Tampa Bay Area for more than 20 years. The museum began its roots in a small storefront site and presented displays that provided children with a safe atmosphere in which to play and learn. These were the museum’s defining characteristics.
The mission of the Glazer Children’s Museum is to provide children with an experience that is totally interactive, allowing them to learn through play and use their imaginations to bring the countless kid-sized exhibits to life. This is the museum’s primary focus. In the fire station, children can save lives by sliding down a fire pole, learn about commerce and saving money at the bank, and try their hand at design and building by repairing an old house. All of these activities take place inside the fire station.
Both future veterinarians and future sea captains are able to read x-rays and devise treatment strategies for patients, while future sea captains are also able to navigate a ship through a canal. They can investigate a plethora of more adult professions in addition to viewing displays on robots, engineering, oceanography, and international cultures.
Volunteers and paid employees of the museum first started thinking about the next stage of growth in 2003. This was done so that they could better serve the needs of the local community. Following the completion of a feasibility study and the collection of opinions from more than 400 individuals, the city of Tampa’s downtown area has been selected as the location for the brand-new, cutting-edge Kid’s Museum.
After a successful fundraising effort of $22 million, construction on the new building started in March 2009 and was completed in April of the following year. The museum first opened its doors on September 25th, 2010. In honor of the donation of $5 million from the Glazer Family Foundation to the museum, it was given the name Glazer Children’s Museum as a fitting tribute. In its first year of operation, the museum welcomed a total of 250,000 guests, distributed more than 25,000 free admission passes to members of marginalized youth populations, and hosted about 26,000 children for educational events and school field excursions.
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