The Betty Brinn Children's Museum is a non-profit children's museum located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The museum is a "hands-on" exhibit based educational museum primarily targeted for children between the ages of 1 and 10.[1] It includes interactive spaces, such as the grocery store in the "Home Town" exhibit, the space to play in the "Kohl's Healthy Kids: It's Your Move!" and the design workshop in the "Be a Maker (BAM) space."[2]
It is particularly known for its initiatives on supporting maker culture, and it is the host of the annual Milwaukee Maker Faire.[3]
The museum was founded by three women, Therese Binder, Susie Gruenberg and Julie Sattler-Rosene. They raised community funds and were able to open the museum after six years.[4] The official ribbon cutting was on March 30, 1995, and the doors opened to the public on April 4, 1995.[1]
It is named for Betty Brinn, the founder of Managed Health Services.[5] She grew up in over 15 foster homes, so when she became successful, she worked to help low-income women and children get medical insurance and care.[6]
On September 11, 2020, the museum announced plans to relocate to a leased space in Milwaukee Public Museum's new campus along N. Sixth St, between W. McKinley Ave and W. Vliet St. on a site 1 block north of Fiserv Forum. [7] The plans were later dropped in early 2022 due to budget concerns.[8]