The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire, overlooking the Cochecho River in downtown Dover, is an award-winning family favorite destination, featuring two floors of hands-on exhibits and activities for kids ages 0–12. The museum, founded in 1983 by parents and educators, is all about hands-on play and discovery.
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Here, learning happens as kids bounce from exhibit to exhibit:
- A Yellow Submarine teaches kids about ocean life and exploration.
- A Little Farmers exhibit lets kids explore farm life and encourages caring for the land and animals.
- The Play Loft features rotating active-play themes like “Bounce” or “The Floor is Lava” that encourage movement.
- In Dinosaur Detectives kids can dig for fossils and learn about the lives of dinosaurs.
- The Pattern Palace invites kids to build and learn with colors, shapes, and patterns.
- Primary Place is a dedicated space for babies and toddlers and features soft puppets, colorful early learning activities, and a toddler-size train table.
- An outdoor seasonal Play Patio lets kids get messy with paint, bubbles, and water.
- A STEAM Innovation Lab challenges young engineers to design, build, and experiment.
These are just a few examples of the fun CMNH has to offer.
The Climber is a new 30-foot-tall light-up climbable sculpture exhibit that will open in October 2026! https://childrens-museum.org/exhibits-2/
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Every year the museum serves over 100,000 kids and adults. Members get free admission year round. Admission is $14.50 for adults and kids over the age of 12 months, and free for kids under 12 months. EBT and WIC cardholders pay $3.50 per person. Veterans and their immediate family members pay half-off admission year round. Active military members and their immediate family members pay half-off admission during the school year and enjoy free admission Armed Forces Day through Labor Day as part of the Blue Star Museums program.
The museum asks that visitors book their visit online in advance. Hours are Wednesdays through Saturdays, 9am–Noon and 1–4pm, and Tuesdays and Sundays 9am–Noon. Summer hours include an afternoon play session on Tuesdays from 1–4pm.
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Each visit to the museum is a new and fresh experience for your kids! As kids grow and explore the exhibits at their own pace, their favorite experiences will change and grow with them. Plus, the museum offers drop-in programs that are included with museum admission (free for Members), like “Wacky Art Wednesdays” or “Science Fridays,” which can offer new activities and discovery! As the seasons change, the museum offers special theme days and programs that keep every visit fresh:
- When the big kids go back to school in September, the museum hosts Toddlerfest and invites local early learning experts to share resources and opportunities for our youngest visitors.
- Not-so-Spooky Spectacular takes place around Halloween and invites families to visit in costume, try seasonal crafts and a spooky science experiment, and win non-food treats with a themed scavenger hunt!
- Several times throughout the year, the Books Alive program brings popular costumed children’s book characters to the museum for special storytimes and includes crafts and activities inspired by the visiting characters.
- The Teddy Bear Clinic happens every August and is a great way to get kids used to the idea of a doctor’s visit, using their stuffed animals as the patients!
- The first Saturday of every June, the museum takes over the adjacent park for theNH Maker Fest, a chance for local makers to share what they do and for all of us to discover something new!
- The museum also invites local performers, singers, musicians, artists, authors, dancers, and so many more special guests to share their talents with our visitors, all included with museum admission.
Video credit: Children's Museum of New Hampshire
