Betty Brinn Children's Museum, Milwaukee

The Betty Brinn Children's Museum in Milwaukee is a hands-on, nonprofit educational space designed especially for children ages 1 to 10. Opened in April 1995, the museum was founded by Therese Binder, Susie Gruenberg, and Julie Sattler-Rosene, who spent six years raising the community support needed to bring their vision to life. Its name honors Betty Brinn, a Milwaukee businesswoman who overcame a childhood in foster care to become a healthcare advocate for low-income women and children.

Housed near Milwaukee’s lakefront, the museum offers a variety of interactive exhibits aimed at encouraging school readiness and holistic development. Highlights include the imaginative “Home Town” exhibit with a child-sized grocery store, the “Kohl’s Healthy Kids: It’s Your Move!” active play zone, and the “Be a Maker (BAM) space,” which invites kids to explore design and innovation.

More than just a play space, the museum promotes early literacy, math and science understanding, problem-solving, and social-emotional skills. It also provides resources for caregivers on childhood brain development and parenting approaches. Committed to inclusion, Betty Brinn Children’s Museum offers outreach programs to ensure access for marginalized families, including those with low incomes or disabilities.

While a 2020 plan to move the museum to a shared site with the Milwaukee Public Museum was ultimately canceled due to budget constraints, the institution continues to thrive in its mission. As part of a growing national movement-children’s museums have surged from 38 in 1975 to nearly 350 by 2015-Betty Brinn Children’s Museum stands out as a vibrant learning hub where families of all backgrounds come together to explore, create, and grow.