The Magic House is fun for everyone, from 1 to 101! The museum offers exhibits and activities for visitors of all ages, from adults to teens to toddlers. Infants enjoy For Baby & Me, an exhibit area inspired by nursery rhymes. Preschoolers love A Little Bit of Magic, a learning environment with a Texture Tunnel, Puppet Wall, Sand Play and a wet and wonderful playground, WaterWorks. Children in the elementary grades especially like the Children's Village, a kid-sized community with a market, bank, library, garage and even a fishing pond. Older children enjoy Can You Solve the Mystery?, where they become detectives to solve an art forgery crime; and the Star-Spangled Center, a civic education center with a courtroom, legislative chamber and the Oval Office, where any kid can be president.
Our Mission: The Magic House will engage all children in hands-on learning experiences that encourage experimentation, creativity and the development of problem solving skills within a place of beauty, wonder, joy and magic.
Our Vision: The Magic House will be a leader in providing and advocating hands-on learning for children of all ages and abilities. As the premier children?s museum, it will be a unique, welcoming venue where childhood is protected, nurtured and celebrated.
Our History: The Magic House, a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization, was founded by two St. Louis women, Jody Newman and Barbie Freund, who volunteered three years of their time to create a cultural institution that would be both educational and fun.
To house the region?s first interactive children?s museum, they chose a vacant Victorian mansion in suburban Kirkwood, located in the demographic center of the St. Louis metropolitan area. The house was originally built in 1901 as a private home for the George Lane Edwards family. Mr. Edwards was a managing partner in his family?s brokerage firm, A.G. Edwards & Sons, as well as the first president of the St. Louis Stock Exchange and a director of the 1904 St. Louis World?s Fair. Thanks to the efforts of the founders and the contributions of many St. Louis-area individuals, corporations and foundations, The Magic House opened to the public on October 16, 1979.
The Magic House is fun for everyone, from 1 to 101! The museum offers exhibits and activities for visitors of all ages, from adults to teens to toddlers. Infants enjoy For Baby & Me, an exhibit area inspired by nursery rhymes. Preschoolers love A Little Bit of Magic, a learning environment with a Texture Tunnel, Puppet Wall, Sand Play and a wet and wonderful playground, WaterWorks. Children in the elementary grades especially like the Children's Village, a kid-sized community with a market, bank, library, garage and even a fishing pond. Older children enjoy Can You Solve the Mystery?, where they become detectives to solve an art forgery crime; and the Star-Spangled Center, a civic education center with a courtroom, legislative chamber and the Oval Office, where any kid can be president.
Our Mission: The Magic House will engage all children in hands-on learning experiences that encourage experimentation, creativity and the development of problem solving skills within a place of beauty, wonder, joy and magic.
Our Vision: The Magic House will be a leader in providing and advocating hands-on learning for children of all ages and abilities. As the premier children?s museum, it will be a unique, welcoming venue where childhood is protected, nurtured and celebrated.
Our History: The Magic House, a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization, was founded by two St. Louis women, Jody Newman and Barbie Freund, who volunteered three years of their time to create a cultural institution that would be both educational and fun.
To house the region?s first interactive children?s museum, they chose a vacant Victorian mansion in suburban Kirkwood, located in the demographic center of the St. Louis metropolitan area. The house was originally built in 1901 as a private home for the George Lane Edwards family. Mr. Edwards was a managing partner in his family?s brokerage firm, A.G. Edwards & Sons, as well as the first president of the St. Louis Stock Exchange and a director of the 1904 St. Louis World?s Fair. Thanks to the efforts of the founders and the contributions of many St. Louis-area individuals, corporations and foundations, The Magic House opened to the public on October 16, 1979.
