In 1987, a group of inspired citizens presented the idea of a children’s museum to Lexington mayor Scotty Baesler and future Mayor Pam Miller. With the assistance of Lord Cultural Resources, a consulting firm in Toronto, the city began serious planning for the Lexington Children’s Museum. The site selection committee considered several sites and chose the current location in The Square. Since first opening in 1990, the Museum has hosted over 3 million visitors.
Renamed the Explorium of Lexington in 2005, the facility is a success with both children and adults. Attendance averages 50,000 visitors annually at the Museum itself and in off-site programs. Explorium serves a broad audience from across the state and country, in fact last year there were visitors from 110 of Kentucky’s 120 counties and 47 of the 50 states – not to mention several foreign countries.
Explorium focuses on being a warm, friendly place where families come to learn and play together. We are also dedicated to being a partner and resource for teachers. To further those goals, the Museum has adopted this mission statement:
Explorium of Lexington creates a fun and dynamic hands-on learning environment that inspires imagination and curiosity