50 Years of Learning Through Play
For 50 years, Please Touch Museum has been a place where children and caregivers can explore, imagine, learn, and make memories together.
As we celebrate this milestone, we’re looking back at the moments that brought us here and ahead to the next 50 years of learning through play.
Your Story Is Part of Our Story
We would like to hear what the Museum has meant to you.
Did you visit as a child? Do you bring your own children to the Museum? Is there an exhibit or experience your family still talks about? Do you have a favorite photo, tradition, or Museum memory you’ve held onto through the years?
Share your Please Touch Museum story with us in writing, photos, video, or audio.
Memories from Our Community
Share Your Story
50 Years of Learning Through Play
In 1976, Please Touch Museum opened with a simple but powerful idea: children learn best when they’re encouraged to touch, explore, experiment, and follow their curiosity.
We’ve grown a lot since then, but learning through play remains at the heart of everything we do.
Milestones
1976
Please Touch Museum opens at the Academy of Natural Sciences, welcoming just 25 children at a time.
1983
The museum moves to North 21st Street as its audiences and programming continue to grow.
2008
Please Touch Museum opens in historic Memorial Hall.
2026
Please Touch Museum celebrates 50 years of learning through play.