Strong National Museum of Play

Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York, USA, is a museum founded in 1982 that documents the history of play in American culture. Based on the personal collection of Margaret Woodbury Strong, the museum is a Smithsonian affiliate. It is also home to the National Toy Hall of Fame.

The museum was called the Strong Museum until July 14, 2006, when the museum reopened under its new name after renovations that nearly doubled its size. It is now the second largest children's museum in the United States, and the only one dedicated specifically to the study of play.

In July 2008 the museum will launch a new interdisciplinary journal dedicated to the study of play. The "American Journal of Play" [http://www.americanjournalofplay.org] is a forum for discussing the history, culture, and psychology of play. The Journal aims to increase awareness and understanding of the role of play in learning and human development and the ways in which play illuminates cultural history. Published quarterly through the University of Illinois Press, the American Journal of Play is intended for educators, psychologists, play therapists, sociologists, anthropologists, folklorists, historians, museum professionals, toy and game designers, policy makers, and others interested in children and the importance of play.

Attractions

Current exhibits

*"Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street?" fosters learning via characters from the television series.
*"Super Kids Market" is a simulated Wegman's supermarket.
*"Kid to Kid" is an exhibit about communication.
*"One History Place" is a replica of an old house.
*"TimeLab" shows cultural exhibits of United States History.
*"Making Radio Waves" is a simulated radio station.
*"National Toy Hall of Fame"
*"Reading Adventureland" is the focal point of the new expansion, featuring five storybook-themed play areas.
*"Field of Play" sparks children's imaginations in a variety of ways.
*"Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden" (extra admission required), with thousands of butterflies, is the largest indoor butterfly garden in New York.
*"Rainbow Reef" is a 900-gallon coral reef tank.
*"Art of the Garden" is a collection of Margaret Woodbury Strong's garden paintings, accompanied by photographs of Ms. Woodbury Strong herself in her garden in nearby Pittsford, New York.
*"The Berenstain Bears: Down a Sunny Dirt Road" opened April 26, 2008. An original, permanent exhibit produced in parternship with the Berenstain family.

Former exhibits

*"Rochester Business Hall of Fame" honors men and women who made Rochester into a prosperous city. Now located at the Rochester Museum and Science Center.
*"Making Things Happen" was about technology.
*"Lady Liberty" was an exhibit concerning the Statue of Liberty.

Rides

Each costs seventy-five cents per ride.
*"Strong Express" is a small-scale indoor train ride.
*"Elaine Wilson Carousel" is a 1918 Allan Herschell Company carousel located in the lobby.

Other

*The Grada Hopeman Gelser Library is located inside the museum and is a branch of the Monroe County Public Library system focusing on children's books and books about the museum's exhibition topics.

Amenities

The expansion adds a food court to the museum, with Pizza Hut Express, Taco Bell Express, and Subway joining the existing "Louie's Sweet Shoppe" ice cream parlor. The museum also houses local chain restaurant Bill Gray's inside an old-fashioned trailer-style diner once known as the Skyliner Diner; the diner building is actually inside the lobby, next to the carousel.

There are now two gift shops, with the one nearest the Butterfly Garden focusing on butterfly-related merchandise.

External links

* [http://www.museumofplay.org/ Strong National Museum of Play® official website]
* [http://affiliations.si.edu/AffiliateDetail.Asp?AffiliateID=82 Smithsonian Affiliations: Strong Museum]
* [http://www.cjsarchitects.com/ Affiliations: Architects]
* [http://www.americanjournalofplay.org/ American Journal of Play offical website]