Great Lakes Children's Museum

What Great Lakes Children's Museum does

Great Lakes Children's Museum is a 501(c)-style non-profit organization operating The Curiosity Place, a hands-on children's museum at Grand Traverse Mall in Traverse City, Michigan, founded in 2000. The museum delivers play-based STEAM learning experiences (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics) for children through interactive exhibits, and is certified by IBCCES as a Certified Autism Center, ensuring accessibility for sensory-sensitive visitors. It serves families with children of all ages, K–5 schools via field trips (minimum 10 students), and summer camp families through a partnership with Northwestern Michigan College for ages 7–10. The museum participates in the Association of Children's Museums Reciprocal Program and has a travel marketing partnership with Kayak to capture tourist traffic.

Name

Great Lakes Children's Museum

Legal name

Great Lakes Children's Museum

Website

https://greatlakeskids.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Museum / Informal Education

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s Museums (THAJADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Kids & Family Learning Workshops (Family Crafts, Junior Maker Classes) (THAJAKAO), Museum & Landmark Guided Tours (Skip-the-line/Docent-led) (THAJAAAC), Museum, Zoo & Attraction Gift Shops (CRALAJAG)

Keywords

• Children's museum
• Hands-on exhibits
• STEAM education
• Children's programs
• Interactive learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Traverse City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. General Admission: Daily admission fees for visitors age 1 and up, with discounted rates for military personnel and free entry for children under age 1.
2. Museum Memberships: Monthly subscription program (Curiosity Club) offering various tiers from $10/month to $100/month, with benefits including newsletter access, exhibit previews, and recognition.
3. Birthday Party Rentals: Reserved party experiences within museum galleries for private celebrations.
4. Summer Camps: Fee-based drop-off exploration camps for kids aged 7-10 featuring STEAM themes, offered in partnership with Northwestern Michigan College.
5. Museum Store (Power of Play Store): In-person retail sales of educational toys, games, and activities. Members receive 10% discount.
6. Special Events: Ticketed special events such as the Spring Family Dance, with admission, crafts, and dinner included.
7. Donations: Charitable donations supporting exhibits and access programs for all kids.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Great Lakes Children's Museum operates The Curiosity Place, a hands-on children's museum featuring interactive exhibits designed for play-based learning. It sells general admission, museum memberships, STEAM-focused summer day camps, school field trips, birthday party rentals, special events, and an on-site retail store. The museum is a non-profit organization serving families and elementary schools in Northern Michigan.

Product overview

The Great Lakes Children's Museum operates The Curiosity Place as its primary offering—a hands-on children's museum featuring interactive exhibits and play-based learning experiences. The museum provides a portfolio of programs including Summer Day Camps (STEAM-focused, ages 7-10, in partnership with Northwestern Michigan College), Field Trips (K-5), Spring Break programming, and Birthday Party rentals. Additional offerings include the Power of Play Store (retail), Museum Membership, and the Curiosity Club monthly donor program. The museum recently expanded with a new location at Grand Traverse Mall.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Curiosity Place: A hands-on educational play space at Grand Traverse Mall featuring interactive exhibits, summer camps, birthday parties, and the Power of Play Store. Also hosts field trip programs for elementary students in grades K-5.

Products and services

• The Curiosity Place Hands-on interactive museum exhibits and educational spaces at Grand Traverse Mall designed for children to explore, imagine, and discover through play-based learning experiences. Target audience is families with children and visiting school groups.
• Summer Day Camps Week-long and single-session day camps for children aged 7-10 featuring STEAM-focused themes with hands-on educational activities, offered in partnership with Northwestern Michigan College (NMC). Registration is handled through NMC's augusoft platform.
• Field Trips Field trip programs designed for elementary students in grades K-5 (minimum 10 students per group), extending classroom learning through engaging museum experiences with hands-on discovery. Booked via email or phone contact.
• Spring Break Moon Adventure Special spring break program for children ages 4+ exploring space themes including moon exploration, rockets, and surviving on the Moon through hands-on activities and challenges.
• Family Dances Special ticketed events featuring crafts, pizza dinner, and dancing for families with children ages 1 and up, serving as fundraisers for the museum. Sponsored by partners such as Michigan Education Trust and Two Sons Pizza.
• Birthday Parties Birthday party rentals offering exclusive use of museum galleries for private celebrations, available for booking at The Curiosity Place.
• Power of Play Store In-person museum store featuring hand-picked educational toys, games, and activities that support the Great Lakes Children's Museum. Includes a Create a Critter machine by My Bear Company. Members receive a 10% discount.
• Museum Membership Annual membership program offering free admission, discounts, and exclusive benefits. Members receive 10% off at the Power of Play Store and reciprocal benefits through the ACM network.
• Curiosity Club Monthly giving program with tiered levels ($10-$100/month) providing supplies, sustaining art programs, supporting STEM outreach, and granting memberships to families in need. Members receive invitations to exclusive exhibit opening events and recognition in the Hands-on Happenings newsletter.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Northwestern Michigan College (NMC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with NMC for summer camp programming. Camps are registered through NMC's augusoft platform, with the museum providing the physical location and curriculum for drop-off exploration camps featuring STEAM themes.
• Association of Children's Museums (ACM)minorOthersParticipates in the ACM Reciprocal Program, allowing members of other children's museums to receive discounted admission.
• Michigan Education TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMichigan Education Trust (MET) sponsored the Spring Family Dance event at the museum.
• KayakminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a travel partner, helping direct tourists and visitors to the Traverse City area to the museum.
• Two Sons PizzaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDonated pizza for the Spring Family Dance event. Provides food as an in-kind donation while gaining visibility at the event.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Northwestern Michigan College: Strategic education partner providing registration infrastructure and co-branding for GLCM summer camps. Relevant ecosystem participant that enables GLCM's program delivery rather than a direct competitor.
• Association of Children's Museums (ACM): Industry association that connects and supports children's museums including GLCM through the Reciprocal Program. Functions as the trade body and network hub for the segment in which GLCM operates.

Broad incumbents

• Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose: Silicon Valley-based children's museum with hands-on exhibits and educational programming. Similar ACM-affiliated mission with substantially greater visitor volume and donor backing.
• Please Touch Museum: Philadelphia children's museum focused on play-based learning for young children. Comparable family audience and hands-on exhibit model, operating at larger urban scale.
• Children's Museum of Houston: Major U.S. children's museum offering STEAM-focused exhibits, school programs, and family events. Comparable play-based learning model with significantly larger scale and funding base.
• Children's Museum of Indianapolis: Largest children's museum in the world, offering exhibits, programming, and learning experiences. Represents the scale benchmark for the children's museum category, though operating at vastly larger scale and resources than GLCM.
• Boston Children's Museum: One of the oldest and largest children's museums in the U.S., with broad hands-on exhibits and educational programming. Comparable mission and ACM Reciprocal membership within the national children's museum ecosystem.

Direct peers

• Grand Rapids Children's Museum: Western Michigan children's museum offering hands-on exhibits and educational programs. Closest geographic peer with overlapping Northern Michigan family audience and similar operational model.
• Impression 5 Science Center: Lansing, Michigan hands-on science center focused on interactive exhibits for children and families. Comparable in mission, exhibit-based learning approach, and regional Michigan market presence.
• Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum: Michigan-based children's museum offering hands-on STEAM exhibits, field trips, and family programming. Most directly comparable regional peer, operating a similar play-based learning model within the same state.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@greatlakeschildrensmuseumt4872
• Facebookfacebook.com/GreatLakesChildrensMuseum
• Instagraminstagram.com/greatlakeschildrensmuseum
• Xx.com/GLChildMus

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Great Lakes Children's Museum