the children’s play gallery

What the children’s play gallery does

The Children's Play Gallery is a single-location children's museum operating a 7,500 square foot facility at 126 East Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, overlooking Fowler Lake. Founded in 2007 by Ron and Sarah Sullivan in Delafield, Wisconsin, the gallery was purchased and relocated by Bob and Denise Mantz in June 2013 under the entity Mantz Imagination dba The Children's Play Gallery. As of June 30, 2026, the museum temporarily closed for transfer of ownership to undisclosed new buyers expected to resume operations in late July 2026.

The core offering is a set of more than ten hands-on, themed exhibits designed to support child development and family bonding, including the Art Center, Children's Meadow (for infants and toddlers), International Marketplace & Kitchen, Nature's Nook, Sea to Sky Construction Zone, Ship of Discovery (a two-level ship built by Amish craftsmen), Theatrical Sunshine Play Stage, a rotating Tree House with multiple role-play themes, the Science Discovery Zone, and Imagination Playground foam blocks. The museum operates two daily sessions (morning and afternoon) with a parent or guardian over age 16 required to attend, and accepts walk-ins subject to capacity.

The business earns revenue through per-visit general admission ($16 per child), recurring membership programs (Platinum 12-month at $415, Gold 6-month at $250, Summer membership at $135, and a 15-visit Punch Card at $195), Sunday private birthday parties ($495 for up to 15 children), weekday field trips for groups of 10 or more ($11 per child), and room rentals. Distribution is entirely walk-in/physical at the Oconomowoc location with online reservations via SignUpGenius, supported by minimal digital marketing (a Facebook page, the WordPress website, and a single earned-media feature on Fox 6 Real Milwaukee). The customer base is concentrated in the greater Oconomowoc area, comprising local families with young children, schools/daycares, and special needs families.

Name

the children’s play gallery

Legal name

Mantz Imagination dba The Children's Play Gallery

Website

http://thechildrensplaygallery.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Children's Play Gallery is a 7,500 sq ft children's museum in downtown Oconomowoc, Wisconsin offering hands-on themed exhibits, educational programs, birthday parties, and memberships to local families with young children, currently transitioning ownership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Museum

NAICS

Museums (712110)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s Museums (THAJADAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Kids & Family Learning Workshops (Family Crafts, Junior Maker Classes) (THAJAKAO)

Keywords

• Children's museum exhibits
• Hands-on learning activities
• Birthday party hosting
• Family play experiences
• Educational field trips

Headquarters

HQ city

Oconomowoc

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. General Admission: Per-visit admission charges for children 1 year and older. Adults accompany children free (up to 2 per child). Additional adults charged separately.
2. Membership Programs: Recurring membership revenue from Platinum (12-month), Gold (6-month), Summer, and Punch Card options. Includes all siblings in household.
3. Birthday Parties: Private party bookings on Sundays with set pricing including up to 15 children, staff, decorations, tableware, balloon bouquet, goodie bags, invitations and thank you cards. Additional children and time available at extra cost.
4. Field Trips: Group visits for children (10+) during weekdays at reduced per-child rate. Includes 2-hour time period.
5. Room Rentals: Party room rental during business hours for families wanting to host their own events, with additional session admission fees for guests.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Children's Play Gallery operates a 7,500-square-foot children's museum in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin featuring 10+ interactive themed exhibits designed for hands-on, role-based learning and imaginative play for young children. The venue sells admissions, memberships, birthday parties, school field trips, room rentals, and special events, and explicitly accommodates children with special needs as part of its inclusive play environment.

Product overview

The Children's Play Gallery is a 7,500 square foot children's museum offering hands-on, interactive play exhibits and educational programming. The core offering consists of multiple themed exhibits including the Art Center, Children's Meadow, Marketplace & Kitchen, Nature's Nook, Picnic Place, Sea to Sky Construction Zone, Ship of Discovery, Theatrical Sunshine Play Stage, Tree House, Science Discovery Zone, and Imagination Playground. Additional services include birthday party hosting with private party rooms, membership programs (Platinum, Gold, Summer, Punch Card tiers), field trip bookings, and special seasonal events. The facility operates on an admission-based model with online reservation requirements and requires a parent or caregiver (age 16+) to attend with children.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• General Admission

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Children's Museum of Milwaukee: Operates a children's museum in Wisconsin with hands-on exhibits, admissions, memberships, and field trip programs serving families in the same regional market. Directly comparable operating model and customer base to The Children's Play Gallery, though at significantly larger scale.
• Madison Children's Museum: Wisconsin-based children's museum offering interactive exhibits, educational programming, memberships, and birthday party hosting. Same product category (children's museum) and similar revenue model, with overlapping target market of Wisconsin families.
• Betty Brinn Children's Museum: Children's museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin offering hands-on exhibits, school field trips, memberships, and special events. Directly comparable operating model, customer segments, and Wisconsin geography to The Children's Play Gallery.
• The Magic House: St. Louis-based children's museum with interactive, educational exhibits and hands-on play experiences for young children. Highly comparable product offering and family target market, though in a different geography (regional peer).
• Marbles Kids Museum: Raleigh, NC children's museum combining hands-on exhibits with educational programming, plus birthday parties, memberships, and field trips. Operates the same children's museum business model as The Children's Play Gallery.
• Please Touch Museum: Philadelphia children's museum with hands-on exhibits designed to develop cognitive, creative, and motor skills in young children. Closely matches The Children's Play Gallery's value proposition of 'play is the true work of a child' and its exhibit-driven development thesis.
• KidsQuest Children's Museum: Bellevue, WA children's museum focused on hands-on, interactive exhibits for early childhood development. Comparable size scale and similar exhibit-driven, family-targeted operating model to The Children's Play Gallery.
• Port Discovery Children's Museum: Baltimore-based children's museum providing interactive, educational play experiences, memberships, field trips, and birthday parties. Same product category, customer segments (families, schools), and revenue streams as The Children's Play Gallery.

Broad incumbents

• Boston Children's Museum: One of the oldest and largest children's museums in the U.S., offering hands-on exhibits, memberships, school programs, and events. Same core business but operates at much larger scale with broader regional and tourist draw.
• Children's Museum of Indianapolis: Largest children's museum in the world, offering interactive exhibits, educational programming, and special events. Same operating model and customer base as The Children's Play Gallery but at institutional scale with national tourist appeal.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/thechildrensplaygallery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about the children’s play gallery