hands on childrens museum

What hands on childrens museum does

Hands On Children's Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating a single interactive children's museum at 414 Jefferson Street NE in Olympia, Washington, serving families, schools, and community groups in the South Sound region. Founded in 1987, the museum features 150 interactive exhibits and outdoor play areas designed for hands-on learning through play, and supplements its core exhibit experience with a diversified portfolio of programs including birthday party packages, summer day camps, a 2026-2027 preschool program, field trips and group visits, sensory-friendly programs, parenting workshops, and recurring events such as the monthly First Friday Night ($3 admission) and the annual Summer Splash! Festival.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer model with multiple revenue streams: general admission tickets, annual Basic and Deluxe memberships (with a current $30 promotional discount), birthday parties and private event rentals, summer camps, field trip bookings, preschool tuition, and donations/grants supporting free and reduced access programs. Online ticket sales are processed through the Blackbaud platform; facility-based walk-in traffic drives the primary distribution channel. The marketing mix spans the museum's website, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and an email newsletter, supplemented by community partnerships with organizations including the Nisqually Indian Tribe, Family Support Center of South Sound, Foundry10, Inspire Olympia, LOTT, South Sound Reading Foundation, NEA, Dolciani Halloran Foundation, and Lucky Eagle Casino.

The museum is governed by a Board of Directors, is privately funded (no venture capital, private equity, or parent company involvement disclosed), and was recognized by South Sound Magazine as the Best Kids' Play Area in 2026. It maintains an active operating status with no disclosed headcount, financial statements, funding rounds, or M&A activity.

Name

hands on childrens museum

Legal name

Hands On Children's Museum

Website

https://hocm.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Hands On Children's Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a single-location interactive children's museum in Olympia, WA, with 150 exhibits serving families, schools, and community groups via admissions, memberships, camps, and educational programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Museum and Informal Education

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
• Interactive educational programs
• Summer camp programs
• Children's party rentals
• Museum membership programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Olympia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. General Admission: Ticket sales for museum entry with pricing varying for general admission, children, seniors, and infants. First Friday nights offer discounted $3 admission.
2. Memberships: Annual membership programs offering unlimited daily admission with discounts on parties, camps, and other offerings. Basic and Deluxe tiers available with $30 promotional discounts.
3. Birthday Parties and Private Events: After-hours party packages and private event rentals including new lower pricing with promotional discounts ($125 off for limited time).
4. Summer Camps: Day camps offered through August with limited availability, providing educational summer programming.
5. Field Trips and Group Visits: Organized group visits including school field trips with educational programming.
6. Preschool Programs: 2026-2027 preschool programming offered in the museum setting.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hands On Children's Museum operates an interactive children's museum in Olympia, Washington featuring 150 hands-on exhibits and outdoor play areas. The museum sells general admission, birthday party and private event rentals, summer day camps, preschool classes (2026-2027), field trips and group visits, sensory-friendly programs, parenting workshops, and annual or recurring events such as First Friday Night ($3 admission) and the Summer Splash! Festival. Annual membership programs (Basic and Deluxe) provide recurring access and discounts across the museum's programming portfolio.

Product overview

Hands On Children's Museum is an interactive children's museum offering a single integrated experience centered around hands-on learning through 150 exhibits and outdoor play areas. The museum provides a portfolio of core offerings including exhibits and outdoor spaces as the primary experience, supplemented by programming such as birthday party packages, summer camps, preschool programs, field trips, sensory-friendly programs, and parenting workshops. Recurring events like First Friday Night and the annual Summer Splash! Festival drive engagement throughout the year. The museum operates on membership, admission, and program fee revenue models, serving families and schools in the Olympia, Washington area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Interactive Museum Exhibits The museum features 150 interactive exhibits and outdoor play areas designed for hands-on learning and creative play experiences for children and families visiting the Olympia location.
• Birthday Party Packages Celebration packages for birthdays, baby showers, and after-hours events with various themed party options booked through the museum.
• Summer Camps Day camps for children offering summer learning and play activities, with 2026 sessions running through August 27 at the Olympia museum.
• Preschool Programs School-in-a-museum early learning program for the 2026-2027 school year, combining curiosity, creativity, and hands-on learning for young children in the museum setting.
• Field Trips and Group Visits Guided museum visits for school groups and organizations with educational programming offered in the museum setting.
• Sensory-Friendly Programs Inclusive programming designed for neurodiverse children and families, including sensory-friendly sessions at the museum.
• Parenting Programs Workshops and support groups for parents including the PowerParenting series and Infant Feeding & Postpartum Support Group, delivered in partnership with the Family Support Center of South Sound.
• First Friday Night Monthly $3 admission event held on the first Friday of every month from 4-8 pm featuring exhibits, activities, and special guests.
• Summer Splash! Festival Annual summer festival with special events, animal encounters, visiting artists, and adventure activities, running June 17 through September 7 at the museum.
• Membership Program Annual membership program with Basic and Deluxe tiers offering unlimited daily admission plus discounts on parties, camps, and other offerings.

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

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Nisqually Indian TribecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresenting partner for Native Storytelling programming, bringing Indigenous storytelling and cultural education to museum visitors through storyteller Itsa Shash performances.
• NEA (National Endowment for the Arts)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSupporting partner for Native Storytelling programming, providing grant funding for cultural programming initiatives.
• Foundry10minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSupport sponsor for First Friday Night events, contributing to affordable community programming.
• Inspire OlympiaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSupport sponsor for First Friday Night events, contributing to community programming access.
• South Sound Reading FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner providing free book giveaways during First Friday Night events to promote literacy.
• LOTTminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner for Water Works activity during First Friday Night, providing educational clean water programming.
• Family Support Center of South SoundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-facilitates parenting programs including infant feeding support groups, postpartum support, and PowerParenting workshops. Provides certified facilitators (Nila Williamson RDN, IBCLC & Emily Stephens MA, LMHC) for family support services.
• Dolciani Halloran FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor for STEAM Studio programming, supporting hands-on science, technology, engineering, art, and math activities.
• Lucky Eagle CasinominorGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting sponsor for Mud Pie Monday and summer nature activities during Summer Splash Festival.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Imagine Children's Museum: Imagine Children's Museum operates a hands-on, play-based children's museum in Everett, Washington. Its regional location, family audience, and exhibit-plus-program model make it closely comparable to Hands On Children's Museum.
• Children's Museum of Tacoma: Children's Museum of Tacoma is a nonprofit children's museum serving families with interactive exhibits and educational programming. It is a particularly relevant regional peer because it serves the same Pacific Northwest family and school-group market.
• KidsQuest Children's Museum: KidsQuest Children's Museum offers hands-on exhibits, classes, and programs for children in Bellevue, Washington. Its interactive museum format and focus on learning through play closely match Hands On's core proposition.

Direct peers

• Brooklyn Children's Museum: Brooklyn Children's Museum is a nonprofit children's museum with interactive exhibits and educational programming. It is a direct national peer based on mission, target audience, exhibits, camps, and community programming.
• Boston Children's Museum: Boston Children's Museum operates interactive exhibits, learning programs, and family experiences. It compares directly through its children's-museum category, nonprofit community mission, and diversified admissions, membership, event, and education offerings.
• Please Touch Museum: Please Touch Museum is a two-site children's museum centered on hands-on exhibits and experiential learning. Its exhibit-led children's entertainment and educational programming are directly comparable, although it operates at greater geographic scale.
• The Strong National Museum of Play: The Strong is a museum dedicated to play, with interactive exhibits, family programs, and learning experiences. It is a strong direct peer on play-based education and visitor engagement, though its collection and national profile are larger.
• Children's Museum of Indianapolis: The Children's Museum of Indianapolis provides interactive exhibits, educational programs, events, and memberships for children and families. It is directly comparable in category and business model, but is a substantially larger established institution.

Broad incumbents

• Oregon Museum of Science and Industry: OMSI is a nonprofit science and technology museum offering hands-on exhibits and educational programming. It overlaps with Hands On's science-focused exhibits and school audience, but serves a broader age range and more subjects.
• Pacific Science Center: Pacific Science Center operates interactive science exhibits, IMAX programming, camps, and educational experiences. It is a broad incumbent comparable in hands-on learning, family attendance, and museum-based programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCqTWO1bdAmww0-BYcFuvtbA
• Facebookfacebook.com/handsonchildrensmuseum
• Instagraminstagram.com/handsonchildrensmuseum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 hands on childrens museum