Strong - National Museum of Play
Encyclopedia
The National Museum of Play, formerly Strong National Museum of Play, is part of The Strong
in Rochester, New York
, USA. Established in 1969 and based initially on the personal collection of Rochester, NY native Margaret Woodbury Strong
, the museum opened to the public in 1982. Since then it has refined and increased its collections (hundreds of thousands of items), and expanded twice, in 1997 and 2006. The museum is now one of five Play Partners of The Strong, which is also home to the National Toy Hall of Fame
, the International Center for the History of Electronic Games
, and the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play, and produces the American Journal of Play.
, the Berenstain Bears
, Reading Adventureland, and the Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden.
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.
The Strong
The Strong is an interactive, collections-based educational institution in Rochester, New York, USA, devoted to the study and exploration of play...
in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, USA. Established in 1969 and based initially on the personal collection of Rochester, NY native Margaret Woodbury Strong
Margaret Woodbury Strong
Margaret Woodbury Strong was an American collector and philanthropist. Strong was an avid collector, especially of toys and her large collection formed the basis for the Strong National Museum of Play.- External links :*...
, the museum opened to the public in 1982. Since then it has refined and increased its collections (hundreds of thousands of items), and expanded twice, in 1997 and 2006. The museum is now one of five Play Partners of The Strong, which is also home to the National Toy Hall of Fame
National Toy Hall of Fame
The National Toy Hall of Fame is an American hall of fame that recognizes the contributions of toys and games that have sustained their popularity for many years...
, the International Center for the History of Electronic Games
National center for the history of electronic games
The International Center for the History of Electronic Games collects, studies, and interprets video games, other electronic games, and related materials and the ways in which electronic games are changing how people play, learn, and connect with each other, including across boundaries of culture...
, and the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play, and produces the American Journal of Play.
Overview
Known originally as the Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum and later simply as the Strong Museum, it became the Strong National Museum of Play in 2006, after completing renovations and an expansion that nearly doubled its size to 282000 square feet (26,198.7 m²). The National Museum of Play is the only collections-based museum anywhere devoted solely to the study of play, and although it is a history museum, it has the interactive characteristics of a children’s museum making it the second largest museum of that type in the United States. The museum includes exhibits that interpret the key elements of play, as well as allow guests to explore the worlds of Sesame StreetSesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
, the Berenstain Bears
Berenstain Bears
The Berenstain Bears is a series of children's books created by Stan and Jan Berenstain. The books feature a family of anthropomorphic bears who generally learn a moral or safety-related lesson in the course of each story...
, Reading Adventureland, and the Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden.
Current exhibits
- eGameRevolution is the first permanent video game exhibit in the U.S.
- Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame StreetSesame StreetSesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
? fosters learning via characters from the television series. - Super Kids Market is a simulated Wegmans supermarketSupermarketA supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
. - Kid to Kid is an exhibit about communication.
- One History Place allows children to experience life as it was a century or more ago.
- TimeLab shows cultural exhibits of United States History.
- American Comic Book Heroes: The Battle of Good Vs. Evil explores superhero play.
- National Toy Hall of FameNational Toy Hall of FameThe National Toy Hall of Fame is an American hall of fame that recognizes the contributions of toys and games that have sustained their popularity for many years...
- 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 butterfliesButterflyA butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
, is the largest indoor butterfly gardenButterfly GardenButterfly Garden is a life simulation game by independent developer Autonomous Productions, revolving around the raising and collecting of butterflies. Initially for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade, the developers have promised there will be a PC version and WiiWare version...
in New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. - Rainbow Reef is a 1700-gallon coral reefCoral reefCoral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
tank. - The Berenstain BearsBerenstain BearsThe Berenstain Bears is a series of children's books created by Stan and Jan Berenstain. The books feature a family of anthropomorphic bears who generally learn a moral or safety-related lesson in the course of each story...
: Down a Sunny Dirt Road opened April 26, 2008. An original, permanent exhibit produced in parternship with the Berenstain familyStan and Jan BerenstainStan and Jan Berenstain were American writers and illustrators best known for creating the children's book series the Berenstain Bears....
.
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 CenterRochester Museum and Science CenterThe Rochester Museum and Science Center, or RMSC, is a museum in Rochester, New York that features many exhibits related to science. These include AdventureZone, the newly expanded Expedition Earth, How Things Work, and other traveling interactive exhibits, in addition to the permanent historical...
. - Making Things Happen was about technology.
- Lady Liberty was an exhibit concerning the Statue of LibertyStatue of LibertyThe Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
. - Art of the Garden was a collection of Margaret Woodbury Strong's garden paintings, accompanied by photographs of Ms. Woodbury Strong herself in her garden in nearby Pittsford, New YorkPittsford (village), New YorkPittsford is a village in Monroe County, New York, United States. The population was 1,418 at the 2000 census. It is named after Pittsford, Vermont, the native town of a founding father....
.
Rides
Each costs one dollar 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 HutPizza Hut
Pizza Hut is an American restaurant chain and international franchise that offers different styles of pizza along with side dishes including pasta, buffalo wings, breadsticks, and garlic bread....
Express, Taco Bell
Taco Bell
Taco Bell is an American chain of fast-food restaurants based in Irvine, California. A subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., which serves American-adapted Mexican food. Taco Bell serves tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, other specialty items, and a variety of "Value Menu" items...
Express, and Subway
Subway (restaurant)
Subway is an American restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. . Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 35,519 restaurants in 98 countries and territories as of October 25th, 2011...
joining the existing "Louie's Sweet Shoppe" ice cream parlor. The museum also houses local chain restaurant Bill Gray's
Bill Gray's
Bill Gray's is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Webster, New York that currently has 15 restaurants opened in the Rochester and Buffalo areas in western New York; six of these locations also sell Abbott's Frozen Custard.In 1938, Bill and Alberta Gray began selling hot dogs in Webster...
inside an old-fashioned trailer-style diner
Diner
A diner, also spelled dinor in western Pennsylvania is a prefabricated restaurant building characteristic of North America, especially in the Midwest, in New York City, in Pennsylvania and in New Jersey, and in other areas of the Northeastern United States, although examples can be found throughout...
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.