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The museum is adjacent to the historic State Museum in downtown (city), an antebellum textile mill building defining the character of the surrounding national historic district and a prime generator of the museum building form and material selection. On the banks of the Congaree River and Columbia Canal, the museum is a terminus point for a 17-mile riverfront walkway and a prominent gatepost into the district from interstate and airport access points.
The visitor experience is an interactive model of early childhood development, where learning occurs in radiating arcs of understanding beginning with the body, and progressing to family, community, world, abstract concepts and beyond. At the heart of that experience sits Eddie, a three-story climbing structure of an anatomically correct child, surrounded by thematic exhibit galleries including BodyWorks, We Are Family, World of Work, Over the Horizon, The Great Outdoors and Mission Imagination.
The 30,000 square feet of interior and exterior educational exhibits are supplemented by classroom and lab spaces to accommodate science, art, music, drama and technology programming, rounded out by administration areas and museum infrastructure for a total of 70,000 square feet.
