Betty Brinn Children's Museum planning move to larger location in Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Betty Brinn Children's Museum announced Thursday, Feb. 26 that it plans to relocate to a new home in Milwaukee, with the location expected to be finalized later in the year.

The museum said the new facility would roughly double its current size, adding space for outdoor and rotating exhibits. The current downtown lakefront location has about 10,500 square feet of exhibition space, and the museum's lease with the Milwaukee Art Museum expires in 2032.

According to a Thursday press release, Betty Brinn averages about 170,000 visitors per year and has welcomed more than 4.9 million children and families since opening in 1995. Between 32% and 35% of visitors currently attend through reduced or free admissions, a priority the museum said it plans to maintain at the new location given Milwaukee's 32% child poverty rate.

The move is part of a multi-year master planning process that began in 2025.