Designated by Congress in 2003, the National Children’s Museum is a nationally recognized cultural and educational institution serving children and families onsite, online, and through national partners and programs. The Museum's mission is to inspire children to care about and improve the world.

The new National Children’s Museum experience for children and families, A Place for Being Me, is scheduled to open in spring of 2013 at Prince George’s County’s National Harbor – a 300-acre, mixed-use waterfront development – to transform the banks of the Potomac into a gateway to the Washington region for kids and families. A Place for Being Me will use an innovative combination of indoor and outdoor spaces to open 75,000 square feet of entertaining and educational experiences. This transitional space is the next stage in the creation of the National Children’s Museum and will offer programs comparable in scope and excellence to the fully completed, Pelli-designed National Children’s Museum.

Building on a 30 year history of service to kids and families as the Capital Children’s Museum, the National Children’s Museum serves a national constituency of 48 million children living in the U.S. The Museum will give all children the opportunity to learn, explore, and connect with opportunities to get involved and make a difference in their community, their country, and their world.

As a Museum Without Walls the National Children’s Museum inspires children from the Washington, D.C. region and across the country through traveling exhibits, programs, and workshops. Opportunities for inspiration, learning, growth, and engagement reach far beyond the walls of the Museum and are involving children and families today.

Projected to attract 600,000 visitors annually, the National Children’s Museum joins National Harbor to transform the banks of the Potomac into a new Gateway to the National Capital Region for kids and families.