Arkansas Museum of Discovery
The Arkansas Museum of Discovery is a children's science and history museum in the heart of the Little Rock River Market.
During a week of celebration in anticipation of the opening of the Clinton Library in November 2004 U.S. Senator John Glenn opened an exhibit on "Space and the Presidency" at the Museum.
In 1927, Julia Burnell (Bernie) Smade Babcock founded the Museum of Natural History and Antiquities, now known as the Museum of Discovery. As the oldest museum in Little Rock, it has done a good job of continuing to educate people of all ages. Originally the museum was on Main Street in a storefront and housed artifacts that had been donated by missionaries. One of the most talked about pieces was the “Head of a Chicago Criminal” which was on display. The museum was given to the City of Little Rock as a Christmas present in 1929 and was moved to the Tower Building of the Little Rock Arsenal in 1942. In 1964 the museum because the Museum of Science and Natural History and the Arkansas Museum of Science and History in 1983. The Museum of Discovery is AAM accredited (American Association of Museums) in 1993 and became a Smithsonian Affiliate in 2003. It is also the center for the Arkansas Discovery Network, a program in affiliation with the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation. 1998 was the year the museum officially became the Museum of Discovery: Arkansas’ Museum of Science and History and reopened in its current location in the River Market District. The museum has both permanent and seasonal exhibits that encourage children to learn using hands-on experiments with electricity, robotics, light and color, anatomy, architecture, and state history.
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Contact Info
500 President Clinton Ave. Suite 150 Little Rock, AR. 72201
Phone: (501) 396-7050 Toll Free: (800) 880-6475 Fax: (501) 396-7054
