Permanent

Experience the cutting-edge Toy Halls of Fame exhibit and go hands-on with iconic toys beloved by generations—and the people who changed how we play. Displays featuring The Strong’s National Toy Hall of Fame inductees pair with displays highlighting toy industry luminaries recognized by the Toy Association’s Toy Industry Hall of Fame.
National Toy Hall of Fame

Climb the dramatic exhibit staircase and view a gallery of 21 portraits of classic toys, some that move and interact with guests in humorous ways.
Marvel at a […]

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September 13, 2021

A visit to The Strong museum is not complete without a stop in Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden, the only year-round indoor butterfly garden in upstate New York.
Enter the lush rain forest environment and walk among hundreds of brilliantly colored, free-flying tropical and native butterflies that flutter about—and may even land on you! Be sure to visit the chrysalis case and see emerging butterflies.
A paved path leads guests through tropical foliage, a turtle pond, and a cascading waterfall. Take a peek […]

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August 11, 2021

At The Strong’s Wegmans Super Kids Market exhibit, kids run the store! Cruise the aisles and fill a grocery cart with colorful products that look amazingly real. Visit the toddler organic farm, Market Café, and a variety of other highly interactive store environments that offer dramatic role-playing opportunities and encourage healthy eating habits.
Wegmans Super Kids Market is produced by The Strong.
Sponsored by
Support from

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August 11, 2021

The magic of literature comes to life in Reading Adventureland at The Strong museum. The artifact-rich, life-size pop-up book invites guests to laugh, play, learn, and read!
Follow the Yellow Brick Road into five literary landscapes inspired by children’s books.
Each area is a complete and fully-engaging environment in its own right and includes related books that can be read on site or checked out at the museum’s Grada Hopeman Gelser Library self-checkout kiosk, a mini-branch of the Rochester Public Library System.
And […]

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August 11, 2021

Play house, heal a teddy bear, and save the world. Play Pals traces the evolution of dolls, action figures, toy soldiers, and plush animals through three centuries of American history. Encounter rare treasures from The Strong’s collections and role-play, test your reflexes, and create imaginary worlds among hands-on, interactive stations:

Step into a life-size dollhouse complete with kitchen, nursery, garden, and family car (with working ignition, pedals, GPS, and headlights).
Measure, weigh, and test the vital signs of your favorite stuffed animals […]

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August 11, 2021

Immerse yourself in the pops, thumps, and dings of pinball and play your way through more than 80 years of pinball history at the original Pinball Playfields exhibit at The Strong museum. Trace the evolution of the playfield—the surface where the ball ricochets through a maze of lights and obstacles to rack up points—from countertop games of the 1930s to sophisticated, electronic versions that remain popular today.
Produced by The Strong’s International Center for the History of Electronic Games.
Playable machines in […]

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August 11, 2021

In the One History Place exhibit at The Strong museum, children and families can step into the past and experience a glimpse of life as it was a century ago. Amid artifacts and reproductions, guests explore mini-environments and go hands-on with activities reminiscent of an era of days gone by.

Role-play as a teacher or student in a 19th-century, one-room schoolhouse.
Delight in a game of “dress up” with turn-of-the-century clothes in the attic.
Pump water, churn butter, and invite guests to a tea […]

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August 11, 2021

Let your imagination soar! Be an astronaut, rescue pilot, construction worker, actor, and more in The Strong’s original, permanent Imagination Destination exhibit. Role-play in inspiring spaces bursting with physical challenges, such as a rescue helicopter, construction site, rocket ship, and theater.

Jump into the captain’s chair and take command of the bridge on the U.S.S. Strong—a futuristic spaceship replete with lights and sounds reminiscent of favorite science-fiction movies.
Climb into the cockpit of an emergency helicopter with working controls and set off […]

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August 11, 2021

Your turn! Move like a piece on a giant game board through three centuries of American games, puzzles, and public amusements at Game Time! located on The Strong’s second floor. Feast your eyes on oversized toy props; see rare, historic treasures from The Strong’s game and puzzle collections; and jump right in for active hands-on family fun.

Conquer the maze in a jumbo Perplexus, designed especially for The Strong, and compare it to the 1889 original handheld ball maze Pigs in […]

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August 11, 2021

In The Strong’s Field of Play exhibit senses are delighted by interactive and creative-play activities, and hundreds of fascinating artifacts that illustrate the six major elements of play: anticipation, surprise, pleasure, understanding, strength, and poise.
Start with a three-screen multimedia presentation about the importance of play in human learning and creativity, then go hands-on in this one-of-a-kind play laboratory.

Walk through a giant kaleidoscope and create and view your own kaleidoscope patterns.
Use pulleys to power a gigantic overhead ball machine.
“Drive” a drag […]

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August 10, 2021

Dance to music through the decades and cast colorful, moving shadow patterns in DanceLab at The Strong museum. Move your feet to a variety of classic tunes and contemporary hits:

Jump and jive to energetic swing music.
Tap your toes and stomp your feet to popular pop hits.
Groove to classic disco beats.
Do the Twist and kick your feet to the Charleston.
Sing and move along with favorite Sesame Street songs.

DanceLab is produced by The Strong.

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August 10, 2021

Elaine Wilson Carousel
Take a spin on the lovingly restored Elaine Wilson Carousel featuring leaping horses, ponies, a chariot, and whirling tub. Manufactured in 1918 by the Allan Herschell Company in nearby North Tonawanda, New York, the carousel is an exceptional example of a country fair-style machine, built to last—a necessity when traveling from town to town. Rides cost $2 per person per ride.
The carousel is named in honor of the late Elaine P. Wilson in recognition of the Elaine […]

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August 10, 2021