Minnesota Children’s Museum celebrates 40 years with block party

What better way to celebrate a milestone than to close down the street and invite community kids out to play?

That’s how the Minnesota Children’s Museum marked 40 years of business on Saturday. Ticket prices to play inside the museum were only $1.25, a nod to the original admission prices when the museum first opened its doors in 1981.

Families packed the block on West Seventh Street in St. Paul to enjoy a day of fun, which included a giant blow-up slide, art projects, the Big Orange Dance Machine and jump-roping.

"We just thank the community for being so supportive and really embracing the museum. We’ve served more than 12 million people in our 40 years and we just want to continue to be there for the community to help kids learn and grow through play," said Bob Ingrassia, the museum’s vice president of external relations.

Minnesota Children’s Museum said it’s proud to have been a part of the community for four decades and it’s looking forward to the future of serving Minnesota families.