The Strong National Museum of Play

When Rollie Adams, President and CEO of the Strong National Museum of Play, invited me to come to Rochester, NY and see what the museum had to offer I really did not know what to expect. I had been vaguely aware of its existence but really knew little about it.

So, last Friday, as my cab pulled up to the building I was frankly startled at the size of the building and impressed with its architecture. At once both monumental and whimsical, the building promised a lot of content as well as fun and it delivered in spades.

To give you a feel for its size let me give you a few facts:

• It is the only collection based museum in the world devoted solely to the subject of play. In fact it is one of the biggest private history museums of any kind.
• The building encloses approximately 6 ½ acres of floor space.
• Its doll collection is the most comprehensive in the world and its board game collection is said to be the most complete in the United States.
• It houses a working carousel, a ride on train and a 16,000 square foot pop-up book which you can walk through while either staying on or leaving a yellow brick road. 
• If you are hungry you can visit an on-premises Taco Bell, Pizza Hut or Subway serviced by 450 restaurant seats.
• It contains a 300 seat auditorium, a pre-school, two school dining rooms and a branch of the public library.
• Finally, the museum is the home of the “National Toy Hall of Fame.” This Hall of Fame honors great toys so it should not be confused with the “Toy Industry Hall of Fame” which honors great men and women.

In short, the museum is big, it’s important and it’s a place that you and your family will want to visit. I’ll tell you more about why in my next blog.