The rooftop TreeHouse Adventure against a blue sky.
A pioneering leader in learning through play, from Chattanooga to nationwide outreach.
1989
The idea
During discussions at the Hunter Museum of American Art about a children's wing, a bigger vision emerges: an independent children's museum that would help revive downtown Chattanooga.
1995
Doors open
A multi-disciplinary museum using hands-on exhibits to engage children in art, music, science and technology.
2004
Science Theater
The News Channel 9 Science Theater joins the museum, home to the demonstrations school groups still see today.
2005
The waterfront
A major renovation with the city's 21st Century Waterfront Plan brings RiverPlay, the rooftop water exhibit, and Buzz Alley.
2019
Sensory inclusive
First museum in Tennessee to join Museums for All, and certified as a KultureCity Sensory Inclusive organization.
2025
Thirty years
A block party for the 30th birthday: 2,000 attendees, 14 community partners, city, county and state proclamations.
Along the way: six national awards from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, best-practice distinctions from the Association of Children’s Museums, and three straight years as Best Museum and Best Place to Take Kids in Best of Chattanooga.
Creative Discovery Museum acknowledges that it inhabits Indigenous lands. We seek to acknowledge and honor the Tsalaguwetiyi (Cherokee, East), S’atsoyaha (Yuchi), Muscogee Creek, and Shawnee people who inhabited and nurtured the land where we are now located. We aim to show respect to these native groups through ongoing learning and development in our cultural literacy as a museum. Our values include respect and relationships, and we strive to show respect toward and build relationships with all native people.
