Welcome to the Children’s Hands-On Museum of Tuscaloosa!  CHOM, where children Explore, Create and Discover every time they visit.  When we say “hands-on” we really mean it!  Learning through play is what our exhibits are all about, and you are encouraged to touch, feel and play in our exhibits.  Three floors of fun wait for families and school groups, too.  With 21 exhibits, CHOM offers newborns through age 13 a fabulous place just for them!  Exhibits, special events, holiday celebrations and parties are all waiting at CHOM!

Mission
The Children’s Hands-On Museum is a dynamic learning experience that stimulates curiosity, creativity, and shared discovery in all ages.

History
The Children’s Hands-On Museum is a private, non-profit, community-based organization. The idea for CHOM began in 1984 with a group of children in the Tuscaloosa County Schools’ TARGET program. Their idea gained support from the community, and in 1986, CHOM opened on the University of Alabama campus.  CHOM relocated to downtown Tuscaloosa in November 1988, and it reopened in January 1989.

CHOM’s permanent exhibits were designed to stimulate children’s curiosity about their community and their place in it, and to involve children, parents, teachers, and others in participatory education. Early exhibits included a Choctaw Indian Village; a historical gallery including a general store, a bank, a print shop, and Grandmother’s Attic; a hospital; and a planetarium. Newer exhibits include the replica of the wheelhouse of a towboat; a developmental center for preschoolers called Beavers’ Bend; the Japan House; Central Drug; and the Arts Studio. The most recent additions include Once Upon a Farm, Lil’ Sprouts Farmer’s Market, the Creation Station, a hands-on center for art and creativity and Beyond the Garden Gate.  With the support of the community, the City of Tuscaloosa, the state of Alabama, and the City and County Schools, CHOM has become an established and vital part of the community and is a highly-regarded educational institution and tourist destination.

Field Trips at Children’s Hands-On Museum are AWESOME!
Our ALABAMA COURSE of STUDY Curriculum Based Field Trips are the most exciting in the state! Now in our 25th year, CHOM has long had close ties to education. Thanks to the Tuscaloosa City School System, we continue to create and develop the most innovative field trips that your students will ever have a chance to experience. Our field trips are revised annually to ensure that all remain exciting and have AL C.O.S. Correlations. Highly qualified educators, 21 hands-on exhibits, a separate field trip level with 5 classrooms and a large demonstration area all mean your students participate in true hands-on learning experiences not available in a traditional classroom setting!

Field Trip Basics
Field Trip Admissions effective September 28, 2009:
Tuscaloosa City Schools – $5 per student
Student groups within Tuscaloosa County – $6 per student
Student groups outside of Tuscaloosa County – $7 per student

Exhibits:

Lil’ Sprouts Farmers Market, Captain Tim Parker, Choctaw Indian Village, DCH Health System, Once Upon a Farm, The Arts Studio and much more!

Parties!!!

Enjoy your birthday party at CHOME! Click on the link to get more information: www.chomonline.org/rentals.html