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Children's Museum to build in Rancho Cordova

The Sacramento Children’s Museum has selected a site in Rancho Cordova to build the planned 7,000-square-foot hands-on, interactive center.

The city of Rancho Cordova and the museum board announced Tuesday that the region’s newest family-oriented attraction will locate at 2701 Prospect Park Drive in Rancho Cordova, next to City Hall.


Roebbelen Contracting Inc. is the general contractor and has donated $100,000 in services.

Backers need to raise $1.3 million to open the museum in January. In a month, the museum has raised more than $56,000.

Representatives from the city and the museum “have been negotiating for almost a year, developing the partnership that gave life to the vision of having a children’s museum in Rancho Cordova,” a news release said.

Designed primarily for kids age 8 and younger, the museum will include exhibits that will “encourage children’s imaginations and prompt them to test, tinker, laugh and wonder,” the release said. The museum also will complement the exhibits with special shows, programs and speakers.

“We are pleased and proud to be a partner in this outstanding endeavor that will be a destination attraction, not only for our city but for the entire Sacramento region,” Rancho Cordova Mayor Dan Skoglund said. “Many people have been involved in the creation of what will be a gem for our community. They are to be congratulated for their creativity and tenacity.”

“It is fitting that the Sacramento Children’s Museum has formed a partnership with the city of Rancho Cordova as the museum has made it a priority to celebrate cultural diversity as part of its focus, and the Rancho Cordova encompasses more cultural diversity than almost anywhere else in the greater Sacramento area,” museum president Kathleen Palley said in the release.

Two local teachers who saw a need for inspiring learning through interactivity initiated discussions about a museum. They formed a nonprofit and started developing support.

The Junior League of Sacramento adopted the Children’s Museum as a project in 2006, and started working with the nonprofit toward making the museum a reality.