Kidsfirst Children

Updated June 11, 2025

## Kidsfirst Children’s Museum (South Bend): hands-on local history for kids at The History Museum

Kidsfirst Children’s Museum is a hands-on children’s area located within The History Museum campus in South Bend, Indiana. The museum describes Kidsfirst as a “hands-on area that engages children in imaginative, interactive experiences.”

### Quick facts
– Name: Kidsfirst Children’s Museum
– Mailing / postal address (The History Museum): 808 W. Washington Street, South Bend, IN 46601
– Main entrance + parking (per museum guidance): 897 W. Thomas Street, South Bend, IN 46601
– Phone (The History Museum): 574-235-9664
– Map coordinates (provided): 41.6748387, -86.2625677

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## What you’ll actually find inside Kidsfirst

Kidsfirst is structured around interactive spaces that interpret early local history—not just with labels, but with child-scaled environments and “do” elements. The Kidsfirst page highlights several core zones:

### Pierre Navarre’s Cabin
Kids can explore Pierre Navarre’s Cabin, named for “the first European to settle permanently in the St. Joseph River Valley.” The cabin setup includes a child-sized dining table, chair, and bed, plus hands-on household items.

### A frontier-era one-room schoolhouse
Next to the cabin is a one-room schoolhouse with hand-crafted furniture. The museum notes that an 1838 map of South Bend and McGuffey Readers can be explored inside.

### Lathrop Taylor’s trading post
Adjacent to the schoolhouse is a trading post connected to Lathrop Taylor, described by the museum as “one of the founding fathers of South Bend” and a fur trader who built a trading post along the St. Joseph River.

### Peter Coleman’s livery stable and farrier shop
Kidsfirst also includes Peter Coleman’s livery stable and farrier shop. The museum describes Peter Coleman as “the first local African American settler,” and notes hands-on elements including a brick forge, a shoeing horse, and a mountable, saddled ‘pony.’

### Chief Leopold Pokagon’s wigwam and a river canoe
The Kidsfirst description also references Chief Leopold Pokagon’s wigwam, and says children can “navigate” the St. Joseph River in a life-sized birch-bark canoe.

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## Accessibility and inclusivity notes

– The museum states that Kidsfirst areas are wheelchair accessible and meet current ADA standards.
– Several Kidsfirst spaces interpret regional history through named individuals and communities, including Peter Coleman (described on the museum’s page as the first local African American settler).
– The Kidsfirst page uses the term “wigwam” when referencing Chief Leopold Pokagon’s structure; the wording here follows the museum’s own description.

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## Hours (and what’s different about Kidsfirst vs. the main museum)

The History Museum posts separate hours for its main museum and for Kidsfirst:

– The History Museum hours: Monday–Saturday 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Sunday Noon–5 p.m. (Eastern Time)
– Kidsfirst hours: Monday–Saturday 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Sunday 12 p.m.–4 p.m.

The museum also notes it is closed on New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.

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## Admission: what the museum publishes (and what to watch for)

The History Museum publishes an Admission Rates page with multiple ticket types (including campus combinations) and also a section labeled “New Admission Rates go into Effect January 1, 2026.”

### “New Admission Rates” section (effective Jan 1, 2026, per the museum page)
– The History Museum: Adult $13, Senior (60+) $11, Youth (under 18) $9, Children under 5 Free, Group (12+) $12 each
– Studebaker National Museum: Adult $13, Senior (60+) $11, Youth (under 18) $9, Children under 5 Free, Group (12+) $12 each
– Both Museums: Adult $20, Senior (60+) $17, Youth (under 18) $14, Children under 5 Free, Group (12+) $12 each

### Museums for All (EBT)
The same page states that The History Museum and Studebaker National Museum participate in Museums for All, and that visitors presenting an EBT card receive free admission to both institutions.

Outdated-data flag: because the admission page contains both older pricing tables and a “new rates effective Jan 1, 2026” section, treat the page as the single source of truth and confirm you’re reading the current section before planning.

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## Getting there: the address to type into GPS, plus parking reality

The museum is explicit about which address works best for navigation:

– Postal address: 808 W. Washington Street, South Bend, IN 46601
– GPS / navigation address for parking lot + main entrance: 897 W. Thomas Street, South Bend, IN 46601

The museum describes parking as:
– A spacious, well-lighted parking area on Thomas Street right outside the front doors, with additional adjacent parking, plus special areas close by for bus parking.

### Practical driving directions (published by the museum)
The museum provides route guidance from:
– I-80/90 Toll Road (Exit 77) via US 33/Bus 31 into downtown (becomes Main Street), then Washington → Chapin → Thomas
– U.S. 31 (south approach) via Bus 31 north to Washington, then Chapin → Thomas
– US 20 bypass (east approach) via Michigan Street exit to downtown, then Washington → Chapin → Thomas
– 31 bypass (west approach) via South Bend Regional Airport exit to Lincolnway West, then Chapin → Thomas

The same page lists approximate mileage from major cities (e.g., Chicago 92, Indianapolis 138, Detroit 218).

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## If you’re building a bigger museum day on the same campus

The History Museum describes itself as a museum campus with a 40,000-square-foot history museum and seven exhibit galleries, and states it was established in 1867. It also says the institution holds over 600,000 artifacts and received American Alliance of Museums accreditation in October 2015.

Two contextual internal reads (if you’re linking within RealJourneyTravels):
– The History Museum Reviews & Ratings: What to Know for Visiting Journey Travels
– South Bend Museum of Art Reviews & Ratings Journey Travels

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Kidsfirst Children

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