EdVenture Childrens Museum

Meet Eddie, the enormous seated figure who anchors the museum, a boy sculpture towering roughly forty feet and often described as the world's largest child. What makes Eddie special is that he is not just to look at, he is to climb through. Children enter and journey inside his body, moving through his stomach, up past his heart, and into his brain, learning how the body's systems work by exploring them from within.

Eddie turns a lesson in human anatomy into an adventure, the kind of exhibit children remember long after they leave. He has become the museum's mascot and its most famous feature, an instantly recognizable landmark that draws families back again and again.

Beyond Eddie, EdVenture fills gallery after gallery with hands-on exhibits designed to let children explore through play. There are miniature versions of the grown-up world, a grocery store, a firehouse, a doctor's office, where kids can try on roles and act out real life. Other areas invite building and engineering, water play, art-making, and simple science experiments.

The whole museum is built on the belief that young children learn best when they can touch, move, and try things for themselves. Exhibits are geared toward preschool and elementary ages, giving families with young children a place where curiosity is not just allowed but encouraged at every turn.

EdVenture shares Columbia's riverfront with the South Carolina State Museum, its neighbor in a former textile mill complex. Together the two make an easy full-day destination for families, with the children's museum for hands-on play and the State Museum for science, art, natural history, and a planetarium under one roof.

The location puts families near the Congaree River and the Three Rivers Greenway, and within a short walk of the Vista, Columbia's warehouse arts and dining district. A morning at EdVenture pairs naturally with a riverside walk or a meal in the Vista, rounding out a family visit to the Midlands capital.

Columbia, the state capital, offers plenty more for families within a short drive. The Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, one of the best-regarded zoos in the region, straddles the Saluda River just across town, and the State House grounds and the University of South Carolina's historic Horseshoe give a sense of the city's history.

For travelers passing through the Midlands, EdVenture is an easy and rewarding stop, especially for families looking to break up a drive with a few hours of hands-on fun. Combined with the riverfront and the zoo, it makes Columbia a genuinely kid-friendly stopover.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.

The EdVenture Children's Museum, in Columbia, South Carolina, is one of the largest children's museums in the Southeast, a lively hands-on museum filled with interactive exhibits designed for children and families. The museum is famous for Eddie, an enormous forty-foot sculpture of a child that visitors can actually climb through and explore, along with themed play and learning areas covering science, health, the world, art, and imagination. Focused on learning through play, it delights young children and families. With its giant Eddie and interactive exhibits, the EdVenture Children's Museum offers an engaging destination in South Carolina.

Eddie is the beloved centerpiece of the EdVenture Children's Museum, an enormous forty-foot-tall sculpture of a seated child, one of the largest such figures in the world, that visitors can actually climb inside and explore, journeying through his body to learn about how the human body works in a fun, hands-on way. Children can climb through Eddie's various parts in an unforgettable, educational adventure. This giant, explorable figure is the museum's signature attraction. Climbing through Eddie is a highlight that makes the EdVenture Children's Museum so memorable for families in Columbia, South Carolina.

Kids can climb through the giant Eddie sculpture to learn about the body, explore hands-on interactive exhibits on science, health, the world, art, and imagination, play in themed areas, experiment and create, and enjoy learning through play across the large museum. The giant Eddie and the variety of interactive exhibits keep children engaged and delighted. It is especially suited to younger and elementary-age children and families. With its giant Eddie and hands-on exhibits, the EdVenture Children's Museum offers a fun and enriching experience for families in Columbia, South Carolina.

As an indoor museum, the EdVenture Children's Museum is enjoyable year-round in any weather, making it an especially great option on hot, cold, or rainy days when families need an active indoor destination, though it can be busier on weekends and school breaks, so weekday visits and mornings tend to be less crowded. Checking current days and hours before you go is wise. Because it is climate-controlled and built for play, the EdVenture Children's Museum makes a reliable family stop any time of year in Columbia, South Carolina.

The EdVenture Children's Museum is in Columbia, South Carolina, near the South Carolina State House, the Congaree Vista district, within reach of Riverbanks Zoo and Garden and the Columbia area. That makes the EdVenture Children's Museum a fun family stop to combine with Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, downtown Columbia, and the other attractions of the Columbia area on a visit to South Carolina.