The Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota in Mankato offers hands-on art and science experiences through indoor exhibits such as an interactive quarry, a tree of tree forts, and a vertical wind tunnel, with seasonal farm exhibits outdoors in warmer months. It grew from work begun in 2009 by a group of educators. Before it could open, the project faced major obstacles: floodwaters damaged planned exhibits in the summer of 2014, requiring them to be rebuilt. The site also underwent extensive environmental cleanup with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, including removal of more than 2,500 tons of polluted soil and waste, before the building was made safe for renovation and permanent use.