Children's Discovery Museum of the Desert

Who We Are:
The Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert is a private non-profit institution founded in 1986 by a group of concerned citizens who wanted to provide an environment where children’s intellectual curiosity and self-expression could be freely expressed through play. Their goal was to provide inventive and interactive exhibits and programs which encourage children to learn about themselves and the world around them.

What We Do:
Today, The Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert is where youth, families, teachers and the community collaborate and participate in joint projects and partnerships in learning...It is where we celebrate the rich cultural diversity of the Coachella Valley, and broaden understanding and tolerance. More than 20,000 children and their families were served annually by our programs and services before the opening of the new facility. Now statistics show the Museum may serve almost 100,000 per year.

Where We Are:
The Museum’s beautiful 20,000+ square foot complex is located at 71-701 Gerald Ford Drive, Rancho Mirage. The six and a half acre site was donated by The Honorable Walter Annenberg and the Annenberg Foundation and the facilities were built with the donation of public and private funds. Its proximity to Interstate 10 provides excellent access for the Valley’s more than 50,000 school children.

How We Grew:

The Facility:
MGA Partners designed the entire CDMOD complex of buildings. Their award-winning designs are known all over the world. The dramatic angles, curved walls, and floor to ceiling windows are only a few of the special touches created by their superior architects.

Exhibit design and fabrication was developed by Hands On! Inc., a leader in Children's Museums. Hands On! has invented a unique modular display system called a SPLINE which provides for optimum flexibility in retooling and creating new exhibits. This system, plus Hands On! relationship with Great Explorations a Children's Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida where prototypes of all their exhibits are tested, provided the Children's Museum of the Desert with the best in museum exhibit design available today.

The Present:
The Museum added a new Exhibit gallery in the Dinah Shore Center, children's gardens, children's maze, new multi-purpose building, and outdoor play spaces in 2011. In its first thirteen years of operation, the Museum has served over 883,000 visitors; including 95,000 children on school field trips. Summer and Holiday camps, toddler, art, and dance programs, classes, performances, family fun days, birthday parties, Museum store events, and more are held regularly to augment the highly popular Exhibit Galleries.

For more information, please contact Lee Anne Vanderbeck, Executive Director
Phone: 760-321-0602 x 103, Fax: 760-321-1605: 71-701 Gerald Ford Drive, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270. CDMOD is a 501 (c )(3) charity. Tax ID # 33-023-3725.

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	>	Visitor Information
	>	Future Expansion
	>	Annual Report
	>	Privacy Policy

© 2008 Children’s Museum Of The Desert
Phone 760-321-0602 FAX 760-321-1605
71-701 Gerald Ford Drive, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
Privacy Policy, Hours of Operation, Admission and Directions, Membership, Email Updates, Email Updates, cdminfo@cdmod.org