Latest News: How Children's Museums are Making an Impact! Final Program Information InterActivity 2009 Theme Statement Hotel and Travel Information Registration Information Exhibitor Yellow Pages InterActivity 2009: Declare Your Impact is supported by grants from: InterActivity 2009 Sponsors: Bittenbender Construction.......Ironworkers' Local Union #401 Explorer Systems, Inc..............MGA Partners Architects Sparks..........K&K Insurance Group Superior Exhibits & Design, Inc............Stradley Ronon Economics Research Associates......Jack Rouse Associates

InterActivity 2009: Declare Your Impact!

Children's museums are one of the fastest growing cultural institutions in the United States. In 1975, there were approximately 38 children's museums. Today, there are more than 300 and there is a combined total of nearly $1 billion in capital campaigns underway. Why? Because children's museums uniquely provide something that has otherwise been missing from communities: a safe, enriching environment that nurtures creativity, play and lifelong learning.

By demonstrating diversity in action, growing healthy families and communities and making the case for the importance of play in the learning lives of infants through adults, children's museums impact entire communities.

Children's museums are helping to revitalize downtown economies; to advocate for afterschool program funding; to restore a child's natural connection to the outdoors; to save art, music, science and history education in the schools; and to ensure that cloud watching and bubble making not become lost art forms. InterActivity 2009 will showcase the many ways children's museums are making an impact. Join ACM in Philadelphia and Declare Your Impact!

InterActivity 2009 Program Committee

Latest News!

Read Samples of How Children's Museums are making an Impact!

Port Discovery Children's Museum (Baltimore, MD) partners with an affiliate of the Kennedy Krieger Institute, PACT: Helping Children with Special Needs. All program evaluation families indicated that their children are more social and are better able to explore restaurants, stores and playgrounds independently. Additionally, the museum is creating a new dialogue with a Healthy Families/Healthy Communities initiative with input from a Healthy Advisory Committee comprised of representatives from the city health department, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, University of Maryland and local pediatricians, resulting in a new exhibit about Healthy Choices in a Convenient World.

Please Touch Museum (Philadelphia, PA) provides access to low-income families through its Family Play Pass Program at local neighborhood libraries and our First Wednesday $2.00 admission program.

Kohl Children's Museum of Greater Chicago (Glenview, IL) developed an Early Childhood Connections outreach program, in which the museum provides elementary school teachers with innovative curriculum and best practices for teaching using a project approach. At the museum, programs and exhibits nurtures a love of learning in young children through play and providing an environment where families can explore and learn together.

Through a comprehensive strategy incorporating exhibits, programs, events and governance, Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose (CA) has increased its attendance from the top 10 Latino zip codes in our area by 20 percent. Additionally, as part of a National Science Foundation grant, Children's Discovery Museum with Randi Korn & Associates, Inc., is conducting a State of the Profession Survey about children's museums and science engagement.

Miami Children's Museum (FL) provides a fun, safe, environment for families filled with informal and formal learning.

The Louisiana Children's Museum (New Orleans) is leading a few significant collaboration efforts that will/are heightening the awareness of early childhood development and its huge impact in our community-growing and moving the potential gain to the long term sustainable health of the community.

National Children's Museum (Washington, DC) is inspiring young people to care about and improve the world by connecting kids with each other and by creating opportunities for engagement.

Young at Art Children's Museum launched an online ArtREACH toolkit that includes information and suggested strategies that children's museums can use to mobilize parents, homeless shelters, school districts and other key community organizations to develop a programs and programming for homeless children.

Children's Museum of Manhattan (NY) developed the "PlayWorks" exhibition, a child-sized, whimsical environment in which children can feed alphabet letters to a talking baby dragon, roll balls on a ball run, play peek-a-boo or make music with a laser harp. The museum also developed a bilingual, online Guide for Families of Children with Disabilities.

The Hawaii Children's Discovery Center (Honolulu) has made an impact on the way parents, teachers and children view learning and the importance of early learning.

Boston Children's Museum (MA) created the KIDS @fterschool program. KIDS @fterschool presents a full year of interdisciplinary activities within a pedagogical framework that teaches educators effective presentation skills, question-asking strategies and other techniques by implementing the activities with their students. KIDS @fterschool is used in all 50 U.S. states and in eight countries around the world. Additionally, the museum is taking a leadership role in the city's school readiness initiative with a new exhibit on school readiness with parents are the target audience.

Children's Museum of Pittsburgh (PA) provides innovative museum experiences that inspire curiosity, creativity and joy.

Long Island Children's Museum (Garden City, NY) is currently developing the online Our Backyard toolkit, which will include information on outdoor exhibit design and materials, educational themes, activity and component suggestions, potential sources of materials, horticulture and climate zone information, resources for gardening and other support, and ideas and lesson plans for educational programs.

Strong National Museum of Play (Rochester, NY) established a National Center for the History of Electronic Games at the museum.

Northwoods Children's Museum (Eagle River, WI) developed a Fun with Fathers monthly program at the museum that to promotes interaction between fathers, grandfathers, and father-figures and their children, as well as a chance to network with other fathers.

Duluth Children's Museum (MN) membership has exploded! Up from 575 households a year ago to more than 1,200 serving 5,300 children and adults, 38 percent from financially stressed households!

Being a green museum, The Children's Museum of the Treasure Coast (Stuart, FL), focuses on outreach programs that are centered around how to be a friend to the environment. The museum is also striving to match a dollar for dollar match of $5000,000 given to it by the Langford Foundation, which will complete the Explorer Wing and Spanish Galleon Exhibit for the museum.

Eureka! The National Children's Museum (Halifax, United Kingdom) is the only large scale children's museum in the United Kingdom and has been taking a key role of spreading the word locally, nationally and regionally of how play and learning make a lasting difference to children's lives.

Portland Children's Museum (OR) created a Center for Children's Learning, which provides original research on how children respond to play environments, sensory experiences and cognitive challenges. Additionally, the museum inspiring educators and families in our community to rethink public school education by focusing on playful inquiry and creativity at the heart of learning

Children's Museum in Oak Lawn's (IL) learning through play experiences are growing and anticipates its new facility will be opening this summer! The museum provide educational experiences based on the Illinois Learning Standards making us a true extension of differentiated classroom learning.

Children's Discovery Museum (Normal, IL) runs a Farmers' Market Foods Infusion Project, which addresses two overarching needs - to support children's emergent literacy with books and to connect families to plentiful, healthy foods at the local farmers' markets.

Chicago Children's Museum (IL) actively works with the Marriott Bridges Program, The Chicago Center for Health and Rehabilitation and the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities to recruit volunteers for its Play for All program. People with disabilities are involved with every facet of Play for All planning, from serving as reviewers on its Position Paper, to providing feedback on exhibit design elements, to conducting staff training and presenting programs.

Garden State Discovery Museum (Cherry Hill, NJ) provides an Open Arms Program for families with children on the autism spectrum and encourages other groups with disabilities to visit the museum by hosting special days and field trips throughout the year. During the school year the museum sees up to 200 children a day through these field trips.

Creative Discovery Museum (Chattanooga, TN) partners with Oak Ridge National Lab and the Department of Energy to teach children about alternative energy sources.

Scientifically accurate dinosaur puppets bring paleontology to life at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles (CA). Its Education & Arts Roundtable has created a Community of school, museum and arts educators.

Children's Museum at La Habra (CA) has grown from an exhibit-oriented space to a people-oriented place. With new evaluation techniques, interactivity beyond-the-gallery family programming, community-based free days and a sense of duty to its members, visitors and supporters, the museum has become a dynamic and engaging haven. The museum received recent national recognition with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the EPA, which helps confirm it's programs and exhibits are at national standard.

With the opening of EdVenture Children's Museum's (Columbia, SC) new outdoor (enclosed) nature exhibit, "Blooming Butterflies" and its participation in "C3" (Communicating Climate Change), the museum is reinforcing the importance of understanding and preserving our environment. EdVenture's goal is to provide children with the opportunity to imagine, discover and understand their world.

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Read InterActivity 2009 Press Releases in the ACM Press Room

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Association of Children's Museums (ACM) has named Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) the 2009 Great Friend to
Kids Award recipient for its longtime commitment to help young people reach their full potential as productive, caring
citizens. The Great Friend to Kids Award is presented annually at ACM's InterActivity conference. The award honors those
who have made significant and outstanding contributions to strengthening education and advancing the interests of children.

Roxanne Spillett, President & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of America, will accept the Great Friend to Kids Award on behalf
of the organization. During the award ceremony, Spillett will provide a keynote address about the recently launched
Impact 2012, a five-year strategic plan that positions BGCA more powerfully than ever as an advocacy organization of
national scope and influence.

For more than 100 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America has been changing and saving young lives, providing hope and opportunity for kids who need them most. Today, some 4,300 Clubs serve some 4.8 million young people through Club membership and community outreach. Known as The Positive Place for Kids, Boys & Girls Clubs can be found all across
the country and on U.S. military bases throughout the world. Clubs provide young people 6-18 years old with guidance-
oriented character development programs conducted by trained, professional staff. In a recent Harris Survey of Club alumni,
57 percent said the Club saved their life. National headquarters are located in Atlanta.

Spillett was selected as one of the "Power 50" by The Non-Profit Times for three consecutive years. She also received the Excellence in National Executive Leadership Award presented by the National Human Services Assembly, an association
of leading nonprofits in the fields of health, human and community development, and human services. In July 2006,
Newsweek cited Spillett and BGCA as one of "15 People Who Make America Great," part of the magazine's annual Giving
Back Awards.

Fifteen years ago green building was just a good idea. Today it's a global movement. In less than five years, the number
of LEED-certified children's museums has gone from zero to more than 10 percent. In a field dedicated to nurturing the
next generation, a children's museum must consider the environmental impact of its building, operations and programs.

Rebecca Flora is Senior Vice-president, Education & Research at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) . Over the past five years, the Council has spearheaded a far-reaching agenda that has cemented its role as a leader in the global sustainability movement.

A cornerstone of that agenda has been the evolution of the internationally recognized LEED Green Building Rating
System through a comprehensive realignment and technical upgrade of all the existing rating systems along with
enhancements to their usability. Additionally USGBC has incorporated aspects that address the unique needs of homes, neighborhoods, schools, hospitals, the retail sector and large property owners, with a special emphasis on LEED for
Existing Buildings Operations and Maintenance, in recognition of the huge need to bring existing buildings up to higher
levels of ongoing performance.

At InterActivity, Flora will address the environmental challenges that confront us, and the crucial role that green building
plays in meeting these challenges. The greening of children's museums is a major opportunity - one that provides for
significant energy savings and natural resource conservation while delivering inarguable health benefits for children,
families and communities.

Greg Mortenson is the cofounder of nonprofit Central Asia Institute, Pennies For Peace, and co-author of New York Times bestseller Three Cups of Tea which has been a # 1 New York Times bestseller for 83 weeks since its January 2007 release,
and was Time Magazine Asia Book of The Year.

Mortenson was born in Minnesota in 1957. He grew up on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (1958 to 1973), where
his father Dempsey, founded Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center a teaching hospital, and his mother, Jerene, started the International School Moshi. He served in the U.S. Army in Germany during the Cold War (1977-1979), where he received the
Army Commendation Medal, and later graduated from the University of South Dakota (1983), and pursued graduate studies in neurophysiology.

On July 24th, 1992, Mortenson's younger sister, Christa, died from a massive seizure after a lifelong struggle with epilepsy
on the eve of a trip to visit Dysersville, Iowa, where the baseball movie, 'Field of Dreams', was filmed in a cornfield. In 1993, to honor his sister's memory, Mortenson climbed Pakistan's K2, the world's second highest mountain in the Karakoram range.

After K2, while recovering in a local village called Korphe, Mortenson met a group of children sitting in the dirt writing with sticks
in the sand, and made a promise to help them build a school. From that rash promise, grew a remarkable humanitarian campaign, in which Mortenson has dedicated his life to promote education, especially for girls, in remote regions of Pakistan
and Afghanistan.

As of 2008, Mortenson has established more than 78 schools in rural and often volatile regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan,
which provide education to more than 28,000 children, including 18,000 girls, where few education opportunities existed before.

Please Touch Museum, ACM's museum host for InterActivity 2009, hosted an opening gala at its new location at the
beautifully restored, historic Memorial Hall in Fairmont Park on Friday, October 3. The grand celebration was complete
with local musicians and performers; cocktails, heavy hors d’oeuvres and delicious desserts; dancing; and free reign for
guests to explore the museum’s exciting new exhibits and magnificently restored building. The public Grand Opening for
Please Touch Museum will be October 18.

Please Touch Museum exhibit and museum highlights include:

Registration Information

Registration Rates

Instructions to Register

There are two ways to register: online and via a paper form.

Instructions to Register via Paper Form

1. Print the registration payment form and the session preference form.

2. Fax or mail both forms to ACM. All checks should be made payable to Association of Children's Museums.

Mail and Fax Registration Payment Options

• No credit card payment options for paper registrations mailed or faxed to ACM.
  

• All checks for InterActivity Early Bird and Advance registration must be received by ACM no later than April 3 .
  

• International Attendees: To pay by wire transfer, please contact ACM at acm@ChildrensMuseums.org.
  

ACM is unable to accept registrations by telephone. ACM is not responsible for payments not received.

Registration Confirmation
An online registration or paper registration form must be submitted for each individual. All registrants will receive an email confirmation of their registration and special events orders from ACM once payment has been received. If confirmation is not received within two weeks of registration, contact ACM at 202-898-1080.

Online Registration Instructions and Payment Options

To Register Yourself:

1. Go to https://members.childrensmuseums.org

2. Click “View and register for InterActivity”

3. Log on using your ACM username and password.

• If you need a logon/password reminder, please email acm@ChildrensMuseums.org.

To Register a Group:

• Each staff member must have an online account with ACM. Attendees of InterActivity 2006, 2007 or 2008
  may already have an account. Staff members who you plan to register can check if they have an account or set
  one up by visiting https://members.childrensmuseums.org and clicking “Log on.”

• Once your staff member(s) have created an account, please allow one business day for ACM to link them with your institutional account and you may then proceed with registering and paying as a group.

• Please note that you are not required to register everyone together as a group to take advantage of the Take 5! Rebate;
  you can register staff either through their individual online accounts or through your institutional account. The advantage
  of registering everyone through the institutional account is that you can pay for all the registrations at once.
  

• To register multiple staff and pay all at once:

  1. Go to https://members.childrensmuseums.org

  2. Click “View and register for InterActivity”

  3. Log on using your ACM username and password. After logging on, choose “Register myself” to register the
     institutional account holder and/or choose “Register someone else” to complete the registration process for
     each staff member in your group.

Online Registration Payment Options

• Individuals and organizations that register online may pay using: Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express or by check via purchase order.

• Payment by check: Upon completing the online registration form, a purchase order invoice will be emailed to the registrant. The individual/organization is expected to pay the amount of the invoice in full, within 30 days of the invoice date; however, online registrations submitted after March 6 are required to submit payment to ACM by April 3.

• Please note that registrations with check payment pending will not be finalized until ACM receives the check. If the invoice is not paid in full within 30 days or by April 3, ACM reserves the right to cancel the registration and release event and/or tour tickets for purchase.
  

Registration Confirmation
An online registration or paper registration form must be submitted for each individual. All registrants will receive an email confirmation of their registration and special events orders from ACM once payment has been received. If confirmation is not received within two weeks of registration, contact ACM at 202-898-1080.

Registration, Transfer & Cancellation Policies

Conference Registration Transfer Policy
Conference registration may be transferred from one individual to another without a fee if an email request is submitted by April 3.

Conference Cancellation Policy
All cancellations must be made in writing to ACM and emailed to ACM. ACM is not responsible for cancellations not received . Please contact ACM at 202-898-1080 to confirm receipt of your written cancellation. Any refunds, based on refund schedule below, will be issued following InterActivity and prior to June 30.

2009 Cancellation Refund Schedule

• Before Feb 15: full refund, less $75 fee
  

• Between Feb 15-Mar 25: 50 percent refund
  

• Between March 26-April 3: 25 percent refund
  

• After April 3: ACM will not issue a refund

Meals Included in Conference Registration

• Emerging Museums Pre-Conference registration includes breakfast, lunch and light hors d’oeuvres and soft drinks at the concluding reception.
  

• Brooklyn Children’s Museum Pre-Conference registration includes catered lunch.
  

• Full, three-day, InterActivity 2009 registration includes the following meal functions: Tuesday, Affinity Breakfasts, Leadership Breakfast and Diversity in Action Breakfast; Wednesday, ACM MarketPlace Breakfast and ACM MarketPlace Lunch; and Thursday, VSA Arts Breakfast and Breakfast Roundtables.
  

• One-day and half-day InterActivity 2009 registration includes all scheduled meal functions on that day.
  

Your conference badge will serve as your ticket to all included meal functions, so remember to wear it at all times.

Ticketed Event and Tour Fees

Tickets are available in advance on a first-come, first-served basis. ACM cannot guarantee the availability of tickets for purchase on-site. Participants are strongly encouraged to purchase special event tickets with their registration. ACM reserves the right to cancel any event due to lack of interest.

ACM will not refund any event or tour purchases unless ACM has canceled the event. Ticketholders that are unable to attend an event/tour have the option to transfer or exchange their ticket.

Ticketed Event and Tour Transfer/Exchange Policy

Requests to transfer a special event or tour ticket from one individual to another should be submitted to ACM by April 3. Please note that it is necessary for ACM to record the transfer to issue a valid ticket, but it is up to the individual to broker the financial transaction with the new ticket holder. Requests to exchange a ticket to a special event or tour for a different special event or tour should be emailed to ACM by April 3, and will be granted if tickets to the desired special event or tour are available. Please note that individuals will be charged the price difference if the replaced ticket is of higher value; however, ACM will not refund the price difference if the replaced ticket is of lesser value.
.

Registration Discounts

Early Bird and Advance Registration Discounts
Early Bird Rate allows individuals to save up to $100 by registering by February 28. Advance Rate allows individuals to save up to $30 by registering by April 3. See the registration rate matrix for a complete list of prices.

ACM Member Discount
ACM members receive a discount on InterActivity registration, as well as a host of other benefits. If you are not currently a member, join ACM now and Save!

Student Registration Rate
To qualify for the student registration rate for InterActivity, an attendee must be a full-time student in a degree-granting program and not a full-time museum employee. Student must fax or mail a copy of his/her current student ID to ACM whether registering online or via a paper form.

Take 5! Rebate
The Take 5! Discount has evolved into a rebate offer. Member institutions sending five or more individuals (full-time and part-time staff members, interns, volunteers, Board and Trustee members) to InterActivity will receive a rebate totaling five percent of the institution's total InterActivity registration fees. Surcharges, membership dues, pre- and post-conference registration fees, tours and ticketed events are not included in calculating the total InterActivity registration fees. The rebate will be issued to the member institution as a check and mailed by June 30. Only full InterActivity registration fees paid by the institution count toward the Take 5! Rebate offer. Institutions are not required to register all of its group at one time. Institutions may register additional museum-sponsored individuals online through April 3, and on-site to qualify for the Take 5! Rebate. ACM's InterActivity cancellation policy will apply to all Take 5! Registrations. A canceled registration that reduces the number of individuals an institution sends to the full InterActivity conference to less than five will void the Take 5! Rebate.

2009 Diversity in Action InterActivity Scholarship
Application Deadline: Feb. 6, 2009

The Diversity in Action InterActivity Scholarship provides selected individuals with complimentary registration and evening event tickets at InterActivity 2009. The purpose of the scholarship program is to encourage professional development and retention of museum staff of diverse ethnic backgrounds. Individuals employed for at least one year at an international or U.S. ACM member children's museum that is in good standing are eligible to apply for a scholarship. Additional eligibility requirements are listed in the application. Apply now online.

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Award, Recognition & Scholarship Opportunities

2009 MetLife Foundation and Association of Children's Museums Promising Practice Award

Who: Nonprofit ACM U.S. children's museums members that are in good standing are eligible for this award.

What: Measurable impact is the theme for the 2009 Award. Children's museums that can demonstrate how its innovative program, exhibit and/or management practice has impacted the health, diversity or play of children, families and/or communities through measurable evaluation will be recognized for the 2009 Award. A maximum of three cash awards totaling $20,000 will be presented to selected museums. One of the awards is designated for a small museum with an annual budget of $499,999 or less. Awards presented at InterActivity 2009 in Philadelphia, PA.

How: Apply online

Deadline: Feb 6, 2009

2009 MetLife Foundation and Association of Children's Museums Promising Practice Replication Award

Who: The award competition is open to prior cash award recipients of the Promising Practice Award that are voting members in good standing with the ACM. Prior recipients of the Replication Award are not eligible to apply for the same practice.

What: The Promising Practice Replication Award, a cash award of $10,000, will be given to a museum previously honored with the Promising Practice Award program (1999-2008). The Replication Award winner will be expected to document the program development process and to create a “tool kit” that will enable other museums to replicate the program in their own communities. Awards presented at InterActivity 2009 in Philadelphia, PA.

How: Apply online

Deadline: Feb 6, 2009

Universal Design for Learning Award

Who: Nonprofit ACM U.S. children's museums members that are in good standing are eligible for this award.

What: The award is an innovative collaboration between VSA arts and ACM identifies model programs in children’s museums that demonstrate learning standards for inclusive practice and provide sub-awards and technical assistance to the selected museums to refine and document their practices for dissemination. A maximum of three cash awards totaling $30,000 will be presented to selected museums. Awards presented at InterActivity 2009 in Philadelphia, PA.

How: Apply online

Diversity in Action Showcase

Who: International and U.S. ACM children's museums members that are in good standing are eligible for this recognition.

What: The Diversity in Action Showcase was created to give ACM colleagues a venue to share their current efforts and work in promoting, supporting and celebrating diversity in their institutions as it relates to staff, visitors and/or the community. Looking for ideas of what kinds of programs to submit? See summaries of the 2008 Showcase. Selected models will be shared with the field at InterActivity 2009 in Philadelphia, PA.

How: Apply online

Deadline: March 19 , 2009

2009 Diversity in Action InterActivity Scholarship

Who: Individuals employed for at least one year at an international or U.S. ACM member children's museum that is in good standing are eligible for this award. Additional eligibility requirements are listed in the application.

What: The goals of the scholarship program are to encourage retention and professional development of museum staff of diverse backgrounds. Selected individuals will receive complimentary registration and lodging at InterActivity 2009 in Philadelphia, PA.

How: Apply online

Deadline: Feb 6, 2009

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InterActivity Small Museum Financial Aid Program Application
Sponsored by Jack Rouse Associates

Who: Staff members at open museums with annual budgets under $500,000 are encouraged to apply for financial assistance so that they can participate in InterActivity 2009.

What: The InterActivity Small Museums Financial Aid Program will provide selected individuals with complimentary registration to InterActivity 2009 and tickets to two evening events. Travel to InterActivity and hotel accommodations are the responsibility of the selected recipient.

How: Apply online

Deadline: Feb 6, 2009

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Philadelphia City, Hotel and Travel Information

About Philadelphia
Philadelphia is the largest city in Pennsylvania and the sixth most populous city in the United States. It is the fifth largest metropolitan area and fourth largest urban area by population in the United States, the nation's fourth largest consumer media market as ranked by the Nielsen Media Research, and the 49th most populous city in the world. A commercial, educational, and cultural center, the city was once the second-largest in the British Empire (after London) and the social and geographical center of the original 13 American colonies. During the 18th century, it eclipsed New York City in political and social importance, with Benjamin Franklin taking a large role in Philadelphia's early rise to prominence.

Philadelphia Offers:

• 29 Historic Sites

• 30 Museums

• 16 Outdoor attractions

• 27 Performing Arts Centers
  

The city is known for its hoagies, scrapple, soft pretzels, water ice, and is home to the cheesesteak. Geno's and Pat's, two famed cheesesteak outlets, are located at Philadelphia’s Italian Market.

According to a study prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers, Philadelphia and its surrounding region had the fourth highest GDP among American cities, with a total "city GDP" of $312 billion in 2005. Only New York, Los Angeles and Chicago had higher total economic output levels.

Philadelphia is home to the following “first in America” institutions:

Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau
InterActivity participants are welcome to visit: PhiladelphiaUSA.Travel/Explore for more information on the city as well as a list of
restaurants/stores that offer discounts to conference attendees.

Weather

Philadelphia falls in the humid subtropical climate zone. Summers are typically hot and muggy, fall and spring are generally mild, and winter is cold. Average temperature that time of year is mid-60’s. While there is no dress code for the conference, most attendees wear business casual attire and are encouraged to dress in layers to be most comfortable.

Hotel Information

Sheraton Philadelphia City Center is just four blocks from the Pennsylvania Convention Center, and in walking distance of Love Park, the Franklin Institute and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and is surrounded by the city’s cultural and corporate headquarters.

Splash around in the indoor pool, rejuvenate with a workout at our fitness center, or lounge on the spacious sun deck. Unwind in one of its newly renovated 759 guest rooms, conduct business with a Wireless High Speed Internet connection, or relax in the famously comfortable Sheraton Sweet Sleeper Bed, and order dinner in.

Reserving Your Hotel Room

New! The conference room rate is $199 $179 per night for a single or double room.

Call 800-325-3535 (toll free) before April 20, 2009, and inform the reservations agent that you are attending
the Association of Children's Museums conference.

You can also book your room online.

Way to Save! Cut hotel expenses in half by sharing a room. Contact ACM if you need help locating a possible roommate

Travel

By Train:
Amtrak services Philadelphia daily and is located on 30th Street (800) 872-7245.
Note: InterActivity participants receive 10 percent discount when booking trip via phone. Reference X06V-950. "

By Plane:
Philadelphia International Airport: The Sheraton is 12 miles from the Philadelphia International Airport. The cost of a cab from the airport to the hotel is approximately $32.00 and should take 25-30 min depending on traffic.

By Car
InterActivity participants receive 5 percent discount when renting from Enterprise Car Rental.

Taxi Services:

• All City Taxi – 215-467-6666
  

• City Cab Co – 215-492-6500
  

• J&J Transportation – 215-634-2688
  

• Quaker City Cab – 215-729-5706
  

• United Cab – 215-423-8000

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