Join us for
InterActivity 2026 The Fabric of Belonging: Crafting Spaces for Connection and Resilience

 

Registration Now Open
Registration Policies
Hotel & Travel Information

Conference registration rates and discounts are listed below. Please read our Registration Policies, Code of Conduct, and Duty of Care Statement.

Questions? Contact at Registration@ChildrensMuseums.org or 703.224.3100.

ACM partially underwrites registration fees for InterActivity. This support helps offset meeting expenses for you and allows us to keep costs as accessible as possible for attendees. We appreciate your participation and look forward to seeing you in San Diego!

Full Conference Registration
April 21-23, 2026		MemberInternational
Member		NonmemberInternational
Nonmember
     
First-in-Line
October 21–November 12, 2025
Up to a $165 discount off late/onsite registration. Only available to ACM Members and applies to full conference registration only.

Use discount code FIRSTINLINEIA26		$585$585  
Early Bird
October 21, 2025–January 27, 2026
Up to a $125 discount off late/onsite registration depending on membership category.		$625$625$775$775
Regular
January 28–March 24, 2026
Up to a $75 discount off late/onsite registration depending on membership category.		$675$625$825$775
Late/Onsite
March 25–April 23, 2026		$750$625$900$775
One Day Registration
April 22 or 23, 2026		MemberInternational
Member		NonmemberInternational
Nonmember
     
Early Bird
October 21–January 27, 2026
Up to a $100 discount off late/onsite registration depending on membership category.		$340$340$490$490
Regular
January 28–March 24, 2026
Up to a $50 discount off late/onsite registration depending on membership category.		$390$340$540$490
Late
March 25–April 23, 2026		$440$340$590$490
Add-Ons and Special EventsMemberInternational
Member		NonmemberInternational
Nonmember
     
Emerging Museums Pre-Conference$235$235$335$335
Museum CEO and Executive Directors Retreat*$125$125N/AN/A
Evening Event at The New Children’s Museum**$50$50$50$50
Study Tours**$35-$45$35-$45$35-$45$35-$45

*Attendance is limited to CEOs and Executive Directors at ACM member museums.
**Includes transportation.

Conference Add-Ons

Pre-registration is required.  Member $235, Nonmember $335.  Breakfast and lunch are included.

ACM offers the annual Emerging Museums Pre-Conference to share foundational and effective practices of the field with those in the process of starting a children’s museum. The agenda changes each year to keep pace with new trends and insights but always includes perspectives from recently opened children’s museums. This pre-conference is limited to emerging museums and individuals starting a children’s museum. Registration includes breakfast, lunch, and handout materials. 

Pre-registration is required; Member price is $125. Registration includes lunch. Attendance is limited to CEOs and Executive Directors at ACM member museums.

In today’s complex and uncertain environment, effective executive decision-making hinges on having real-time data, sharp insights, and actionable analysis. As a museum leader, having the tools to move beyond guesswork and manage strategically is essential in today’s environment. Recharge and engage with your peers while exploring the most critical issues impacting our field.

Pre-registration is required; tickets are $45. Transportation is included.

Located in the heart of downtown Escondido, about 45 minutes northeast of San Diego, the Children’s Museum of Discovery is a mid-sized museum dedicated to the region’s youngest learners, ages 0–10. With a focus on STREAM, play, and social-emotional learning, CMoD creates inventive early childhood education experiences both onsite and through its Mobile Children’s Museum.

During this study tour, participants will explore exhibits and programs that bring learning to life, including the new Water Ways exhibit, Storytime Inventing (a playful blend of STREAM and literacy), and a visit with Sebastian the desert tortoise. The tour also includes a walk through the Edible Garden and an up-close look at the Mobile Children’s Museum activations. Along the way, the CMoD team will share insights into partnerships and initiatives such as the Access for All program, Sensory Friendly Mornings, the Musical Welcome Garden, and a collaboration with the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians.

Participants will leave with ideas and inspiration for creating inclusive, community-centered spaces that celebrate curiosity, connection, and discovery.

Pre-registration is required; tickets are $35. Transportation is included.

Wes Bruce is the artist behind The Wonder Sound at The New Children’s Museum in San Diego, Adventure Forest at the Children’s Museum of Denver, and numerous large-scale installations across the country. His work transforms spaces into imaginative, immersive environments that invite exploration, play, and connection.

This study tour offers participants a rare opportunity to hear directly from Wes about his creative process and collaborative work with children’s museums. He’ll share how artistic vision shapes visitor experiences and how artists and museums can co-create spaces that resonate deeply with children and families.

Guided by the artist, attendees will tap into their own creativity through hands-on artmaking activities. Along with practical tools and approaches, participants will explore mindfulness and creative strategies that can be adapted to organizations of any size. Participants will leave inspired and equipped with new ideas for integrating art, imagination, and artist partnerships into their own work—whether that means collaborating with artists, deepening visitor engagement, or cultivating creativity within their teams.

Pre-registration is required; tickets are $35. Transportation is included.

Studio X at the Fleet Science Center is a vibrant makerspace designed to spark creativity, collaboration, and innovation for learners of all ages. Located in the Fleet’s gallery space, Studio X provides a flexible environment where visitors can explore hands-on making, prototyping, and design through drop-in activities, facilitated programs, and community partnerships.

During this study tour, Fleet staff will share how Studio X evolved as both a physical space and a program model, highlighting lessons learned from integrating a makerspace into a science museum setting. Discussion will include strategies for developing accessible, inclusive programming, and designing spaces that balance open-ended exploration with structured learning opportunities.

Participants will leave with practical insights into how makerspaces can be adapted to different institutional contexts and communities, as well as inspiration for building creative, visitor-centered learning environments.

Pre-registration is required; tickets are $50. Transportation is included.

The staff, board, and volunteers of The New Children’s Museum (NCM) invite you to An Evening at NCM, a celebration of art, creativity, and community in our beautiful, sustainable building in the heart of downtown San Diego. Surrounded by palm trees and city lights, our contemporary art museum will come alive after hours with delicious bites, local sips, lively performances, and hands-on activities for all to enjoy.

Explore our immersive installations – explore the hoodoos in Odyssey, climb through The Wonder Sound, boogie in the Disco Rainbow Cave, or find a moment of calm in Breathing Room. Experience the colorful, crochet world of Whammock!, a massive climbable structure suspended in the air, and try your hand at a creative artmaking activity. Guests can also tour Artopia: NCM Creative Studios, our newest art space, where creativity comes to life.

Whether you’re crafting your own art piece to take home, dancing to a DJ set, or sipping a signature cocktail under the glow of the museum lights, this evening promises to be one to remember. Join us for a night of wonder, play, and creativity at one of San Diego’s most inspiring cultural spaces.

Pre-registration is required; tickets are $35. Transportation is included.

Artopia: NCM Creative Studios opened in April 2025 as the vibrant centerpiece of The New Children’s Museum’s (NCM) 8,600 sq. ft. expansion project. This dynamic, open studio invites visitors of all ages to dive into hands-on artmaking, putting creativity and exploration at the core of the museum’s mission.

Designed for everyone from toddlers to teens to adults, Artopia expands NCM’s capacity to connect people through contemporary art. It serves as both a creative hub and a cultural anchor for the San Diego community.

During this interactive study tour, ACM participants will explore lessons learned from Artopia’s first year of programming, focusing on how space, systems, and design shape participation and engagement. The Art and Creative Learning Manager and General Manager will share insights, tools, and organizational strategies from across departments—including programming, operations, and marketing—that build rhythm, sustainability, and cohesion into the visitor experience.

Participants will take part in a hands-on art activity, contributing to a collaborative artwork that reflects how Artopia operates as both a studio and a living knowledge lab, where experimentation, reflection, and collaboration help the museum continue to grow.

Full-Time Student Discounts

Full-time students in a degree-granting undergraduate or graduate program qualify for a 50% discount off the registration category they would otherwise fall into (member, nonmember, etc…). Students must fax (703.224.3099) or email (Registration@ChildrensMuseums.org) an official copy of their current course registration and their student id. ACM staff will then provide a discount code for registration. Student rates are not eligible for First-In-Line Discounts.

Take 5! Rebate 

ACM member institutions registering five or more individuals (full-time and part-time staff members, interns, volunteers, board, and trustee members) at the Early Bird, Regular, or Late rates for the full conference will receive a rebate totaling five percent of the institution’s InterActivity registration total. An institution is not required to register its entire group at one time. Additional museum-sponsored individuals that register onsite will count towards the Take 5! Rebate. Individuals who register at the First-in-Line Rate do not qualify for Take 5 and their registration will not count towards the five registrations for Take 5 Rebate. Surcharges, membership dues, pre-conference fees, and ticketed events are not included in calculating the total rebate. ACM’s InterActivity cancellation policy will apply to all Take 5! registrations. A canceled registration that causes an institution to send fewer than five individuals to the full InterActivity conference will void the Take 5! Rebate. The rebate will be issued to the member institution as a check and mailed by June 30, 2026.