The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium will host its first-ever Pawspital, a stuffed animal clinic in partnership with local medical providers, on Saturday, Oct. 11. The event is included with general admission or membership and will take place from 9:30 AM – 12 PM in the William Woodward Mississippi River Center. Stuffed animal clinics, also known as teddy bear clinics, are a popular community-engagement event among zoos nationwide. The River Museum is an accredited Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) facility, home to more than 250 species of animals and marine life.
Guests will bring their stuffed animal to the clinic check-in and will be directed to start their checkup with the first available provider. Onsite will be representatives Medical Associates, Home Team Chiropractic, Animal Health Clinic, and Exceptional Dentistry. At each station, the children will assist the providers with their stuffed animal’s checkup. For stuffed animals needing a bit more attention, guests can check in at the Pawspital Emergency Room where a group of volunteers will be at the ready to stitch holes, add stuffing, and provide more hands-on care.
“When our staff began brainstorming this event, the buzz was immediate, and as we started reaching out to partners, they echoed our excitement,” said Emily Adlfinger, Marketing & Communications Manager at the River Museum. “Not only is this a great opportunity to host an impactful event with community partners but the goal of the clinic is to help children feel more comfortable with their own wellness checks in a low-stress environment. For most kids, the River Museum holds positive and fun associations, while a doctor’s office can be more intimidating. Hopefully after this event, when a child goes for their next physical or gets their teeth cleaned, they are less anxious because they recognize these professionals from the care they provided their beloved stuffed animal or doll.”
In conjunction with the event, full price plush in the Museum Stores will be 20% off with a promotional coupon which will be available the day of the event and electronically at rivermuseum.org and on the River Museum’s Facebook page. Guests can bring in their stuffed animal from home or have their new stuffed animal from the Museum Stores given a wellness-check before bringing it home. Guests are asked to limit their checkup to one stuffed animal per person.
The Pawspital also marks the opening of To the Moon: Snoopy Soars with NASA, a traveling exhibition on view at the River Museum from Oct. 11 – April 24, 2026. The exhibition, organized and toured by the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center, Santa Rosa, California, examines the history of Apollo 10 and the Peanuts characters’ role in that flight and in the NASA Manned Flight Awareness safety program.
In To the Moon: Snoopy Soars with NASA, visitors will see Snoopy’s trip to the moon in the March 1969 Peanuts comic strip series (besting NASA’s record by a few months!) and learn about the NASA’s Silver Snoopy Award program. To learn more about this exhibit, visit https://www.rivermuseum.org/exhibits/special-exhibit.
For more information about this event and others happening at the River Museum, visit rivermuseum.org/events.