Children’s Museum coming to Chambers County

In response to the unprecedented growth of Chambers County and many young families moving to the Mont Belvieu and Dayton areas, a group of passionate community leaders has formed a non-profit venture to serve the public via a children’s museum.

“Our children are experiencing their youth in a very different way than we did. New technologies such as streaming TV, smart devices, and video games have made much of our culture’s childhood passive. We want to help combat that by coming alongside our terrific communities, schools, and churches to offer unique experiences that will help ignite kids’ imaginations through the simple concept of play,” states the organization’s founder, Macy Middleton.

The museum will be at the site of the former Thrif-Tee Food Center at 10955 Eagle Drive in Mont Belvieu. The museum board of directors has been working on plans to renovate the space and transform it into an environment suited for kids and families. As visitors enter the museum, they will be welcomed by a “Main Street” filled with various local businesses that will invite kids to step into a world created just for them.

The plans include a kid-sized grocery store, bank, veterinary hospital, fire station, doctor’s office, and more. The museum will also have several permanent exhibits such as a water play area, an architectural zone, and an art studio. It will highlight the major industries in Chambers County with exhibits on oil and gas and rice farming. In addition, it will provide rotating science exhibits, community events, field trips and space for birthday parties. The board of directors envisions the museum offering a wide array of workshops, camps, and programs throughout the year for children and families.

The board of directors for the Museum is a group of community leaders with varying skill sets and backgrounds including Macy Middleton, Ashley Shibley, Jake and Courtney Caylor, Brian and Jessica Ligon, Karla Dean, Josh and Chaysen Wischnewsky, Chris and Ashley Bollich, and Kelli Youngquist. They are all very passionate about early childhood and feel driven to bring “learning through play” to our communities.

A capital campaign has begun to fund the museum and the organization is looking for private donors and corporate sponsors to help fulfill this dream. Those interested in volunteering or donating can learn more by visiting the website chamberscountychildrensmuseum.org or by e-mailing admin@chamberscountychildrensmuseum.org.