The mission of the Family Museum is to inspire, connect and strengthen our community by enriching the lives of children today and expanding their capacities to shape their futures. Annually, more than 160,000 guests visited the Family Museum to play, learn and explore. Visitors spend hours playing in our hands-on exhibit galleries, exploring traveling exhibits like Wild Kratts: Creature Power, and attending special themed
events like Reindeer Days, Noon Year’s Eve, and Spring Break Spectacular.
More important are the connections that happen each day between children, families, volunteers, staff, and people in our community. We are lucky to have the Family Museum in our community and we strive to continue to make a difference in the lives of children.

We are excited to be hosting our annual Adults Only: Night at the Museum Fundraising event on Saturday, April 22nd from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Family Museum.
We are inviting local establishments to showcase their amazing food and drink. Guests will be able to sample these delights as they explore everything the museum has to offer. There will be a live band, a silent auction, and much more. Who says grown-ups can’t play at the Family Museum?

All the proceeds from this event will be used toward the renovation of our 1,800 square foot traveling gallery space. We are seeking items for our silent auction and gift cards for out fun interactive games we play on the night of the big event!

This renovation is set to begin in Winter 2023 and take roughly 4 to 6 months to complete. When finished is it will be an amazing interactive learning and play area, unlike anything our guests have ever experienced! In this renovated space, our young guests will be able to visit the “Lemon & Clunker” auto shop to fix up their car before they embark on an adventure. Guests then pack up their van and hit the road.  There will be a roadside diner, fun roadside attractions, photo ops, a one-of-a-kind lookout point, and a campground where they can sit around a pretend fire and tell spooky stories with friends. 

 Albert Einstein once said, “Play is the highest form of research.”  Cognitive research has shown the important connection between early childhood experiences and intellectual development. The most important time for a brain is when it is young and growing.  To develop the area of the brain responsible for higher-order thinking, children need to have rich experiences that stimulate all their senses. For a child, play is a critical path to those experiences that engage their senses and provide the foundation for future learning. This exhibit will not only spark the imagination of the children to visit the Family Museum.  It will provide them an opportunity to interact with their peers and families. There are features included in the design specifically for our guests with special needs and sensory sensitivities. And specific elements will be changeable so the exhibit can be kept new and interesting.