The Galveston Children’s Museum in Galveston on the first level of the Moody Mansion. The museum seeks to inspire social, academic, and problem-solving skills through creative and imaginative play for children up to 10 years old.

In 2011, educator Nancy Schultz presented the concept of a children’s museum in Galveston to the Mary Moody Northen Endowment program. The endowment shared Nancy’s vision and donated the space for the museum on the ground floor of the Moody Mansion.

History

After two years of development, planning and fundraising, all through volunteer efforts, the Galveston Children’s Museum opened for a public preview in April 2013. The Museum was well received in the community and within a few months a Board of Directors was elected and the museum was legally incorporated in July. The museum is supported through many community resources including local businesses such as Island ETC, Texas A&M and the Galveston Restaurant Group. Galveston Children’s Museum officially opened to the public in July 2014 as a safe and engaging place for children up to age 10 to learn about their environment and develop social, academic and problem-solving skills through play and creativity.

Families on SNAP or Medicaid receive discounted admission through the Everybody Plays Program of Texas. Summer and holiday hours are determined by the local school districts. Visitors should check online for hours and admission details.

Exhibits

The Galveston Children’s Museum is divided into 8 exhibits that represent different parts of our world where children can engage and play through imagination and problem solving.

Our Town- This exhibit is set up as a small town where children can play in fishing boats and learn about fishing and crabbing, go grocery shopping, or work in a pizza parlor among other fun experiences.

Kid’s Clinic- Doctor’s and healthcare are the focus of the Clinic that teaches children not to be afraid of the doctor or hospital, promoting positive body awareness and practicing medical treatment and care of babies and stuffed animal patients.

Building Zone- A truly hands on experience, the building zone inspires creativity in building through Legos and other materials that provide children an opportunity to problem solve and use their imagination to create.

A Stroke of Genius- The art studio at Galveston Children’s Museum offers many mediums for children to explore including painting, sculpture and textile fabrication. Visitors to this area can expect to get messy, but all paint is washable and aprons are provided.

Tinker Workshop- The Workshop allows children to tinker with mechanics and learn how things work. Children can take things apart, use safe tools, and problem solve through building and inventing.

Explore and Discover- The science of physics in explored in this exhibit that teaches children to be engineers and experiment with materials such as ramps, electricity, and other scientific concepts through safe play.

Now Starring You- Children can use their imaginations to put on plays, puppet shows, dress up in costumes, and play with a word wall. Social skills and imagination are the core concepts of this exhibit.

Room to Grow- Designed for young learners up to age 5, this museum zone features books, sand, and toys to engage toddlers and pre-k visitors in a scaled down version of museum exhibits.

Events and Educational Opportunities

The Galveston Children’s Museum is committed to providing an educational experience for children and offers special events throughout the year to offer more engagement. Events can be found scheduled on the Museum events calendar online. Some events include Lularoe shopping parties, Homeschool workshops, parent’s night out, and more.

Summer Camp- Every summer the Galveston Children’s Museum offers day camps that provide an immersion into different scientific principals with themes each week. Past themes have included The Art and Science of Bubbles and Color, Tinkering and Creating, Sounds and Instruments, and more!

Bug Fest- This weekend hosted in the Spring is features bugs and how they impact our world. There are many fun and interactive temporary exhibits for this event that is included for free with museum admission.

Field Trips- The Galveston Children’s Museum welcomes educators and their classes to the museum with discounted rates for groups of 20 or more. Visits outside of normal open hours can be arranged through the museum Director. Field trips are 2 hours and a museum guide is provided for the duration of the visit. Bilingual Guides are not available and sick children should be kept at school or home.

Birthday Parties- The museum is rentable for children’s birthday parties. A private party room and science activity is provided along with a hostess for the event. 35 guest maximum.

Dining at the Museum

There are no dining facilities within the museum; however, outside food and drink can be brought to the museum if they are not consumed in the exhibit areas. There are tables and picnic areas located just outside of the museum for classes that wish to eat on site.

Galveston Children’s Museum, 2618 Broadway, Galveston, Texas, 77550, Phone: 409-572-2544, Map

Map:


Plan Your Trip

Get Ready to Go!

Need some more help?


Go to travel reservations.