The Woodlands Children's Museum

The Woodlands Children's Museum has a new home, and it's in Panther Creek. Construction began in March, 2010 on a new 11,000-square-foot site in the Panther Creek Village Shopping Center. “The Woodlands Children’s Museum enjoyed great success in our previous (locations),” said Angela Colton, executive director. “It’s been six months of (work securing a new space), but we’re getting there. The public is really excited.”

The new WCM location resides in 6,000 square feet of exhibit space, and the new museum features four large classrooms as well as party rooms. The museum opened to the public July 10, 2010, with an open house for members and “to welcome new visitors and friends.”

Though The Woodlands Children's Museum closed it's doors at it's location in the upper level of The Woodlands Mall in October, 2009, it never really went away. Just as it did before 2005, when it operated as a "Museum Without Walls" and ran events such as Dinoventure at The Woodlands Mall, and they continue to hold activities at the annual Children's Festival held each autumn at the Pavilion.

“It is obvious to the staff and the board of The Woodlands Children’s Museum that we have been missed,” she said. The soon to be announced series of exhibits, classes and programs to be offered at the new location will come through the collaborative efforts of artists, professionals and volunteers. “We’ve got a really good group of people coming together,” Colton said. “Our mission has always been to create opportunities that educate, empower and excite children and their families through play while inspiring a lifelong sense of wonder,” Colton said.

The museum started out at Market Street in February, 2005, along the east end on Pavilion Way, where Sweet and Sassy is now. The Museum celebrated it's first birthday at Market Street and moved to The Woodlands Mall later that year. In that time, The Woodlands Children's Museum built a membership of 2,200 families. In 2008, 72,000 people visited the museum and nearly 50,000 passed through its doors between January and June, 2009. The Panther Creek Village Center is located at 4774 West Panther Creek Drive, The Woodlands, 77381. For more information about The Woodlands Children's Museum, contact Angela Colton at 281 465-0955.

In anticipation of the 2010 Summer season, the Woodlands Children's Museum Summer Program can be found here.