BRYAN, TX — It was gone temporarily during the pandemic, but the Children’s Museum of the Brazos Valley is back and in a new location.
In addition to hosting exhibits that encourage hands-on learning, the Children's Museum of the Brazos Valley hosts daily story time and preschool-friendly crafts.
The museum is open for general public admission from 10 a.m. till 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
The 23-year-old museum has moved to multiple locations over the years. Most recently the museum operated out of a building on 29th Street in Bryan.
"Children’s museums are really focused on learning through play, and that is a big aspect of who we are," said Ashley Kortis, museum executive director.
Over the weekend, the museum opened the doors of its new facility in Bryan's Lake Walk area, adjacent to the Stella Hotel.
"We just love the center of innovation that Lake Walk is building out here," Kortis said. "We’re surrounded by these companies that are changing the world... training the next generation of medical doctors, or developing the vaccine for COVID-19.”
While the new museum space is a bit smaller, it still features some of its more popular exhibits. One new installment is the miniature Main Street area, which visitors like seven-year-old Camille Campbell of College Station enjoy.
"We went through each thing, and we did the school and everything down here," Camille said, describing the morning spent playing in the museum with her little brother Davis. "We had fun with the bank.”
The Campbell family made frequent visits to the museum's former Bryan location. Camille attends school virtually at the moment, due to the pandemic. This has allowed her mom Dorian to bring her and her younger siblings out to locations like the museum during the weekdays.
"I'm trying to find everything that we can do to get out and get out of the house, and get fresh air, and have a change of scenery," Dorian Campbell said.