Fun Summer Vibes: Children's Museum of Houston Reopens

As a young girl, I remember the Children’s Museum Houston being a significant part of my childhood including countless school field trips, weekend outings with my grandparents, and the need to fulfill my desire to be mayor of Kidtropolis. Due to Covid-19, the museum has been closed to visitors for over a year. Finally, on June 8, the museum reopened to the public with a citywide population ready to explore. 

Recently, I visited the newly-reopened museum along with Buzz interns Katharine Stepanian and Eliot Aiman. What struck me during this visit as a teenager is how, as a child, I enjoyed my time in the museum so much, failing to notice the valuable skills and education I was soaking in through each trip to EcoStation and the Inventor’s Workshop.

Cindy Bailey visits the Matter Factory with her granddaughters. (Photo: Eliot Aiman) 

Now, years later, watching hundreds of enchanted toddlers and parents fall in love with the facility as much as I did, I was truly able to see what this establishment has to offer as a learning experience. Each exhibit guides museumgoers through a different world of color and culture, simultaneously managing to entertain and educate. 

While the museum targets ages 5-10, I can confirm that a wide range of newborns to grandparents found themselves immersed in the museum and its “Fun Summer Vibes” extravaganza, running through Aug. 28. The Children’s Museum extends an embracing hand to the community to kick back and relax in their family-sized paradise.

Through a series of innovations, physical challenges, "kidulting" through Kidtropolis, cultural eye openers, and every field of science under the sun, the museum masterfully succeeds in modifying academic subjects into something kids will genuinely enjoy - probably not realizing that they're actually learning. 

Buzz summer intern Tulsi Parikh takes a seat (and her shoes off) in the Heart and Seoul exhibit. (Photo: Eliot Aiman) 

Another unexpected aspect of our recent trip to the Children’s Museum is that our local facility attracts families from across the country. We met many Buzz-area families in addition to travelers coming from destinations like Austin, Cincinnati, OH, and Richmond, VA. We also were excited to see all the updates and changes the Children’s Museum has made over the last few years since we’d last visited. 

When the other interns and I expressed the desire to cover the reopening of the museum (a really good excuse to revisit a place we loved as kids), we were completely unaware of any Buzz connection. Turns out, Buzz Rumor Has It columnist, Sharon Brier, founded the museum in 1981, a place that has spread joy and inspiration for the past 40 years.

Sharon Brier with her son Samson and grandsons Max and Dash, standing in front of the historic photo of Sharon, Samson and husband Mike taken when the museum opened. 

Sharon reminisced on the evolution of the museum, which started off in a rental space on Allen Parkway and has since become a staple for Houstonians and an attraction across the country. “I’m very proud that young people are actively involved and keeping it a vital source in our community,” Sharon said. 

She encourages visitors to make a stop at her favorite display - the cultural exhibit - when they visit. “It always changes and it's always fabulous. There’s just so many valuable areas; it’s such a wonderland that appeals to all age groups,” she shared. 

This summer, the cultural exhibit provides families the opportunity to get a sense of growing up in Korea. The museum’s Heart and Seoul exhibit depicts the lives of children in Seoul through daily activities and customs. The museum sheds light on the numerous diversities that build our country through its cultural center that annually features different ethnicities and traditions. 

Buzz interns Tulsi Parikh, Katharine Stepanian, and Eliot Aiman had a blast exploring the Children's Museum together. 

If you’re on the hunt for the perfect place to entertain the whole family, clear your day for an afternoon at the Children’s Museum. Admission is $12 per adult or child; free for a child under age one, $11 for a senior. The museum is open Tues.-Weds., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Thurs., 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; closed Sun.-Mon. Or virtually explore anytime here.