{"id":794270,"date":"2019-03-28T16:40:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-28T22:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/mountain-top-childrens-museum-in-breckenridge-needs-new-home\/"},"modified":"2019-03-29T11:19:42","modified_gmt":"2019-03-29T17:19:42","slug":"mountain-top-childrens-museum-in-breckenridge-needs-new-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/mountain-top-childrens-museum-in-breckenridge-needs-new-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Mountain Top Children\u2019s Museum in Breckenridge needs new home"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-363646-290\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li class=\"h-100\" data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/MntTop-SDN-032919-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/MntTop-SDN-032919-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com | AJ Parisi Peters, 2 , peers from the\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/MntTop-SDN-032919-1.jpg\" alt=\"AJ Parisi Peters, 2 , peers from the \" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong>AJ Parisi Peters, 2 , peers from the &#8220;costume booth&#8221; at medical profession section inside Mountain Top Children&#8217;s Museum Wednesday, March 27, in Breckenridge.<\/strong><br \/>\nHugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"h-100\" data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/MntTop-SDN-032919-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/MntTop-SDN-032919-1-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com | Children practice their fishing skills at the wildlife section at Mountain Top Children's Museum Wednesday, March 27, in Breckenridge.\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/MntTop-SDN-032919-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"Children practice their fishing skills at the wildlife section at Mountain Top Children's Museum Wednesday, March 27, in Breckenridge.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong>Children practice their fishing skills at the wildlife section at Mountain Top Children&#8217;s Museum Wednesday, March 27, in Breckenridge.<\/strong><br \/>\nHugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"h-100\" data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/MntTop-SDN-032919-1-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/MntTop-SDN-032919-1-2.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com | Children explore the Mountain Top Children's Museum Wednesday, March 27, in Breckenridge.\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/MntTop-SDN-032919-1-2.jpg\" alt=\"Children explore the Mountain Top Children's Museum Wednesday, March 27, in Breckenridge.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong>Children explore the Mountain Top Children&#8217;s Museum Wednesday, March 27, in Breckenridge.<\/strong><br \/>\nHugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"h-100\" data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/MntTop-SDN-032919-1-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/MntTop-SDN-032919-1-3.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com | Children explore the Mountain Top Children's Museum Wednesday, March 27, in Breckenridge.\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/MntTop-SDN-032919-1-3.jpg\" alt=\"Children explore the Mountain Top Children's Museum Wednesday, March 27, in Breckenridge.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong>Children explore the Mountain Top Children&#8217;s Museum Wednesday, March 27, in Breckenridge.<\/strong><br \/>\nHugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a class=\"show-captions\" href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/local\/mountain-top-childrens-museum-in-breckenridge-needs-new-home\/#\">Show Captions<\/a><a class=\"hide-captions\" href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/local\/mountain-top-childrens-museum-in-breckenridge-needs-new-home\/#\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">In its final days at the Village in Breckenridge, the Mountain Top Children\u2019s Museum is trying break attendance records one last time before it has to pack up its exhibits and leave the location.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The Mountain Top Children\u2019s Museum exhibits have existed in the Village at Breckenridge since 2004, but the nonprofit that provides a wealth of programming for local families will soon put its exhibits into storage with its last day at the Village being Sunday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">For 15 years, Breckenridge Ski Resort has supported the children\u2019s museum by giving the nonprofit the space at the Village at 605 S. Park Ave. However, the building is no longer available to the museum, said executive director Laura Horvath, who confirmed the museum will close on Sunday, as it searches for a temporary location and ultimately a new home.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The building that houses the museum is reportedly in the process of being sold. Horvath thanked the resort for its years of support and referred questions about the status of the building to Breckenridge Ski Resort. In turn, a resort spokeswoman declined to provide any details about a potential sale.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe do not comment on or speculate about the purchase or sale of any property until it\u2019s final,\u201d the spokeswoman wrote in an email.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">But writing is already on the wall, and the museum does not have an immediate location to move into at this point.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Horvath said they\u2019re looking for a temporary place to house museum operations while the nonprofit is embarking on the capital campaign to secure a permanent home in the Breckenridge community. Given it\u2019s their last weekend at the Village, the museum is hoping to break attendance records to demonstrate just how badly the community needs the museum and its range of programming.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Many Summit County parents will be happy to know that, even as the museum is looking for a home, it will still be offering its Summer Day Camps on Maggie\u2019s Pond in the Village this year. Additionally, the museum will continue its community-outreach efforts and events programming.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Parents might breathe another sign of relief to learn the museum will continue hosting Kids Night Out, from Memorial Weekend through Labor Day, in the same location it\u2019s doing the day camps.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">For Erin McGinnis, a mother of two children who are now nearing adulthood, her children are better for the time they\u2019ve spent at the museum, as the family has been enjoying its \u201camazing programming\u201d pretty much since the inception.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">A former board president for the children\u2019s museum, McGinnis was highly complimentary of how it has helped her children grow over the years \u2014 both inside and outside its walls. She said the museum gave her kids a structured environment where they could explore nature, science and teamwork.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI think it\u2019s amazing what they\u2019ve done there,\u201d she said, adding that the museum\u2019s programming doesn\u2019t leave anyone behind.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">If a child is deeply interested in one particular thing, McGinnis added, the museum would try to weave that into whatever the child was doing for the day.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">And last year alone, the museum saw 15,422 guests, a 20 percent spike over the previous year, according to statistics provided by the nonprofit. Horvath said that through the first three months of this year, they\u2019ve already seen another 20 percent increase in attendance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Additionally, the nonprofit reached over 850 students during the 2017-18 school year in 50 individual classrooms, and more than 180 children participated in the museum\u2019s 60 days of day camps.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Furthermore, Mountain Top Children\u2019s Museum counted 688 children at its 156 Kids Night Out events last year. While the stats show just how many children are benefiting from the programming, they aren\u2019t the only ones because some parents have colloquially coined the Kids Night Out events, \u201cParents\u2019 Night Out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cYeah, that\u2019s exactly what they call it, but I think the kids have more fun,\u201d said Horvath, explaining that parents might get a much-needed break, but their children get to take on fun, interactive projects like making lava lamps or crafting shaving-cream art.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">While the need to move was not something the museum had anticipated, it might be for the best, given the dramatic increases in participation it\u2019s seen over the years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe reality is we\u2019ve outgrown the space,\u201d Horvath said of the Village. \u201cSo we have, within the last year, embarked on a cap campaign because we\u2019ve had days where we reached capacity and there are more components we\u2019d like to do to help with an older age bracket.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">This could mean offering more outreach programs and in-house workshops for educational programming, along with starting up a teen center and a multi-purpose room for myriad of programs the museum would like to develop.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Ideally, the permanent space would be in the neighborhood of 4,000 square feet, and Horvath hopes the museum can secure a temporary location no later than this September.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">She thinks the museum could struggle to work out of anything less than 1,500 square feet in the interim, but Horvath was careful to say they\u2019re not turning anything down and remain committed to making whatever situation the museum can find work until a new, forever home can be found.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The nonprofit is also seeking people to help with the capital campaign by participating in one of the museum\u2019s various subcommittees for one-year commitments. Anyone who\u2019s interested in doing so or would like more information should email <a href=\"mailto:MntTop2019@gmail.com\">MntTop2019@gmail.com<\/a>. Find it online at <a id=\"N0x15df170N0x162df90:N0x15df170N0x173b2f0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mtntopmuseum.org\/\">MtnTopMuseum.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/local\/mountain-top-childrens-museum-in-breckenridge-needs-new-home\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Summit Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>AJ Parisi Peters, 2 , peers from the &#8220;costume booth&#8221; at medical profession section inside Mountain Top Children&#8217;s Museum Wednesday, March 27, in Breckenridge. Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com Children practice their fishing skills at the wildlife section at Mountain Top Children&#8217;s Museum Wednesday, March 27, in Breckenridge. Hugh Carey \/ hcarey@summitdaily.com Children explore the Mountain [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-794270","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-14 03:32:11","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSMT The Mountain","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=794270"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794270\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=794270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=794270"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=794270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}