Children's Museum of the Highlands

About

Our Mission:

The Children's Museum of the Highlands purpose is to provide a safe area for children (ages 1 - 12) to learn and explore.  Through exhibits and on going programs the museum hopes to provide ways for kids to enhance their curiosity, develop their imagination and learn about a variety of experiences.  It is hoped that the children will see the museum as a fun place to play and leave the museum with the knowledge that learning can be fun. They will see that the opportunity to learn is everywhere and hopefully they will use the knowledge as they grow.

Our Museum Motto:

We believe our children are our future.  If we can instill in them a positive attitude about learning and life, the future will be brighter for all of us. 

Our History:

The full legal title of the Children's Museum is Sebring Main Street Inc. D/B/A The Children's Museum of the Highlands. Sebring Main Street was incorporated in September of 1985. The corporate by-laws were changed in January of 1990 to reflect the change of direction for Sebring Main Street. The Main Street program, a three-year program, had been successfully completed. The board was asked to join forces with a small group of people dedicated to bringing a children's museum to this rural area.

In December of 1990 the museum opened to the public in a small rented building with four or five exhibits and a lot of plans. As the attendance increased, the museum added additional exhibits. At the close of the first year, the museum had received over 9,000 visitors, had 15-20 exhibits and was fast outgrowing its leased location. By January of 1992 the Children's Museum of the Highlands had raised enough money to put a down payment on their new facility. More than twice the size of the old building, it allowed the museum to host more field trips from area schools, more summer classes, and more extra programs. In 1994, money was raised to put a new roof on the building and two local Kiwanis Clubs worked together to create and donate a wonderful picnic facility behind the building with fenced in picnic tables, a roof and ceiling fans.

In September of 2005, the museum was able to close for one week and carpet the building with high quality beautiful carpet squares. The air conditioning unit was replaced, this time with a better system that should last for many years.

In January of 2007, two new exhibits opened to the public. One World Diner, an area where children can pretend to cook and serve ethnic food and a rock climbing wall are the latest additions to the museum, providing new and exciting ways to play and learn.

Now serving five rural, low income counties with 190,625 people spread out over a 4,439 square mile area, the museum is a vital part of the community and fills a big void in the Central Florida area.

In the 17 years the museum has been open, over a quarter of a million people have visited from all over the world. The museum is one of two attractions in Sebring listed in the AAA book that millions of people use as they travel.

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