Austin Children's Museum at Mueller moves closer to completion

"We're excited about this location, one because we feel like we are going to be more accessible to the entire Central Texas community than we are in the Central Business District," Nellis said. "It's given us all the things our founders have always wanted: ownership of our land, parking and lots of outdoor space."

ACM first opened its doors in 1987 with a 5,000-square-foot space on West Fifth Street and moved to the downtown location in 1997. Officials said they have been in the planning and design stages of the project for about six to seven years. Construction on the new museum began in July.

The mission of the museum is to create an innovative learning experience for both children and their parents, and ACM Education Director Becky Jones said the museum takes a different approach to learning than a typical museum, including learner-driven activities and workshop-type spaces.

"The kind of cliched image of a museum is you walking in and there's stuff to see, and maybe you push a button and you do something, but that's it," Jones said. "This is a very different kind of approach."

Nellis said the new ACM location will have a bolstered focus on science, technology, engineering and math subjects through informal education concepts to create the next generation of creative problem solvers.

"We're wanting kids to tinker, explore and innovate," Nellis said. "We want them to take risks, and that's what's going to be happening in this space."

Jones said she is excited to have the building finished and to continue being an active participant in the community.

"We'll work hard to make sure the whole community feels invited," Jones said.

For more information about ACM, visit www.austinkids.org.