It’s a safe bet that just about everyone remembers key locations from their childhood. Perhaps it was that park down the street that you’d visit every Friday, or that ice cream parlor you’d stop at any time your report card proved up to scratch. Your childhood bedroom, your best friend’s house, your fourth grade classroom… In some way all of these places shaped you into the adult you were destined to become. For me, one of these essential places is the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History.
Every summer, my parents would buy a family membership to this beloved museum, and every Sunday my older sister and I would turn up to browse the museum and take part in the weekly kids treasure hunt. 
And now…? Well, in many ways I’m still just a kid on a treasure hunt, trying to prove myself as a valid player on the academic and historical field. I’m still young, still foolhardy, and still every bit as fascinated as I was back then. As for the museum itself? Sadly, Hurricane Harvey did a number on the building’s structure, and it was closed for repairs and renovation for the better part of year, though thankfully, it recently reopened.
I’ve got to hand it to the CC Museum of Science and History for revamping their exhibits year after year and being a pleasure to visit even now, after I’ve been hundreds of times. If you ever find yourself in Corpus, I certainly suggest you pay them a visit. It’ll be worth the extremely affordable admission fee of $10.95. Plus tax, of course.
Such a cool story!!! As a kid I grew up in a small town North of Austin called Belton so there wasn’t a lot of museums, but we would wonder into the woods and pretend as if we were characters from the movie Stand by me. Thats probably dating me a bit. For me that was my treasure hunt. On one occasion my hunt found me on my back as I had slipped down a small decline, bringing me face to face with what was probably just tree snake. At the age 9 though, it was the scariest moment of my life. Now a days those woods have been replaced by houses but like yours, my memories of it are treasured moments in time.
Glory,
Thanks for sharing your childhood memory of how history came alive for you as a child and how it affected your curiosity. My first museum experience that I remember was at the Witte here in San Antonio as an older student elementary school student. The exhibit didn’t catch my attention and curiosity when I was younger and I wish the Witte had a treasure hunt to engage me as a kid!
I’m happy to say that I love the Witte now and make it out to their Cocktails and Culture events here and there. They are doing a much better job of engaging with the public and if you haven’t gone to see their Confluence and Culture : 300 Years of San Antonio History yet, you should! They even set up an interactive phone app to engage with the exhibit in real-time.
Here is the link:
https://www.wittemuseum.org/confluence-and-culture/
Check it out!
Awesome! I’ve visited the Witte a few times. Definitely a cool place, and only getting cooler. I believe it was just last year that they expanded. Now I HAVE TO go back!
Great story, I know exactly how you feel. My parents would take us to the museums in Chicago and I never felt so at home. They were experiences that influenced me and my career.
I’m glad to be working with you and the rest of the wonderful group of people that have been assembled into this cohort. The next few semester should be an amazing time.
We’re excited to have you here with us, Glory!