A place for the whole family.
Some days the house feels too small. It is too hot outside, or too cold, or the kids have energy to burn and nowhere to burn it. Ames does not have many places for a family to land on a day like that, and we think it should. We are building one in the heart of downtown, a children’s museum and gathering place where kids can play and learn and parents can finally sit down for a minute, somewhere the whole family is truly welcome.
The Ames Children’s Museum and Family Hub is a nonprofit in formation, and our current goal is to raise funds for the purchase of the building. See the Fundraising Goals tab for more information on our goals.
Potential concept renderings. These are tentative, and the final layout and features will depend on the funds we raise together.
A place for families to go, all year round
Ames has never had a children’s museum. For years, families here have driven to Des Moines or Coralville for an afternoon of the kind of play that other towns take for granted, and we would love to bring that home. We also want to build something even more useful around it, a gathering place for the whole family and not only the kids. The summers are hot, the winters are long, and every family needs somewhere warm and welcoming to land.
Room to run, build, and wonder
Hands-on exhibits, climbing, and wide-open play for every age, all under one warm roof. It is the kind of place kids ask to come back to before you have even reached the car, and the kind that sends them home happily worn out. When it is too hot to be outside or too cold to bear, the doors are open and there is always something to do.
A café where parents can relax
Order a coffee, find a comfortable seat, and let the kids play within view. There is no hurry to leave and nowhere else you need to be. The café is what turns an outing with the kids into a break for you, and we hope to run it with the local bakers and roasters this town already loves.
Somewhere parents are cared for too
Parenting is a joy, and it is also a lot, and most of us are carrying it without much of a village nearby. Here you can catch your breath while your kids are happy and in sight, fall into conversation with another parent who is having the same kind of day, and get to your coffee while it is still warm. When parents feel supported, children feel it first. That belief sits at the heart of everything we are building.
Support for the whole family, close to home
In time, we hope to welcome trusted local partners into the building, so that more of what families need can live in one friendly place. Children's therapy, counseling, support for new parents, and more, offered by people who do it well. We will grow into this slowly and honestly, one good partnership at a time.
Potential concept renderings. These are tentative, and the final layout and features will depend on the funds we raise together.
Made for the whole community
We are a nonprofit, here to serve rather than to profit. Our goal, if we can raise enough to build this the right way, is for membership and admission to stay modest, low enough to keep the doors open without keeping families out. We also hope to keep a way in for families who are stretched thin. A place meant for the whole community should be within reach of as much of it as we can manage.
Potential concept renderings. These are tentative, and the final layout and features will depend on the funds we raise together.
Potential partnerships and future services
The play space and the café are just the beginning. Over time, we hope to welcome trusted local partners into the building, so that more of what families need can live in one friendly place. These are hopes for the future rather than promises, and we will grow into them carefully, one good partnership at a time.
Services and support we would love to bring
Partners we hope to build it with
How you can be part of it
Become a founding donor
Help us buy and restore the building. Founding gifts of every size will have a lasting home here, and founding donors will be remembered in the building for good.
Talk to us about giving→Lend your time or your name
We are gathering a founding board, an advisory circle, and a crew of volunteers. If you care about Ames families, there is a place for you in this.
Count me in→Partner with us
If your business or organization serves families, or would love to, let us build you in from the very beginning.
Start a conversation→Sign up for news and updates
Leave your email and we will keep you posted, from campaign milestones to community events to, one day before too long, an opening date.
Have a question, or just want to say hello? Write to us at info@amesfamilyhub.com or call 515-800-2525.