In 2003, Alison Price and Kathy Goers were talking about life after teaching. They were “semi-retired” and raising their young children, and felt the need to do something both fun and meaningful during this time.
After some discussion, the idea for a children’s museum in Lake County, IL was born. Not only was the idea of an educational, interactive, hands-on museum a worthwhile pursuit for Alison and Kathy, they knew it could also fulfill a great need in our area.
As educators, they knew that teachers in and around Lake County would travel an hour to Milwaukee, Rockford and Glenview to bring students on field trips to a children’s museum—that’s too long! And for local families, a children’s museum would offer a nearby fun and educational alternative to bounce places and arcades.
Soon after, the colorful gears logo was created, exhibits were developed, and the gears have been turning ever since!
Our traveling exhibits have appeared at community events, birthday parties, daycare centers and more, serving thousands of children and families in Lake County over the years. Behind the scenes, much promotion and fundraising was being done to raise money for a permanent museum site.
In 2013, the owner of a building in downtown Lake Villa (a former Chrysler dealer) donated a 14,000-square foot building to Busy Brains, giving the museum its permanent home!
Today the museum continues to raise funds to build out the museum and exhibits—each of these has been designed with a “Lake County flavor”. Five exhibit galleries are planned for phase 1: Tot Lot, Kid-Struction, Body Journey, World of Water and Our Town/Farmer’s Market.
We are glad you are joining us on this adventure! What are you looking forward to most when Busy Brains opens?