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970-453-7878
About Us
At Mountain Top Explorium, we believe that children are the very essence of the future. Who they are tomorrow is essentially the outcome of how they are raised and nurtured today. We provide our youth an empowering environment where they can fully embrace their identity and gain all the skills they need to be leaders tomorrow.
Our Mission
Mountain Top Explorium is a community resource designed to promote informal learning through interactive exhibits and educational programming that nurture relationships between children and their world.
Our Values
We inspire creativity, curiosity and new ways of thinking.
We believe play is essential to the life long learning and development of the whole person.
We create educational learning environments for personal connections and community collaborations.
Our Vision
Providing playful experiences that inspire and educate children, sparking a passion for lifelong learning.
Our History
The Mountain Top Children’s Museum (MTCM) was founded by Betty Quigley & Laura (Pietro) Horvath and incorporated as a 501(c)(3)in 2001.
In the Summer of 2002, MTCM kicked off their first Day Camp program, offered to children ages 5 through 10 at the Peak 8 Kids Castle, donated by Breckenridge Ski Resort/Vail Resorts Inc. Shortly after, we opened the museum's exhibit space to the public at Main Street Station, provided by East West Partners, designed with Rocky Mountain exhibits, Family Science Night Workshops and a variety of special programming.
In 2004, MTCM moved to a new location at 605 South Park Ave in the Village Hotel. This space, also donated by Vail Resorts, has been an amazing home and has grown by filling every possible square inch with enticing activity.
The 2007-08 ski season kicked off our popular Kids Night Out drop off program, keeping the exhibit space busy at least 3 nights a week. Kids are welcome to get away from their parents and have a night at the museum with dinner, take home activities and hours of fun.
In the Summer of 2008, MTCM Day Camp moved to the Village Ski School, a much larger space next to Maggie Pond allowing the program to flourish for both local and guest children. The following year, our Day Camp added a mentor program allowing experienced MTCM campers at the age of 13 to help the younger campers and understand a bigger job role in child care.
In 2011 MTCM Outreach program kicks off. With the help of the Summit Foundation, MTCM supplements local school districts and child care organizations in their learning with a fun hands on science experience.
MTCM began to participating in local events such as International Snow Sculpture Competition, Town of Breckenridge Locals party, Breck Create Events, face painting events and more in 2015.
In April of 2019, Mountain Top Children's Museum lost its home due to a hotel expansion. In June of 2019, we kicked off our first capital campaign to obtain a forever home to house all things Mountain Top.
In 2020, MTCM's focus shifted from finding a new space to supporting our community due to COVID-19. While families stayed home, Mountain Top launched our first ever YouTube channel and Online Workshops to support families near and far. Our Summer Day Camp continued with COVID-19 precautions in place. As the need for child care grew, Mountain Top continued to offer School-Age Programs into the school year with Distance Learning Support camps, After-School Camps, and School-Break Camps.
In December of 2020, Mountain Top Children's Museum rebranded to "Mountain Top Explorium" as we emphasize the many programs we offer.
In February 2022, we moved to our new home located behind the River Mountain Lodge. We have expanded our exhibits and are enjoying having more room to play! We are currently offering all of our programs: After-School Care, School-Break Camp, Summer Camp (Will resume in summer of 2023), and Kids Night Out. Come visit us and have a day of fun at the museum! We are located at 100 S Park Avenue, Unit C100.
Our Board Members
Our Board Members provide a chance to benefit not only this generation, but many to come.
Board President
Del DeoCampo
SVP, Digital Sales - Modern Luxury Media
Secretary
Kate Tillery-Danzer
Outreach & Philanthropy, Imagely, Inc.
Treasurer
Paul Hitzhusen
Copper Mountain Resort
Members
Laura Horvath
Founder and former Executive Director, MTCM
Jim Myers
Vail Resorts, Inc.
Karin Sullivan
Stripe Inc.
Staff Team
Our directors inspire creativity, curiosity and new ways of thinking for all of our programs.
Executive Director
Dave Miller
Program Director
Emma Shetter
Explorium & Program Coordinator
Gloria Greenstein