The Matthews Town Council has unanimously approved plans to build a new Discovery Place Kids Matthews museum, with a tentative opening date for sometime in 2030.
Town Manager Becky Hawke said the museum exhibits will be "specific to Matthews, specific to what represents our community, and what our community would be most interested in."
A location for the museum has not yet been finalized. Under the agreement, the town will cover construction costs for the 18,000-24,000-square-foot facility and building maintenance, and Discovery Place Kids will cover the museum's operating costs.
The museum will be similar to the Discovery Place Kids museums in Huntersville and Rockingham, but with unique exhibits developed for Matthews.
The town estimates construction to cost between $4.4-$5.8 million after inflation. All of the money will come from the town's tourism fund. The design process could begin as early as July 2025.
Mayor John Higdon was ebullient as he counted the votes in favor Monday night, saying it was "one of the best things that we've discussed here in a long time."
He recalled visiting the Charlotte Nature Museum (now Discovery Place Nature) in Freedom Park when he was a child, and said his own children — especially his son — loved visiting Discovery Place Science in uptown Charlotte.
"Just sheer joy — just laughter for hours, and I'm like, 'This is great!'" Higdon said, adding that the project was "a great addition to the family friendly environment that we're trying to provide to Matthews."
Commissioner Ken McCool said he was "beyond excited" for the project, adding that students in Matthews would no longer have to take a bus to Charlotte to visit a children's museum.
As the museum nears completion, Discovery Place Kids will meet with community members to come up with ideas for exhibits and installations, according to the agreement.
The town's partnership with Discovery Place will have an initial term of 10 years, with three five-year extensions available under the same agreement.
Once open, the town estimates the museum could draw around 200,000 visitors a year.
