Lisa Shull founded and is now the Executive Director of the Harrisonburg famous Explore More Discovery Museum. More commonly known as the Children’s Museum, it is located on 150 S Main Street. Shull has been leading the museum for more than 20 years and feels very passionate about her work.
“Children need play. They need a safe space to do it. Not everyone has access to safe neighborhoods or spaces. And so we just want this to be available to everyone,” Shull said.
Shull likes to build upon her museum by adding more exhibits. “Yeah, in fact, every year in September, we shut the museum down for about a week or two, and that’s when we really get in there and we kind of turn things upside down and add a lot of new things to keep it interesting and fresh,” Shull said.
Shull’s favorite attraction at her museum is The Farmers Market, built by her father; she holds a special connection with that specific exhibit. Shull also enjoys the creativity of the Makerspace, she especially enjoys it to be able to extend the age range to older youth.
When the museum reaches its peak, Shull wants her museum to be a fun memory in children’s minds, where they can have endless fun and enjoy themselves.
“I want people to feel welcome. I want people to be engaged in learning through play. I want families to make memories together, and really just to have it be a safe space, a place where everybody in the community knows that they’re welcome and that they can come and explore and learn,” Shull said.
Adam Kuchta is one of the many patrons at Explore More Discovery Museum that thinks that the museum is beneficial to children, as well.
“I think a lot of kids of this generation enjoys spending time on screen and it’s a constant battle over the summertime trying to find activities. So they come here and can entertain themselves for usually like three or four hours” Kuchta said.
Isdebell Heater is another parent who takes their child to the Explore More Discovery Museum.
“I just appreciate how much it’s geared towards kids of all ages, kids up to 12 and they still enjoy just as much as my two year old,” Heater said.
Story by Hayden Knight
