Next Generation of Thinkers: Inside the Santa Cruz Children's Museum of Discovery

How a family's vision became Santa Cruz County's most-visited museum

Originally featured on Feeding the Family with Jill Troderman | Santa Cruz Voice

Where can you find a place that's creating the next generation of thinkers, creators, and problem-solvers—one wonder-filled experience at a time? A space that transforms a child's curiosity into lifelong learning through guided play and hands-on discovery?

The answer is the Santa Cruz Children's Museum of Discovery (MOD), a nonprofit gem nestled in Capitola Mall with over 5,000 square feet of interactive exhibits where kids can explore, imagine, learn, and create through the power of play.

A Bold Idea Born at a Family Dinner

The museum's origin story begins in 2012 with Patrice Keet, a marriage and family therapist who had spent 30 years working with families. During a visit to the Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito with her three-year-old granddaughter Harper, Patrice had a revelation.

"I looked around and thought, 'Wow, why don't we have something like this in Santa Cruz?'" Patrice recalls. "We have fabulous weather, all kinds of creative people."

That evening, over dinner with her husband Bob and niece Bonnie Keet, the idea took flight. Within an hour, they were making a list of potential board members.

"It was a gutsy move," Patrice admits. But the Keat family wasn't afraid of hard work.

Building Community From the Ground Up

Before breaking ground, the founders did their homework. Bonnie and Patrice embarked on a cross-country research tour, visiting children's museums from Brooklyn to Pittsburgh, Phoenix to Monterey. They attended the national children's museum convention, met with executive directors, and studied what made each museum successful.

Locally, they sought support from established institutions. Nina Simon, then at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History, was among the first to encourage them. They consulted with the Museum of Tech, Long Marine Lab, and conducted community surveys to ensure they weren't duplicating efforts.

The founding board reads like a who's who of Santa Cruz change-makers: Jenny Dalen of Yoso Wellness; Jacob Martinez, founder of Digital Nest; Michelle Williams of the Santa Cruz Art Council; and Mariah Roberts, who later started the County Park Friends. This diverse group of educators, scientists, business leaders, and community advocates shared a common vision: to enrich and provide access to all children.

From Pop-Up to Permanent Home

For two years, the museum existed only as a dream and a van. Patrice spent countless hours driving around Santa Cruz County, searching for the perfect space. They considered

locations from Watsonville to Ben Lomond, even exploring outdoor options.

The breakthrough came unexpectedly. A county business development director asked, "Have you ever thought of Capitola Mall?"

That afternoon, Patrice visited the mall. The former Abercrombie & Fitch store—8,000 square feet—had been sitting empty. The timing was perfect. Within three months of signing the contract, the space was transformed into a children's museum.

"Generally, the average time to get a children's museum started is about seven years," Patrice notes. MOD did it in a fraction of that time.

Opening Day Magic

When MOD opened its doors around Halloween 2014, the founders had no idea what to expect. What they got was a line of 2,000 people stretching through Capitola Mall, held back by stanchions.

"They kept coming and it was like, 'Wow, we are meeting a need here,'" Patrice remembers. That need has only grown. Today, MOD welcomes over 50,000 visitors annually, making it the most-visited museum in Santa Cruz County.

Homegrown Innovation

When a nationally known exhibit consultant visited the Keets and quoted prices in the $100,000 range per exhibit, the family knew they'd have to find another way.

"Bob and Patrice just don't work that way," Bonnie explains. "They are really hands-on people who are going to make something happen."

Drawing inspiration from the Exploratorium's famous "cookbooks"—DIY guides for building exhibits—Bob Keet has personally constructed approximately 40 exhibits for the museum. Many started as prototypes meant to be temporary; most are still in use today.

Take the racetrack exhibit. Kids design their own cars, race them down the track, and a digital display shows their speed. It's been a hit for years.

Or the beloved air wall, one of the museum's original exhibits. Children stuff scarves into tubes and watch them whoosh through a system of pipes along the ceiling—a simple concept that creates endless fascination.

The Enchanted Forest: Community Building in Action

The museum's newest major exhibit demonstrates what happens when community comes together. The interactive Enchanted Forest, completed in summer 2025, was truly an all-hands-on-deck effort.

Volunteer woodworkers built the structures and a team of over 30 staff members and volunteers, with artists, painted beautiful murals, wove waterfalls, and patchworked a

magnificent faux moss wall made from recycled textiles. The result? A magical space where children can climb through a hobbit hole, play music by completing electrical circuits on a magical mushroom, watch their drawings brought to life, and explore as the air wall that now weaves overhead through the forest canopy.

The total cost? Just $27,000—a testament to what's possible when creativity meets community investment.

Technology Meets Imagination

MOD isn't afraid to embrace new technology. Through a partnership with Digital Nest—the nonprofit founded by original board member Jacob Martinez—the museum now features an AI-powered drawing station in the Enchanted Forest.

"Children's drawings come to life through AI," explains Emily Jacobson, current board chair. "My three-year-old and I had this great conversation about it. The system shows how AI looks at arms and legs to animate drawings on screen."

Access for All

From the beginning, the founders were committed to making MOD accessible to everyone, regardless of economic status. The museum's location in Capitola Mall was strategic—it's on public transportation routes and already a gathering place for families of all backgrounds.

Today, 31.6% of all museum visits are subsidized. Families receiving public assistance like CalFresh can receive free membership simply by showing proof of their status.

"Anyone who can get themselves to the mall and wants to go into the museum to have those kinds of enriching experiences can have a scholarship if they can't afford to go there," Bonnie explains. "That's something that MOD has consistently done since it opened."

A $10,000 donation covers one-sixth of all subsidized visits for the year. It's a direct investment in closing the opportunity gap for Santa Cruz County's children.

More Than Exhibits

MOD has become a community hub extending far beyond its walls. The museum hosts over 100 birthday parties annually—from slime-making parties to liquid nitrogen ice cream experiences. Science Saturdays offer regular programming, while special events like the Teddy Bear Clinic help reduce anxiety around medical experiences for children.

This past October, MOD launched its first "Zoom Honk Smash: Touch a Truck" event in the Capitola Mall parking lot. Fire trucks, cranes, tractors, and every vehicle imaginable lined up for kids to explore. Sponsored pumpkins were hoisted by crane and dropped to teach physics. The event drew 3,000 to 4,000 attendees.

The museum's mobile science program brought slime-making to 15,000 kids at the Santa Cruz County Fair. 

Perhaps most innovative was a recent entrepreneurial program where kids developed their own business plans and received mentoring on branding and bringing products to market. The program culminated in a holiday craft fair where young entrepreneurs sold everything from homemade soap to creative photography.

Growing Up at MOD

Heaven Reagan represents the museum's impact across generations. Now 21, she started volunteering at MOD the moment it opened, living with her grandparents Bob and Patrice at the time. At 15, she got her first paying job there. By 17, she was a floor manager.

"This is the best job that I've ever had," Heaven says. "The museum is part of me. It's part of my childhood. I've watched insane things. Not only have I been able to grow, but I've seen so many people from our community grow as well."

What sets MOD apart, she explains, is the community foundation: "We know our regulars by name. I see a family come in, 'Oh, hey friends, how are you?'"

The museum serves children from infants to early teens, plus the occasional adult who can't resist. "I've had fun in the museum at 15," Heaven admits. "I'm sure if I went in there now, I could find something I loved."

Supporting Parents Too

MOD has always recognized that supporting children means supporting families. The museum offers informal parent education sessions on topics such as sibling rivalry, growth and development, and the stages of child development.

Every exhibit includes signage explaining not just what it does, but why it matters developmentally and how parents can engage their children in deeper learning.

A touching letter from 2019 captures this magic: A grandmother drove from San Jose while another family drove from Watsonville to meet at MOD after their daughters bonded there. "Although my grandkids live about 15 minutes from the San Jose Museum of Discovery and we go there often," she wrote, "there's something really special about MOD that makes the drive worthwhile."

For many families, MOD serves an essential practical need too. Single parents in small apartments, families without yards, caregivers on rainy days—all find refuge in a space designed for active, engaged play. November 2025 alone saw 5,000 visitors.

The Team Behind the Magic

Executive Director Rhiannon Crane, one of the original board members, holds a PhD in museum science and brings both academic rigor and childlike creativity to her role.

"She tries to sew a little bit of science and learning into even the birthday parties," Bonnie notes. "She's like a really smart, big kid at heart."

Longtime volunteers like Terry Grove and Sue Creswell have shown up every week since the museum opened to set up art activities. Board members like Jim Felich and Vicky Boriack have served for over a decade. This continuity of dedicated people has been essential to the museum's success.

Looking to the Future

MOD faces both opportunity and uncertainty ahead. Capitola Mall was sold several years ago, and redevelopment plans may include housing where the museum currently stands.

The board is focused on three key priorities for the next 5-10 years: strengthening educational programming through a comprehensive master plan; expanding access so more families can benefit; and securing a permanent home that reflects the museum's importance to early learning in Santa Cruz County.

"We are the most visited museum in Santa Cruz County with one of the lowest budgets," "

How You Can Help

Supporting MOD starts with a visit. Admission fees and memberships directly fund operations. Gifting a membership brings discovery to another family.

Donations can be made directly through the museum's website at sccmod.org or through the Santa Cruz Gives campaign running through December 31, 2025 www.santacruzgives.org/MOD. Local businesses can sponsor specific programs or exhibits—Granite Rock currently sponsors MOD’s kinetic sand box.

Every contribution helps close the gap between children who have access to enrichment and those who don't.

The Legacy Continues

What started as a dinner conversation has become an institution touching tens of thousands of lives. MOD proves that when passionate community members come together around a shared vision, remarkable things happen.

"Throughout this whole conversation, you guys keep sharing all these names from our community," host Jill Troderman observed during the podcast. "That's really hitting home—how important community is to make an endeavor like this."

Bonnie Keet put it simply: "You can come up with all the crazy fun ideas you want, but unless we have the community and the builders and the people who are coming in to make it happen, it's really quite an effort."

That effort continues every day at MOD, where children discover, parents connect, and community grows—one wonder-filled experience at a time.

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The Santa Cruz Children's Museum of Discovery is located in Capitola Mall. For hours, admission, and membership information, visit sccmod.org.

To donate through Santa Cruz Gives (November 19 – December 31, 2025), visit www.SantaCruzGives.org/MOD.

This article was adapted from an episode of Feeding the Family with Jill Troderman, streaming live Wednesdays at 3 PM on Santa Cruz Voice.