Since opening its doors in 2004, the Mayborn Museum has served as a popular informal learning venue for more than 2 million visitors of all ages including hundreds of thousands of school children. The museum reached its highest ever annual attendance of 195,223 in the 2019 fiscal year. Our annual attendance continues to exceed consultants’ pre-opening estimates of 80,000 – 100,000.
MAY 2004
The opening of the Mayborn Museum was a monumental effort coming to fruition.
DECEMBER 2009
For more than
30 years, Baylor University staff, students and volunteers spent countless hours excavating the site. In 2006, plans were initiated to make the site a public park. With the support of the Waco Mammoth Foundation, the Mayborn Museum, and the City of Waco, this goal became a reality.
MAY 2012
The museum completed a $2.3 million renovation of the
Governor Bill and Vara Daniel Historic Village. The upgrade to the historic buildings, donated to Baylor University in 1986, included additions such as climate control and walkways and ramps to make the village ADA accessible.
JULY 2015
ON JULY 10, 2015, the President signed an executive order designating the Waco Mammoth National Monument. Material removed from the site continues to be housed at the Mayborn Museum Complex, which serves as a repository for the National Parks Service.
2016
The Mayborn joined the Portal to the Public network which is a group of more than 60 informal science centers that work to connect public audiences with current science in their own communities through conversations with local scientists. The museum has partnered with multiple Baylor departments including psychology and neuroscience, biology, anthropology, engineering, geology and geosciences.
JUNE 2018
The Mayborn hosts its first blockbuster exhibition, Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition. Visitors to the exhibit included people from all over Texas (including but not limited to San Antonio,Dallas, Austin, Houston, San Angelo, Amarillo), 47 additional states, and travelers from Denmark, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
MAY 2019
the Mayborn Museum received Accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums; the highest national recognition afforded the nation’s museums. The Mayborn Museum joins a list of just over 1,070 of the estimated 33,000 museums (a mere 3%) in the United States to earn AAM accreditation. The Mayborn Museum is one of 47 accredited museums in Texas and 170 university museums nationwide.
OCTOBER 2019
The museum opened the $1.2 million Backyard Ecology Hall. Inspired by Central Texas stories, Baylor research, and natural phenomena, this exciting collection of hands-on experiences encourages individual discovery and an appreciation for the natural world.
DECEMBER 2019
The Mayborn Museum created a new Christmas tradition for Waco and our surrounding community- Christmas Lights in the Village. Over 30,000 lights shined on our fun, family-friendly events and activities creating unforgettable memories.
FEBRUARY 2020
From Founding to Future: Bright Lights of Baylor University opened as a new permanent exhibit, introducing museum visitors to the Baylor experience and serving as a resource for campus history. This celebration of the 175th anniversary of Baylor highlighted the university’s origins, traditions and mission through an interactive timeline, collegial photo-ops, and important relics from the past.
A Look Ahead
2025
Culmination of Master Plan for Natural and Cultural History Exhibits The Mayborn Museum plans to open newly renovated Natural and Cultural History Exhibits after a $15 million upgrade.
These new exhibits will connect with the Discovery Wing making a more cohesive experience. Focusing on Central Texas: The Crossroads of Time and Place, innovative technologies, dinosaur fossils, and opportunities to engage with scientists and researchers will add to the cost value for our guests as well as elevating the museum’s reputation.
