From vision to wonder: Sasol helps bring Port Wonder to life
Thanks in part to Sasol’s contribution, new $20 million STEM-based educational facility opens its doors to Southwest Louisiana families and visitors
Sasol Chemicals’ steadfast commitment to the City of Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana reached a new milestone recently with the opening of Port Wonder – the $20 million lakefront development project designed to engage and enrich area children and their families.
Port Wonder – the new home of Children’s Museum of Southwest Louisiana and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Nature & Science Center – is the result of a multi-year collaboration between local businesses and government to rejuvenate the lakefront area and support science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education.
Sasol Chemicals was one of the first major donors to the effort, contributing $1 million. It remains Sasol’s largest single community investment in the U.S.
Port Wonder offers a hands-on interactive center coupled with an immersive, live-animal, Louisiana coast experience for visitors, housed in two wings of a 32 000-square-foot facility. The Children’s Museum features four individual galleries focused on nature, health, tech and city. The Nature & Science Center offers exhibits focusing on Louisiana’s coastline and its waters, marshes, fisheries, and barrier islands.
The site also features outdoor play areas, a covered fishing pier, and walking trails that connect to the existing alligator habitat.
Sasol’s exhibit is located in the technology section of the museum and includes a bubble area where visitors can learn about surfactants; an area where visitors can “work” as an operator, moving chemicals and finished products from one part of the facility to another using control valves; and a safety dress up area where visitors can try on lab coats, Nomex and other PPE.
Sasol’s contribution to the project reinforced two key company values – supporting the community’s economic growth/quality of life and bolstering STEM education to build a strong local workforce. Over the last several years, Sasol has contributed more than $9 million to community projects focused on local STEM education and small business development.
“Port Wonder was important to the community, and so it was important to Sasol Chemicals because this is our home,” said Todd Hancock, Vice President, Operations. “Now, we have a dynamic attraction that enhances Lake Charles and the surrounding area while also supporting STEM education. Our goal is that future Sasol employees will look back and remember how Port Wonder helped inspire their interest in STEM careers.”
Community leaders, partners, and residents gathered to officially open the facility during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on 20 March 2025. The celebration marked the culmination of years of hard work and collaboration, with initial planning beginning in 2018 and groundbreaking taking place in 2021.
“Sasol Chemicals is thrilled to have played a small part in making Port Wonder a reality, and I know our employees will enjoy visiting with pride knowing that we helped bring this wonderful investment to life,” Hancock said.
