The New Children’s Museum is phenomenal! I had been holding off on taking my 19-month-old son because I assumed (incorrectly) that there wouldn’t be much for a child his age to do – so wrong! And now I’m disappointed that we didn’t go sooner, but we will make up for lost time – I bought a family membership and we’ve already been twice this week.

The Barnyard room located on the main floor next to the stroller parking is my favorite room (my son loves it to!) It is the only room designated for children 2 years and under. It is adorably decorated and has all sorts of fun things for little ones. One wall has approximately 10-15 light switches perfectly situated to be right at my son’s level – each one makes a different farm animal noise, or plays a song, or controls the disco ball or spinning lights. It’s awesome! There are also sacks of corn, grain, etc. (like large bean bags), a cute little ladybug ride-on toy, bouncy horses, books, and wood toys. So much fun!

My son’s favorite room is up on the 3rd level and it’s called the Rain House. It is a large wooden play house wildly painted with bright colors and foam padded floors that have removable puzzle pieces. There is a water fountain behind the house and it sounds like rain hitting the rooftop. This no-shoe zone is perfect for jumping, playing, flopping and rearranging the puzzle pieces. You can hear the squeals and screams of enjoyment from across the room.

The last Friday and Saturday of the month the museum plans special “Toddler Time” activities. Last Friday they had ‘Water Fun’ outside on the grassy area near the park. They had all sorts of water toys and water trough-like stations set up. My son and the other children had a blast filling various items with water and soaking themselves in the process. We are looking forward to the next Toddler Time event – it is so nice to be able to attend an activity geared specifically to my son’s age.

The museum has many other wonderful and creative offerings for older children as well. All of the stations or rooms are labeled with a description and the age that the activity is geared for (such as ‘3+’ or ‘5+’), which I find very helpful because I know which activities are appropriate for my son and which he may not be ready for quite yet. There is painting, clay art, drawing, bubbles, as well as special projects offered only for that day or for a short time.

All over the museum there are little TVs playing black and white video clips of animals. These short segments play repeatedly and my son loves them! Under the 2-story wooden horse near the entrance is a TV playing a mother dog feeding her pups, which my son can sit and watch for several minutes!

Downstairs there is a giant rainbow jumpy, which is very popular. There is an employee managing it and she only allows a few children at a time and will even allow only little ones (for example, my son and his 2-year-old friend) to jump by themselves for a few minutes. There is also a station with over-sized monster-like boots, tails, arms, etc. that the kids can Velcro on to their bodies and transform themselves into mysterious creatures.

I can go on and on! The museum is staffed with wonderful, helpful people who kindly make sure everyone is following the rules and genuinely care that everyone is having a good time.  I have nothing but wonderful things to say about the New Children’s Museum. It is well-worth the $10 admission, and if you like it as much as we did you can convert your single-day tickets into a membership. A family membership (which is 2 adults and all the children in a household) is $85, there are also military and grandparent discounts, or a single-parent family membership for approx. $63. It’s a great place for a family day – go check it out!