Imagine it! Children's Museum

As I mentioned in my post about our Christmas gift giving guidelines for the kids, part of their Christmas from us was tickets to the Imagine it! Children's Museum.  They were super excited to go to a big building full of toys that they could play with to their hearts' content.  Here is a run down of how the day went and some basic information about the museum for those interested.

We got up bright and early so we would make the 3 hour drive to Atlanta and be there by opening at 10:00 a.m.  We were some of the first people through the doors, and the kids were ready to dive right in.  We headed to the Leaping into Learning area first.  This section had fishing, a 'tree house' and a tunnel to crawl under the water and under the tree house.  They provided rain coats for the kids to wear while fishing so they wouldn't get too wet.

Then we headed over to the Tools for Solutions area which was a favorite of both kids.  There was a huge area where you could drop balls in and watch them follow various paths around and above the area.  There was a large train play area, a section for building with large blocks and even a large play farm area.

Because B was enjoying the trains so much, he stayed where he was with the Hubs while C and I headed to the next area--Let Your Creativity Flow.  I loved this area, and I think it was a favorite of C's.  There was a sand play area, a wall the kids could paint, a dress up theater area, and PVC building area.

The last area we spent time in was the Fundamentally Food area.  This section was basically a child-friendly grocery store complete with food, shopping carts and baskets, cash registers, and even a food delivery truck.  It also had a farm section where the kids could sort produce, sit on a tractor, and milk a cow.  There was also a banana peel slide which the kids enjoyed.

 

The last area is a temporary area.  This area changes 3 or 4 times a year, and when we went it was called Moneyville.  We didn't spend much time here because it seemed to be much more suited for older kids.  It was about spending and saving, and had several little areas where kids would set up lemonade stands, look at the stock market and practice counting back change.  A couple of young adults were doing an informative 'song and dance' type of presentation for a large group of kids at one point.

After about 2 hours at the museum, we went back to the car and  headed off to The Varsity--the iconic Atlanta burger and fries joint.  It was greasy and delicious as usual, and it was the kids' first time.  They enjoyed their hot dogs and loved watching the traffic through the huge windows.

Tips and Information about Imagine it! Children's Museum

• Contrary to what I was expecting, the museum is basically one big room with some areas divided by a small wall--not several small rooms like I thought.  This means that if you aren't REALLY keeping a close eye on your little one, they could move on to a completely different part of the museum pretty fast and you would have a hard time locating them.
• Because of this, I would advise dressing your child in bright colors.  As you can see from the pictures, I had my kids in bright aqua, and it made life much easier.  They did not blend in with the pink and purple-clad girls or the navy, red, and blue jean-wearing boys.
• I found the museum to be quite clean.  The toys were in good condition, and everything was neat and tidy when we got there at opening.  The bathrooms were clean and very accommodating for small children and families with babies.
• I also found the security to be pretty good.  There was camera surveillance when you went in, and adults are not allowed in the museum without a child.  There were also several young adult employees working in a few of the areas around the museum to monitor the children.
• There is a small stroller parking area for those wanting to bring little ones, but I saw most of the mommies of infants wearing their babies.
• There is not a coat check.  However, they did have a couple of rolling racks with hangers for you to hang your coats.  The former elementary school teacher in me went 'yuck' when I saw this--between germs, lingering cigarette smoke, and lice, I did not want my kids jackets hanging up with a bunch of other kids' stuff.  We brought a large bag, and I stuffed the jackets in there while we were 'touring' the museum.
• I wish we had brought the Hubs's backpack from his trip to the Dominican.  That would have made carrying the diapers, wipes, sippy cups, hand sanitizer, camera, jackets, cell phones, wallets, etc. much easier.  But I do love my Thirty-One bag with all the pockets.
• There is a small play area for little ones under one-year -old with lots of soft toys and play mats.
• They do have vending machines, but there is no restaurant inside the museum.  You are welcome to bring a picnic lunch and eat at the one of the many tables they have set up in the back corner of the museum.
• There were several areas labeled as "Quiet Areas."  These areas were walled off and had bean bags or chairs with books to look at or small toys like Legos to play with.  Since we have a close friend with an autistic son, I thought this was very smart; it allows families with children with sensory issues to still come to the museum.
• Mondays are 'no group' days.  This means no field trip or play groups will be there.  If we go again, we will probably go on a Monday.  There were a couple of field trip groups there yesterday (I didn't even think school was back in yet!!) and it got really crowded and pretty noisy very quickly.
• They are closed on Wednesdays, but are open the other 6 days of the week. They open at 10:00 every morning and close at 4:00 during the week and 5:00 on weekends.  You can check their website for special holiday or event hours.
• You can order tickets online, but we just paid at the door with no problem.
• There is a small gift shop that you have to walk by to enter and exit the play area.  And yes, they put the toys right out by the door.  That cost us an unexpected $10 for a Galactic Grabber and a small rubber duck.
• There are several places to park, but we parked in the parking garage right across the street.  We were parked for a little over 2 hours and 20 minutes and paid $10.
• The cost per person over one-year-old is $12.75--that means that with tax, this is less than $14 per person.  A very affordable option for morning activities with little ones.

So go out and have some family fun!