Wednesday, July 20, 2011

A Little Bit of Magic

     Our grandsons came to visit this weekend. We decided they were old enough at 2 and 4 to go for an "adventure" on Saturday. It was so cute on Friday night, the 4-year-old wanted to leave for the "adventure" instead of going to bed and the 2-year-old wanted to "sleep fast" so we could go "venture". We wouldn't tell them where we were going which made it more exciting for them. We also didn't tell our son where we were going because we knew he would tell the kids! He was told that he would just have to be surprised with the boys!


     Our destination was The Magic House in St. Louis, MO. It is the St. Louis Children's Museum and we had never been there before, so we weren't sure what to expect. It is a beautifully restored (and expanded) 1901 Victorian Mansion that has been transformed into the perfect place to take kids of all ages. Every room has something hands-on and fun for all. Inside of The Magic House, is a child-sized house and community for the children to explore.


     They can go to the grocery store and fill their shopping basket with everything from produce to yogurt. They can check out with a scanner, ring up the sale and even make change with the money in the register.




They can cook a meal in the kitchen of the
"home" or play the piano in the living room.


     They can go to work making pizza in the Pizza Parlor and serve it to parents sitting and red checked tables in the "dining room" of the restaurant.


Do you love the stairs to the neighborhood library?


     There are real books on the shelves, and comfy chairs if your child is ready for a break. Of course ours were moving at the speed of light and anxious to get to the next room!


    We had to stop at the Electric Company for a photo. After all, that is where Grandpa works. Here they could plug things in, play with magnets and make light bulbs turn by spinning a crank. There is also a bank with an ATM, lock boxes, deposit slips and even the teenagers in the room were having fun there.


     The Lewis and Clark Adventure area had everything from teepees to canoes. There was also a Discovery Trail, but children have to be 5 to go on that.


     Want to be President for the day? The Star-Spangled Center houses the Oval Office, an actual courtroom and a Legislative Chamber. Kids could hold a press conference with working microphones and watch themselves on the flat screen television.


     An outdoor area (with large fans which kept it tolerable) has everything you need to build a house. This area was really a hit with my little guys. Grandma ended up on a bench inside in the air-conditioning and left this one up to Grandpa and Daddy.



They could even go fishing...


...or play in the Bubble Room.


     The current traveling exhibit is Alice's Wonderland. The kids loved climbing through the rabbit hole and meeting Alice and the Mad Hatter.



     One of my favorites didn't impress the kids at all. They had a very small house that you could look through the windows and see the entire scene from the book, "Goodnight Moon"! I loved it as it was a favorite of my kids.

 

     There is a restaurant, The Picnic Basket Cafe, onsite. There were several healthy choices and the food was very good and served in a Picnic Basket...cute! I highly recommend taking kids or grandkids here if you live close enough for a road trip. Ours loved it and so did we. If you go, make sure you google for discount coupons. We found that Drury Inns had a free child with paid adult coupon right now, so our kids got in free. The regular admission is $8.75 for anyone over the age of 1. It is well worth it. Every space is filled with things to spin, roll, climb or pretend.


I think this photo on the way home says it all!

I am joining Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday and
Laura @ Decor to Adore for her new meme, Wayfaring Wednesdays.
Please visit our wonderful hostesses and say hello!


17 comments:

bj said...

O, I love these kind of trips and days. When our grands were little, I took them to a place here called Science Spectrum. They have all kinds of fun, hands-on things and we could spend the entire day. Such fun...such memories.
xoxo bj

Glenda/MidSouth said...

Awww! That is one tired little boy. :D Looks and sounds like everyone had an enjoyable day, and making memories.

Barbara F. said...

Hi Sue, that museum looks like a wonderful place. I bet they had a great time. I am sure you did, too. xo,

My name is Riet said...

That looks like a wonderful place. I love those stairs and of course all the rest too. They must have had a wonderful day.

Gypsy Heart said...

What a perfect place for kids! I'm sure they had a blast...and they are so adorable.

xo
Pat

Pinky at Designs by Pinky said...

This sounds like the perfect place to take children od all ages!!! Glad you had such a good trip! I doubt I will ever have grandchildren but if I did I would want to take them here! XO, Pinky

Linda said...

What fun!!Love the last picture...it does indeed say it all :0)

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style said...

Sue, how cute is that? I bet they had a blast. Now they will want to go do that again.

Blondie's Journal said...

What a wonderful day those two cuties must have had. They look like they are having a ball. We have a much smaller children's museum nearby and it is all hands on activities. My daughter takes her little cousins there quite a bit and they always seem to learn something new! Great pictures, Sue!

XO,
Jane

Jennifer said...

What a wonderful place!

Decor To Adore said...

Oh I want to play in the magic house! :)

Thank you for linking up to Wayfaring Wednesday. Hope to see you next week. Remember old posts are ok.

Leigh Powell Hines said...

What an awesome place. I love it. Popping over from Decor to Adore today. The post I used was from last week..Cozy, Great Times at Surf Chalet.

This is a great place for children. I love the Goodnight Moon room.

I am going to do my first link up on August 1 for Easy Meal Planning. I would love for you to share a recipe. You look like you have some good ones. My goal is for this to be a one-stop place for everyone to find, great recipes, meal planning tips in one place monthly.

Honestly, this really makes me want to go to St. Louis. Thanks for sharing. I look forward to reading more posts.

Leigh

xinex said...

Oh aren't they just the cutest? I can imagine how much fun you all had, Sue. I know watching them enjoy makes you so happy....Christine

Red Couch Recipes said...

What a great place to go! I would have loved taking my kids there when they were young. The mansion is beautiful and I would have loved going to the Picnic Basket Cafe. What great grandparents you are! Joni

Monica h said...

What a great place to take children. There's something for everyone to do- that's really awesome.

Angie said...

This looks like a blast - isn't it fun to join them and be a kid again, too?

Sue said...

How come they never had things like this when WE were little? What a fun place to have a fantasy adventure, Sue! You and the grands must really have enjoyed yourselves. Great memories for all of you, too. ~ Sue