Phoenix Children’s Museum
Location: 215 N 7th St., Phoenix, Arizona 85034
Hours: Tuesday – Sunday: 9am to 4pm; Closed: Mondays, New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day. **Target sponsors First Fridays from 6pm to10pm, opening the museum to the public free of charge.
Admission fees: $9.00 per person (Ages 1 and younger are free)
**We used a Culture Pass checked out from the Public Library for two free tickets.
Ideal adventure for: Families with young children; great for visiting youngsters; repeat visits may actually be more entertaining than the first.
Accessibility: Easy to navigate with a stroller/handicap accessible. There are reserved areas for stroller parking (although you are encouraged to leave it in the car). Restrooms can be found on every floor (with changing stations) and family restrooms on the first and third floors.
Prepare for: a picnic lunch, running around (dress accordingly!), taking photos.
We decided to check out the Children’s Museum after hearing about it from several people over the past year. When I hear the word “museum,” I flash back to my childhood memories of a museum: reading placards in front of windows, seeing “do not touch” signs on displays that are interesting to me for about a minute, and then shuffling off to the next display to read yet another placard. I knew the Children’s Museum couldn’t possibly be like my pre-conceived idea. If it was, why would parents and young kids rave about it so?
Since this is our first family blog entry, and I have been charged with the responsibility of chronicling our adventures, I feel the need to point out that this particular adventure was completely spur of the moment. I am a planner at heart and to simply jump in the car and head out on a crazy hot Tuesday in June--well, it never happens.
But this time it did!
Right from the start of our adventure we were pleasantly surprised. The drive to downtown Phoenix on a weekday (after rush hour, of course) was a breeze and the Museum is easy to find. The Museum has free parking and provides quick and easy access to the entry (opposite from 7th Street). Since our car thermometer was reading 117 F, fast and easy access to air conditioning was important to us!
We had packed a few snacks and the requisite water bottles along with Liv’s light weight folding stroller. Since many places are finicky about visitors bringing food and water into their facilities we were prepared to return to the car to leave the snack bags-however that was not the case. If I had been planning ahead, I would have called and asked about their food/drink policies, but as it turns out you are encouraged to pack a lunch! Of course this lovely day, we hadn’t packed an actual lunch, and we regretted that decision because the small “canteen” serving $7 plastic wrapped sandwiches were unacceptable for us hungry adults.
There are a few places to eat at the nearby Arizona Center (about two blocks away) but that means dragging your child kicking and screaming out of the museum, walking two city blocks for a “sit down” lunch. There was a Subway nearby, but after a few hours of child’s play, I was hoping we’d get an adult meal at least! We ate at an utterly forgettable Mexican restaurant, that thankfully had air-conditioning and cold water, so on that particular day, it fit the bill. If you feel like adding a similar lunch time adventure (or adult time out) to your visit to the Museum, we recommend Sam’s Cafe (a delightfully original South Western restaurant with the best fresh chips and salsa in town) in the Arizona Center.
If (and when) we do it all again, we will pack a lunch, in a back pack, and avoid the stroller parking/guarding and elevator waits. We will eat lunch in the designated canteen area and keep our toddler happy.
The very first activity you encounter when you enter the Museum is what I would describe as a giant tree house (Schuff-Perini Climber). If you are uncomfortable in tight spaces or heights, this activity is not for you. I was astonished watching kiddos as young as two running freely through this two-story maze! Although there were many staff members stationed throughout the “tree house,” I implore you to stay with your children. I wasn’t able to handle the height so Ray had to take over “climbing” in the tree house with Liv. She would have spent the day there, given the choice!
The next room was all about building forts (Building Big). If you can name a material for building a fort, they had it here-- blankets, milk crates, mattresses, foam blocks. There were a few permanent structures from which the kids could build, but the majority of the play was in make-shift tents the kids had pieced together. The kids playing here ranged in age from 3-yrs to 8yrs on this particular day. There was a smaller area for toddlers with wooden peek-a-boo boxes, and a tent. Liv was interested in the tent, and the boxes, however the big kids’ forts were by far more intriguing. Liv wanted to join in the fun with the big kids and I even encouraged her at one point to join a fort growing on the upper level of one of the permanent structures. Sadly, Liv thought it would be funny to jump and belly flop on the “roof” of the fort. We left that room promptly while the angry campers tried to rebuild.
Outside the fort room was a track for riding a variety of wheeled tricycles and scooters (Pedal Power). Liv hasn’t grasped the concept of pushing the pedals on a tricycle yet, but she had good fun while I pushed her around the track.
From there we visited the model pizza kitchen (Texture Cafe) where Liv started to make a pretend pizza. She added the toppings, put her pizza in the “oven,” and then left for the next room, never to return. I guess she inherited her cooking style from me!
The adjacent room was a model grocery store. This room was utter chaos. Kids were “buying” groceries, tossing items from the shelves into their little miniature carts. Other kids were “checking” the groceries at the wooden check-stands, and some were restocking the shelves from big bins on wheels.
There was little to no adult direction (other than a few “Don’t throw that” or “Hey, that’s my cart”) so we stayed close to Liv in case she needed us in the midst of the chaos. Eventually, when we got a feel for the self regulated system, I sat back with some other parents in amazement as we watched our little tykes scramble around like ants--shopping. At one point Liv stole another child’s grocery item--apparently to restock it-- only to return through the maze of shoppers and take over as cashier.
Outside in the hall was a model ice cream stand where self designated ice cream scoopers were serving up free foam ball “ice cream cones”. I saw way too many kids (including my own) pretend to eat the “ice cream” by licking the foam ball. Yuck! Sadly, organic or not, I could not spray Liv’s tongue with hand sanitizer.
One of the areas that I thought would be the most exciting to Liv was the noodle forest. In this play area, thousands of noodles hang suspended from the ceiling and the kids go wandering through blindly. This is probably a better activity for bigger kids-- ages 3+. Liv got barreled over by a boy blasting through the side of the play area. In the end, she wasn’t thrilled with the whole activity, but older kids will love playing hide and go seek here.
There were other activity rooms/exhibits, including one where the kids could do crafts and another where you can sit together and read. Though we skipped those this trip, I think Liv will enjoy the craft activity next time. The activities change, so be sure to check the museum’s web site if you are looking for a specific exhibit.
We spent the rest of the afternoon in the tree house area where Liv waved to me from various locations two stories up.
If you really feel adventurous-check out the gift shop on your way out. We did, however in my infinite wisdom, I told Liv she could she could pick a prize (in an effort to lure her away from the giant tree house). If (and when) we do it all again, I will try to avoid the gift shop (for obvious reasons you seasoned parents already know), or I’ll pre-select a prize and simply lure her with the item that way. In the end we walked off with a $5 plastic fire truck that was overpriced but not surprising for a gift shop.
All in all this adventure was a success. I highly recommend the Phoenix Children’s Museum. I especially like this activity because it is one that can be repeated. For those of you who are local, it beats the mall on a hot day; for visitors your kids/grandkids/etc. will look forward to the adventures.
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