Imagine It! Childrens Museum {Travel Atlanta}

This past weekend we made our way to the Imagine It! Childrens Museum in Atlanta. Located in the heart of downtown Atlanta, it was very conveniently located to other attractions we were visiting that day {which was a definite plus!}

A little about the museum: “The Children’s Museum of Atlanta is the city’s only children’s museum and is the largest in Georgia. It’s is the perfect place for children age eight and under and their families to learn and explore together in a safe and fun hands-on environment.  Our open and interactive area is filled with unique, entertaining and educational areas to explore. Our programming offers children the opportunity to use all of their senses in a unique and interactive way, while developing their knowledge and understanding of Reading, Social Studies, Math, Science, Language Arts and the Arts. It’s more than a children’s museum.  We are a community resource for children, parents, caregivers, families and schools.  We are deeply committed to the importance of play and its importance to the development and lives of all children.  As a 501(c)(3) educational organization, we are dedicated to helping children learn who they are, how they interact and what is important to them.”

February 4 – May 6, 2012 the main exhibit is Clifford the Big Red Dog. Inspired by Scholastic Entertainment’s top-rated TV show Clifford The Big Red Dog® on PBS KIDS®, the exhibit offers numerous immersive adventures that reinforce Clifford’s Big Ideas—ten simple, tangible life lessons designed to help young children navigate their world: Share, Play Fair, Have Respect, Work Together, Be Responsible, Be Truthful, Be Kind, Believe in Yourself, Be a Good Friend and Help Others.

Children can visit the colossal nine-foot high Clifford and slide down his tail, just like Emily Elizabeth does on the television show. Children can help fill Clifford’s big dog bowl with bones using a conveyor belt and create sand art and find “bone”-ifide treasures at T-Bone’s Beach. Browse the Norman Bridwell Art Retrospective and see 40 years (that’s 280 dog-years!) of artwork and stories by the creator and award-winning author of Clifford The Big Red Dog.

Inside the Exhibit:

• Samuel’s Fish and Chips Shack – Role-play restaurant employees
• Musical Marina – Children can play a variety of instruments including Cliffords giant Xylo-“bone”.
• T-Bone’s Beach – Kids can create sand art with beach toys and hunt for married treasures.
• Clifford the Big Red Dog’s Doghouse – 9 foot clifford invites you to take a seat next to Emily Elizabeth on the giant paws of her big red best friend and slide down Cliffords tail.
• Emily Elizabeth’s Backyard Theater – Take the stage with Clifford and his pals’s in the backyard theater. Dress the parts as well!
• Cleo’s Backyard – designed especially for tots with a soft floor and “stone wall”. Crawl through tunnels or play shape sorting games.
• Birdwell Island Post Office – Children can join Mr. Carson at the Birdwell Island Post Office and help sort and mail letters and deliver the mail as well.

Some of our family tips for visiting the Imagine It! Childrens Museum:

• Take a lunch or eat before you come. There is not a restaurant in the museum – just vending machines.
• Parking is normally $5 or $6. When there is an event, it jumps to at least $15. So, make sure you make it to the museum on a day where there isn’t a big event to keep parking charges down.
• The museum is said to be for ages 8 and under. However, my 6 year old I felt was a bit old for it. He had a great time, don’t get me wrong, but its geared more towards 18 months – 4 years {which was perfect for my 3 year old!}

Overall Experience:

I would give this venue a B+ ……why?

• It’s not what I considered a “museum” – more of a warehouse sized play room.
• I was expecting it to be more age appropriate for my 6 year old, but was geared more for my 3 year old. Not bad, but my 6 year old got a little bored after an hour or so.
• Definitely a fun place to spend a rainy day or winter day in Atlanta.
• I didn’t think the $12 admission was a bad price for the attraction.

Thank you Imagine It! Childrens Museum for a fun filled morning! My boys had a great time!

You can follow Imagine It! online: Twitter and Facebook.