Magic House review redue

Back in November, I wrote a review for the Magic House in St. Louis. At the time, I commented that I thought the expansion would help with some of the congestion. Unfortunately, I was totally wrong. It could have been the day we picked to go (Tuesday of Spring Break, not for STL schools but all the surrounding area schools) or it could have been just that busy. Either way, the expansion didn't really help and wasn't that impressive.

The new area starts with a new exhibit about fairy tales. It has the banquet table from Beauty and the Beast, some animal costumes to dress up with, a small Jack and the Beanstalk themed slide and the giant's stool from Jack and the Beanstalk.



TB proclaimed this area "for girls" and asked to leave shortly after we arrived.

On the 3rd floor are several new exhibits, including the forensic lab, the "sunshine classroom" (an outdoor area for growing things). TB wanted to be impressed with the forensics but being that he couldn't read and couldn't figure out the clues, he ended up frustrated and bored. We went through the "secret passageway" into the lab (parents, take note, this passageway is for short short people and there is a door nearby for those of us of normal height). In that area, there is a slide. It is a cool twisty black slide. The entrance to the slide is on the other side of the room. When you get there, there will likely be a line. After you stand in that line, you will find out that the slide is only for kids 5+. This will likely cause your under 5 child no end of torment and you will leave the area with a child in tears. You won't be alone. Every other parent of an under 5 child will be doing the same thing. If you are me, you are by now really angry and have written the 3rd floor off as an entire loss.

In the basement, they have a judicial process area with a mock Oval Office, a court room and a mock Congress. TB REALLY enjoyed this area.



It was very interesting for him to see how that stuff looked. Especially coming right on the heels of the election and all the time spent talking about it recently. MT was not so impressed but did like being the judge in the courtroom.

Also in basement, they have a construction zone.



There is a house frame where you can run wire and lay flooring. There is a skyscraper where you can practice bricklaying. There is a design office where you can learn about the layouts of buildings and how they are decorated. And the biggest draw of all is the rock pit, with shovels and brooms to dig or clean the area. Both kids really enjoyed it and played there longer than anywhere else in the whole section. the one major drawback to this area is that it is basically outside. It is enclosed on 3 sides and has a roof but the 4th wall is a plastic half fence, letting all the weather in. It was pouring down rain the day the we were there but it was about 65 so it was quite comfortable in there. When it opened in January, I'm sure that was a different story. There is a fan for the summer but I can't imagine too many people going there during either extreme heat or cold.

There is also one of the "airblowers" that is pretty much SOP for children's museums. It is the thing with the tubes that you put scarves or balls in and they blow out different places based on which switches you flip.

The basement also has direct access to the parking lot when you leave. This was especially great for us, with the pouring rain and all

In the new section, they have built a "climber". One of those things with platforms of varying size that kids climb around in, that also seems to be SOP for children's museums. Typically, there is one entrance so the child has to come out where they went in. Not so here. There are exits on all 3 floors of the new area, meaning if you let your child climb in, they may not come back to where you are. This is dangerous and stupid in all sorts of ways. Fortunately for us, MT is scared to climb in them and TB knows enough to come back.

They very best thing about the expansion was the new resturant! If you remember in November, I said that if not for the crowds and the lack of food, we would have stayed longer. Well they addressed at least one of those issues and it was done well.



The menu includes sandwiches, salads, soups, snacks and drinks. The prices are high, but that is too be expected when you have a captive audience. A sandwich, chips and a drink runs about $8.50. We only had the ice cream because we made a point of eating lunch before we went. The cafe area is kind of small and crowded but there is an outdoor seating area that is covered so if it isn't too bad, you can sit out there and eat.

The final issue I had was the "you can't get there from here" problem. Both sections have 3 floors but you can only get from one section to the other on the main floor. This was a problem when the kids wanted to leave the construction zone and go to the Lewis and Clark adventure. Both were in the basement, in seperate sections. Did it kill us to climb up then down the stairs? No, but it was difficult for my mom with her broken foot and it took unnecessary time.

I would say the expansion was geared mostly for older kids, which is disappointing because the rest of the museum already leaned that way for the most part. If you have kids 7-10, they would probably really enjoy this museum. My kids were just too young for most of it.

In November, I ranked it at 3.5 stars, stating that I thought the new expansion would bring it even higher. I was wrong. I give it an additional half star for the cafe but then deduct half a star for general lameness of the new area and a full star for making my kid cry twice because of no signs about age limits. Resulting in a grand total of 2.5 stars, including the new area.

Children's Museum of Chicago

This weekend we went to the Children's Museum of Chicago. We were there a little early and were able to see some of the Navy Pier shops while we waited. Once we were able to get in, we were directed to the "other admission" desk because we were using our pass for a reciprocle ACM membership. Normal price is $9 for adults and children 2 and up. Seniors are $8. This is a smaller museum (compared to something like Indy, which I realized I have never reviewed) but offer plenty to keep the kids entertained. We started on the second floor, where the admission desk is and quickly made our way through the children's museum standard "health and safety area" They had exhibits on riding in and driving an ambulance, why you should buckle up in the car and how to call 911. The best part of the second floor was the climbing schooner. There is a "below decks" area, that includes some playground type climbing equiptment and a slide. Adults aren't comfortably able to get below so I would suggest this area for ages 5 and up, unless you have a super independant preschooler (MT had no issue climbing down and playing by herself). They also a net tube that goes all the way to the second floor. It is recommended for ages 5 and up but younger kids can climb with guardian permission. MT couldn't be held back once she found out her brother was going up so we just met them at the top. On the third floor, there is a short net tube that goes up to a rope cage that kids can climb through to get to the "suspension" bridge (sections of it move but it is totally supported) to exit.

From there, we went to the skyline building area. MT had a good time pounding the nails into the foam board they had out but that is a rotating exhibit and is only out occasionally. There is plenty to build, with real wood, bolts nuts and tools. I was impressed that they used real hardware instead of plastic junky stuff. MT screwed a few screws but mostly wasn't interested. TB, on the other hand, was enthralled. He built (surprise, surprise) a Star Wars ship

that he and Nonni worked on for nearly an hour.

Once he was done with his building, we went on to "Snow Much Fun" (Waterworks was closed or we would have stopped there but it is water, things that float, etc, can't say anything bad about it LOL). They had the BEST exhibit ever in the snow area. It is "Pretend to ice skate" and it was great. They have a large piece of linolium on the floor that is waxed and the kids slide around on it in their socks. They placed some fun music and the attendants really got involved with the kids. The guy attendant was getting the kids to skate like airplanes, then having them run and fall down and slide across the floor. The girl was having the kids practice jumping and falling and sliding like penguins. Because they were involved, it kept it from turing into a free for all and having someone get hurt. When they were done skating, they built a snow fort out of interlocking cardboard blocks and had a snowball fight with white puff balls.

Then we went to "Big Backyard" where the kids had their pictures taken and their faces were put on bugs. I wish they would have had a print out option because they were cute but you could see them on the screen. They dressed up like bugs and played in the giant shoe. The best part of that area was the shadow wall. One side has rain falling down it and the other side has butterflies. If you stand still in front of either one, the things will interact with your shadow. They rain will fall around you and the butterflies will land on you. It was a lot of fun.

From there, it was the museum standard "pretend town" They have a grocery store, a bus to drive and a mechanic's shop. Nothing exceptional about it but it is something that all kids seem to enjoy.

After lunch (the museum doesn't have food but the Navy Pier food court is right around the corner and you have in and out priviledge) we started on the first floor. The first floor includes the gift shop and the art area.

The art area had a huge table to do art at. They had the standard markers, glue scissors, etc but they also had cardboard boxes, metallic paper, mailing tubes, etc that the kids could use to decorate or create other things. They also had a stage where the kids could do a show and tell of the things they made or perform for the group. Neither kid used the stage, but we did spend a fair amount of time in the art area.

According to the map, there was an aquarium on the first floor as well. We ended having to ask at the gift shop where it was because it is actually between the two levels on a landing. We assumed, being called an "aquarium" that it was fairly large and TB was quite excited (he wanted to go to Shedd's while we were there but we had other stuff planned and couldn't make it this trip). Unfortunately, it 2 small fish tanks with maybe 10 fish between the 2. We were pretty disappointed.

Overall, the museum was good but I'm glad I had free admission because it is too small to justify the $9 per person admission.

I would rate it 3.5 stars

Magic house Review

While we were in St Louis last weekend, we went to the Magic House. I had been several times when I was kid but hadn't been in about 20 years. Apparently, according to my mom because I didn't remember, it is COMPLETELY different.

When you walk in the door, there is the admission desk where you pay and get your sticker, letting people know you have paid. To the left are a few benches and the gift shop. Beyond the benches, there is a large expansion area, which is opening next week. To the right is the actual museum area. As you head down the hallway, they have the "Little bit of magic" area for kids under 6 (shh, don't tell but we snuck TB in). In it, they have some slides, a sand table, a water play table, a climbing area. In the back corner, they have a baby area for kids under 2.

Around the corner from the LBOM area, there is the Math Path, which is all numbers. From math puzzles and guess the number of items to giant calculators and build the fastest Lego car, the Math Path is a dream come true for your budding Einstein.

Beyond the Math Path, you will find the Children's Village. It includes magnetic fishing, a mechanic's shop with a car up on a lift, an electric company, a store, a pizza palor and a tree fort. This also were the elevator to the basement is located. MT loved playing in the mechanic's shop, changing the tires and the license plate on the cars (this tells me she will either be a mechanic or a car thief LOL) TB liked the tree house and the pizza palor.

From there, we took the elevator down to the basement because the kids were hungry and there was a vending area marked on the map. We were disappointed to find that their vending area consisted of a couple of drink machines and no food. Both kids ended up getting sugary caffinated drinks so they were really hopped up for the rest of the visit.

After our drink stop, we continued down the hall, past the experiment center. It looked like something TB would have enjoyed but there was really nothing for MT so we bypassed it. The majority of the basement is given over to Lewis and Clark. In one area, they have a Lewis and Clark camp site, with a wooden canoe, a teepee and a fire, as well as some costumes to dress up in. MT proclaimed it "boring" and insisted on going elsewhere. Off of the camp site, they have a Lewis and Clark Trail setup. WARNING, this exhibit is NOT for young children, old people, or anyone with any kind of limited mobility. The age range for it is 5-12 but we took MT in because wouldn't allow us to leave her out. 10 feet into the exhibit, there is a rope you have to use to swing across a gap in the floor (you can walk across if you must, but what is the fun in that), that leads to stumps to step on, ladders to climb and slides to slide down. Over all the whole exhibit was pretty dark, with some pitch black spots. It was also pretty physical and quite fun. The kids wanted to make a repeat trip through but each guest is only allowed through once, for some reason.

Then it was up to the third floor to see the fitness center, the shadow wall and the coolest of all, the electro-static generator. That is the machine that when you touch it, makes your hair stand up all wild. Unfortunately, it didn't work at all for TB. It worked fairly well for MT but because I had to hold her to reach it, I didn't get a picture of it. However, we found that my hair worked GREAT so I went back and TB took a picture of my crazy hair.

By then the kids were hungry and tired and we decided to call it a day. We stopped off in the gift shop which was pretty much to be expected. It had the components of the various exhibits, highly priced for children to beg for. We picked up a couple of things and got some ideas for Christmas as well.

I remember it being mostly a museum for older kids, but MT had a really great time. There were a few things she couldn't do (the Lego racers were for kids 4+ but I think that was because they are considered chocking hazards) but she didn't lack for things to keep her busy.

Over all, I would give it 3.5 stars. I think it will be better when the new expansion opens up and when it is warmer, the outside stuff will be available. As it is right now, the really fun exhibits (LBOM, Math Path, etc) were really crowed and moving around and keeping your kids in sight was fairly difficult. With more space, some of that congestion would be relieved. I was also umimpressed with the lack of snack machines. If we had something to eat and if the crowds had been less, we probably would have stayed longer. As it was, we rushed through some exhibits and bypassed other completely, just to move things

Wisconsin Dells - Tommy Bartlett Exploratory

Next was the Tommy Bartlett Exploratory. It was basically a small children's museum/science center. The kids really enjoyed it and we spent over 2 hours working our way through the whole place. It was small and was a little pricey (nearly the same price as the Indy Children's Museum which is the pinnacle of children's museums), but we had a coupon that saved some money, plus I think it was worth it to have something that the kids really liked. There were small exhibits but there was enough stuff that Ms Thang could do and TB was entertained as well. It is truely a rare event when we find something that keeps both kids entertained for any length of time.

If you go to the Dells with young children, take some time and visit the Exploratory (especially if the weather is yucky and you need to do something indoors for a few hours).

This attraction ranks 4 stars