Our recent adventures took us to the Muncie Children’s Museum in Downtown Muncie. This hidden gem provided a day of fun and imaginative play!
My youngest son and I left to drive to the museum at around noon (we live in Hamilton County, Indiana) and arrived just a few minutes before 1 p.m. You cannot miss the museum because it is located in downtown Muncie’s Horizon Convention Center. When we walked in the front doors, we were immediately greeted at the admission’s desk by a young woman who checked us in.
Then we were off to explore everything the museum had to offer. Kaleb was immediately drawn to the Munseetown Express Train Exhibit. Kaleb absolutely loves trains and could sit there and watch them for hours. After a few minutes, I encouraged him to continue exploring the eighteen interactive, hands-on exhibits. Next stop, the Big Rig, yes, your little one can jump inside a truck and see where a truck driver lives. Then, he was off to Grocery Market and loved pushing around the cart that was the perfect size for him. A short time later, we were off to see the Discovery Park area, which is also a STEM exhibition. Kaleb absolutely loved it. He was excited to see all the different animals on display especially the rabbits and I cannot even count how many times he came down the slide.
After about an hour of playtime in the museum, I surprised Kaleb when I told him we were going to a Princess and Pirate Party at the museum. We walked over to the party room and checked-in. At that time, we were given a bag full of goodies, which included all the materials needed to create a pirate hat and a treasure map. We were also told to make sure Kaleb grabbed a piece of treasure from the treasure box. Kaleb was excited to see an assortment of suckers to choose from among so many other things.
Before we sat down at the table, Kaleb grabbed a sugar cookie and drink to enjoy. While we were seated, Captain Jack and The Tower Princess from Enchanting Party Tales walked around to greet every table. Then, they asked the kids if they would like to hear a story. Kaleb loves reading books and ran over to hear both stories. Captain Jack read one and the princess read the other. After the stories, Kaleb finished his snack and made the final touches on his pirate hat and treasure map, and then we were off to explore the museum again.
Kaleb headed straight for the tot spot, which is perfect for kids his age. He loved the tugboat; I am guessing he was feeling like a pirate after the party he just attended. There was also another slide, a lighthouse that he climbed into and a garden that he had to stop and use the shovel to dig up some vegetables. One of our last stops was the ant wall and the pixel pegs board. I loved that both of these areas were interactive in different ways. In the ant wall, Kaleb had to climb through different tunnels and watch out or move out of the way of other little ants, I mean kids. And, the pixel pegs were fascinating to him. I could see his eyes light up when he slid a peg into the slot and it lit up. On our way out, we stopped at the rest room and Kaleb saw a piano. He could not pass up the opportunity to share his 3-year-old skills with everyone before we left.
I know Kaleb had a blast at the Muncie Children’s Museum. So, if you are looking for something new to do with your family I highly encourage you to plan a visit soon. Also, be sure to check their website for some fun and exciting things happening in the months ahead.