Children's Museum at Discovery Gateway

My boy, Peter, he is 17 months old. So as he ages, I will probably take him back to locations we have previously visited to see if they are more suitable at various ages and stages of development. Let's talk about him for a moment so you can compare him with your own children. He is rambunctious and loves to around (duh, he is a toddler) but still, some lucky mothers out there may have a very sedate child. He doesn't seem interested in really playing with other children at this point, but I'm sure that will change with age.

And here we go with the review.

It was slightly difficult finding it at first, being from Utah County and not being familiar with the Salt Lake area. The directions on their website and Google maps were not friendly at all. They asked us to find a road that we could never really find. We ended up trying to find it for a half an hour.

But boy is this place fun! I loved it. I always have, ever since I was a kid. I think it is somewhat engaging for adults, so it is a great place to take your kids. The prices are 8.50 per person. Which is a little steep for so young a child. There is a lot to do here, however, and my husband and I both agreed it would be a great place to go if you have more than one child. There are different exhibits, and some cater to a slightly older crowd. So if you've got two adults, it is a good place to entertain your toddlers and 3-12 year olds at the same time. They have a ball exhibit where you place balls into tubes and they get sucked and pushed by the air, which Peter was only interested in for the balls. Slightly too mature an activity for him. They have an exhibit with a mini crane where you can load up foam blocks and move them around with pulleys. Also too old for him. They have a miniature house where your little ones can play house with a little couch, refrigerator, etc. Still too old. Water play, with little cups, and faucets and water wheels. Also too old, also a little too tall for him. Farm area with a life-size horse you can sit on, as well as reading about agriculture. A mini grocery store where your older children can pretend to be cashiers, and the little ones can take little shopping carts and pick out all their favorites and have them scanned. A gas station and cars, to practice filling up for when they finally turn 16. An arts and crafts area, an area about storytelling with puppets. A studio where your children can film themselves pretending to be news anchors. And a real life life-flight helicopter with most of the original buttons and switches, so they can pretend to be pilots.

And finally, the area of interest for our little one. The 3 and under area. He absolutely loved it. We got to sit back and relax while he ran around and played uninhibited. Little see-saws, and a tiny tree house with a 2 foot ladder with books and small chairs. A small slide, a little stick clubhouse. Books, toys, etc. There is also a small area within this area for children from 9-18 months. And a nice couch for nursing mothers in a small unimposing nook. They have parenting magazines that you can read, and all the other parents are extremely attentive.

We actually watched one father put down his infant child and leave, and when the kid crawled away another parent noticed him escaping from the area and returned him. I thought it was incredible that she even noticed a baby that wasn't hers getting away.

It's a great place to take your kids! Although, a little expensive if you've only got one toddler to take like us.

They also have classes on different things that you and your children can attend.

And here is the URL in case you are interested: http://www.discoverygateway.org/