The Children’s Museum at Holyoke

Thanks to The Children’s Museum at Holyoke for providing us with complimentary admission to the museum! All opinions are 100% my own.

Cut to the chase. Take me to the Momsense.

If you read my post yesterday, then you already know that a couple months back, Mandy and I had the opportunity to visit the Children’s Museum at Holyoke, MA. We are fortunate to have many great children’s museums in our state, but it is always fun to check out what our neighbors over the border have going on. Turns out, the trip to Holyoke, MA is an easy 40-minute drive from Hartford. So this museum might even be more convenient for many CT residents than some of those in our home state.

As I mentioned in my previous post, the Museum is located at the lovely Holyoke Heritage State Park, which also boasts a great preschooler playscape and a historic carousel. There is convenient metered street parking on Dwight Street, which borders this side of the park (2-hour limit Monday-Friday) and also a parking garage at the corner of Dwight and Front Street that appears to be open free of charge on the weekends (well, at least the weekend that we were there–I need to double check on that; but in any event, the rate is something ridiculously small like 25 cents an hour; cash only though.)

Oh, I should mention that this building also houses the Volleyball Hall of Fame, in case that’s of interest to you. In any event, you won’t be confused when you see that written on the side of the museum building. The entrance to the Children’s Museum is around the back (not that one there with the flag above it). You can use the stairs, or if you have a stroller, you can use the ramp located around the other side of the stairs.

You enter the Museum on the top floor, which is where you’ll find the picnic area. There are stairs and also an elevator that will get you down to the main floor where you’ll find all the exhibits. But from the bird’s eye view of the lower level, you can already tell this place is going to be fun.

FYI-there are restrooms outside the Museum’s entrance on the lower level, but these don’t have any changing stations in them. For that, you’ll need to use the family-style restroom conveniently located in the middle of the exhibit area (behind the giant bubble maker–yes! a giant bubble maker! See, I told you this place was going to be fun 🙂 )

You purchase admission inside the Museum at a little desk near the entrance.

Okay. First things first. Here’s a heads up. When you enter the Museum, there is going to be a water table exhibit on your right. Do your best to whisk your kiddos right by it and to the admissions desk…unless you want them to end up like our kiddos: soaked in the first five minutes of their museum visit. Actually, Mandy did her research and alerted me to bring an extra set of clothes for Boo. The problem was, I only brought one other set of clothes. So I didn’t want to change him after that first encounter with the water table in case he decided to go back to it later. Then we’d be out of luck (and out of clothes).

So if you can convince your little ones to check out the many other exhibits first, that might make things a little less soggy 🙂

The Museum is basically one giant open space with lots of nooks and crannies to explore.

There are so many wonderful activities for a range of ages, from baby toys to pretend play to hands-on exploration. I will probably miss a dozen things here, but I’ll try my best to give you the tour.

As I mentioned, the first area you’ll notice is the always-a-big-hit water table and the awesome two-story Curvy Climber play structure.

You may notice that Boo is shoeless in the above photo. No shoes can be worn in the Curvy Climber, but they can be stored in nearby cubbies while the kiddos climb. I can’t believe how fearless our kiddos were. They really went all the way up there to the second floor level! Fortunately, the structure is fully enclosed, so your amazement can be anxiety-free.

There’s also a ground-level adventure for your littler ones called the Curvy Crawler. It kind of winds around below the larger structure like a tunnel.

Also over here was one of Boo’s favorite exhibits: the forklift. He’s very into construction vehicles these days. Is this a cute photo op or what? (BTW-can you tell from his pants that this was AFTER the water table?)

In the central part of the Museum you’ll find an EMS exhibit where the kiddos can explore a life-size ambulance. There is also a pretend veterinary clinic in this corner, as well as some other fun activities like the Frozen Shadow Room, which we didn’t get a chance to try on this visit.

Also, the giant bubblemaker.

A kingsize version of my once beloved “Lite-Brite” (for those of you like me who are old enough to remember the ’80’s).

The “Post Office,” where kids can pick up laminated letters and deliver them to the mailboxes outside of each exhibit throughout the Museum.

A mini main street (“Cityscape”) with a grocery store, restaurant, kitchen and loft area.

And lots of other assorted activities including giant foam building blocks in the Imagination Playground, a magnetic tile table, big drums, a theater space complete with a costume wardrobe, a mailbox slide, and more.

And as if all this wouldn’t be enough to keep a kid busy for the better part of a day, there’s more to explore along the periphery. Like this Amazing Airways exhibit filled with twisty tubes that suck in scarves and other lightweight objects, send them on a looping odyssey, and then spit them out overhead. The kids really got a kick out of this one. Especially the game of “who’s going to grab the scarf first”.

The fire station room was a big hit too.

Right next door to the fire station, you’ll find the best place for babies and young toddlers: Tot Lot. This little room has floor mats and baby toys, a train table, a lego table, a bead maze and plenty of places for parents to sit and supervise.

The variety of activities is really astounding. Our kids had a blast! And of course, when you’ve finished exploring the Museum, there’s still the playground and historic carousel (open all year ’round) to check out as well.

Good thing this place is so easy to get to, because after that first visit, you will definitely want to come back 🙂

Have you been to the Children’s Museum at Holyoke? What is your little one’s favorite exhibit(s)?

Thanks to The Children’s Museum at Holyoke for providing us with complimentary admission to the museum! All opinions are 100% my own.

THE MOMSENSE:

The Children’s Museum at Holyoke

444 Dwight Street, Holyoke, Massachusetts

ph. 413-536-KIDS

Hours & Admission:

Children & Adults: $7.00
Seniors: $3.50
Children under 1 year of age and members: FREE

Tues – Fri: 9am – 4pm

Sat: 10am – 4pm

Sun: Noon – 4pm

Tips & Things to Bring:

• Click here to see the full list of exhibits. This museum will appeal to a wide range of ages.
• Although there are smocks at the water table, your kiddos are likely to still get wet. Play it safe and pack some extra clothes for them so they don’t have to spend the ride home sopping wet.
• While some of the exhibits have partial barriers, the only exhibit that is 100% fenced-in is the Amazing Airways exhibit (and maybe the Imagination Playground; but I can’t remember if there’s an entry gate on that one). And there are benches. So that’s a good one to try when you feel like sitting still for a few minutes 🙂
• No food allowed in the museum’s exhibits, but you can pack a lunch and enjoy it upstairs in the picnic area.
• The Museum is stroller-friendly. There’s a ramp leading up to the entrance, an elevator down to the main level, and there are plenty of areas where you can stash your wheels during your visit. Alternatively, the wide open floor plan makes it easy to keep the stroller with you if need be.
• Note that The Children’s Museum at Holyoke does NOT participate in the ACM reciprocity program so you cannot use your CT children’s museum membership to receive a discount.
• You can, however, find a library pass at the Enfield Library (and probably other libraries too, but the Enfield Library happens to be on the way there if you are traveling north on 91) that will grant you half-price admission for up to six people.
• Gift shop.
• Credit cards accepted at the Museum.
• Family restroom with changing station located behind the Giant Bubble exhibit (additional restrooms–no changing station–located just outside the Museum entrance on the bottom floor.)
• Bring change for the parking meters or CASH for the parking garage as it does not accept credit cards. It also does not accept bills larger than $10.

Meet Our Sponsors!

• The Annie Fisher Montessori Magnet School – AFM offers children ages three to twelve years old a free, public Montessori education implemented to the highest standards set by Association Montessori Internationale.
• The Independent Day School – Located on a rural campus in Middlefield, CT is a private pre-school, elementary and middle school, serving families from over 20 communities.
• Kathryn Deane Photography – Kathryn is a natural light photographer specializing in maternity, newborn, child, family, and senior portrait photography.

Are you interested in becoming an Out and About Mom sponsor? Click here for more info.

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