Disclosure: My family and I received complimentary admission to Delaware Children’s Museum to facilitate this review. All opinions are 100% my own.
The week after Christmas, my husband and I were looking for an indoor play place to enjoy some family time with the kids. We have been talking for some time now about visiting the Delaware Children’s Museum in Wilmington and we thought this would be the perfect time to make a trip there, especially since the museum is currently featuring a special, limited time Wizard of Oz exhibit (now through Jan 26, 2014) that I knew my two little munchkins would absolutely adore. We packed up the car, headed out – and what seemed like three clicks of the heels later we were off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz!
As we pulled up to the museum, I began to wonder how I never made it a point to visit this little gem with my kids. Located in the Wilmington Riverfront, the museum is so easy to get to and took us less than a half an hour from Delaware County PA. There is plenty of free parking ; admission for Children and Adults is $12, under 12 months are free. Members of the museum are always free. The museum is open 9 AM – 4:30 PM Tuesday through Sunday (check the website for some holiday Mondays where the museum is open as well).
The Delaware Children’s Museum is a 37,000 square foot play space designed to hold the interest of kids of every age – from toddlers to preteens. This highly interactive museum is especially fun due to its hands-on exhibits and is sure to “build imaginative minds through play and math, science and technology-based informal learning”. Kids will have a blast working their way through over seven exhibits, craft tables and more!
We entered the museum and the staff could not have been friendlier. They asked if we had ever been to the museum and gave us some information about how to navigate our way through the exhibits. My kids were immediately drawn to a big glass case at the front of the museum containing a replica of Dorothy’s red shoes and they could not wait to get a better look and take a picture with them.
Next up we headed into the craft area to make a New Years Eve noise maker. Inside there were tables set up for the craft as well as easels for painting and other creative stations. My kids had fun making their crafts. They required just a little help from us and there was also a staff member in the room assisting as needed. We put our crafts on a table to dry while we headed on to enjoy the rest of the museum.
Who wouldn’t be completely intrigued by the special limited time exhibit Etch A Sketch People, Presidents and Places (now through March 2, 2014) ? Throughout this room you will find wall to wall Etch A Sketch drawings that would literally blow your mind. My kids were in awe that someone was able to create such intricate drawings on a toy! The kids had fun trying their own hand at Etch a Sketch and we all giggled at our pictures when we compared them to the ones on display.
In the room just to the right, we were all excited to find the highly anticipated Wizard of Oz exhibit. The exhibit is filled with hands on fun that could literally keep the kids busy for hours. Features of this exhibit include: Professor Marvel’s Wagon where you create your own tornado in Dorothy’s bedroom, Munchkin houses as well as Dorothy’s friends the Scarecrow, the Lion, and the Tin Man, Emerald City – where kids can create a “Horse of a Different Color” and play at the kaleidoscope and prism stations, the mountain to the Wicked Witch’s Castle where kids will be excouraged to climb and capture the Wicked Witch’s broom from Winged Monkeys, images of the characters from the film and classic movie moments that kids can light up and explore. The exhibit was a ton of fun – not to mention it made for some great picture ops! We even saw a few little girls dressed in their Dorothy costumes! So cute!
As we moved from area to area, we were pleasantly surprised by all that the museum had to offer. There is a water play area, a climbing tower, health and foods area, construction, a bank/money play area, structures, trains and more. My 11-year-old son especially enjoyed the Bank on It and health exhibits and my 6-year-old daughter loved the crafts and water play areas. We spent a little under 2 hours enjoying the exhibits – which was just enough time to make our way through the museum. My kids had an absolute blast and my only regret is not having visited sooner when my kids were younger. I think they would have loved this even as young as toddler age.
My family and I had a great time visiting the museum and I loved how there was just enough to entertain the kids without being overwhelming. This museum is a great place to enjoy some indoor fun, especially on cold and/or rainy days. I highly recommend checking it out – especially if you have toddlers or preschool or elementary age children!
Are you interested in checking out the museum with your family? Thanks to the Delaware Children’s Museum, two lucky Delco Deal Diva readers are each going to receive a family 4 pack of tickets to visit the Delaware Children’s Museum.
To enter:
Simply leave a comment below telling me which exhibit you are most eager to check out with your kids. Be sure to leave your email address in your comment so that I may contact you if you are one of our lucky winners!
For additional entries, complete any of the following and be sure to leave a separate comment for each letting me know that you did:
- Follow @DelcoDealDiva and @DEChildrensMuse on Twitter and tweet “I just entered to
#win 4 tickets to Delaware Children’s Museum @DEChildrensMuse from @DelcoDealDiva and so can you!” - Share this giveaway on your social networks such as Facebook, Google +, Pinterest, etc (Leave me a separate comment for each letting me know where you shared)
- Follow Delco Deal Diva on Facebook
- Follow Delco Deal Diva on Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/delcodealdiva
- Follow Delco Deal Diva via email
- Leave me a comment telling me your favorite Character from the Wizard of Oz!
- Leave a comment on any of my other posts and come back and let me know where you commented
Winner will be randomly selected on 1/19/14 and notified via email. Good Luck!
I would most like to see the wizard of oz exhibits!!
Twitter: dylansmommy111gmail.com
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I would love to see The Wizard of Oz exhibit!
I shared on Facebook!
Twitter: dylansmommy111gmail.com
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I shared on Facebook!
My favorite wizard of oz character is Dorothy!
Twitter: dylansmommy111gmail.com
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I follow Delco Deal Diva & DE Children’s Museum on a Twitter!
Twitter: dylansmommy111gmail.com
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I think that Evan would most like water play area. My brother lives in Wilmington and he would so enjoy taking his 4 year old nephew!
Twitter: dylansmommy111gmail.com
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My favorite Wizard of Oz character is the Cowardly Lion!
Twitter: dylansmommy111gmail.com
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I commented on the post about the Titanic program at Ridley Library.
I’d love to check out the climbing tower and water play.
My daughter would love to see the Wizard of Oz exhibit! She was Dorothy for Halloween!
Twitter: chockababy
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I love the water exhibit! My kids would be drenched 🙂
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my girls would love to see dorothy’s shoes!
my daughter i think would be most interested in the training wheels exhibit hopefully since i have more time off we will make it there
Twitter: designlifekids
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would love to see the wizard of oz exhibit!
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Twitter: 4thstpayphone
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we went once about a year ago. I would love to go again now that she’s older. I bet she would love the water play.
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My favorite from the Wizard Of Oz was always the lion
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Twitter: BarbHoyer
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My favorite Wizard of Oz character is the Cowardly Lion. He’s just so much fun and bravado!
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Twitter: lifewithkaishon
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I love Children’s Museums! I would like to visit the grocery store : ). Thanks for sharing about this awesome place.
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Would like to check out the Wizard of Oz exhibit.
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Twitter: mommyentourage
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We’d love to see the Wizard of Oz exhibit!
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toto! 😉
I also like Glinda the Good Witch
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I’ve never been to that museum but it looks like a fantastic day!
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Twitter: GGTweets1
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I would love to go!
My favorite character is the cowardly lion!!
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My kids would love any water exhibit however, my inner child would love the Wizard of Oz exhibit!
My daughter would love to visit the wizard of oz display and my son would absolutly love to see the cars and the fishing exhibit !
I think my kids would love the grocery store and water play! Would love to check out something new with the whole family!
Twitter: funfindsfamily
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I would to see the Etch a Sketch drawings, but the other exhibits look like so much fun, too!
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Dorothy (and Toto!) are my favorite characters. 🙂
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I follow Delco Deal Diva on Facebook & via email. My favorite Wizard of Oz character is the Lion.
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Krissy – Thanks so much for following!! Be sure to leave each of the above as a separate comment to receive 3 separate entries for the giveaway – one comment for FB fan, one comment for follow via email and one comment listing you favorite character! Thanks!
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If we are able to catch it in time, we’d love to see the Wizard of Oz exhibit!! Also, my kids would love to play in the health food section!!!!
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Toto is my favorite!
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