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| - In case you haven't been to one, keep in mind that "Children's Museums" might not be what you think they are. They are not about interesting, educational things in glass cases, lots or reading, and being quiet. They are more about allowing children to stimulate their own senses, exercise their creativity, and enjoy an environment designed around their needs. Which, really, makes them a better analog for adult museums; they do the same things for kids that adult museums do for us. And in the same way, they can seem fun at first and then quickly become hellaciously boring for adults, making me want to whine "can we go now?!?!" at my kid like she sometimes does at me in other kids of museums. Such is life. I do really like and recommend them though, in general, and this one in particular, just be prepared. (There is no place to eat inside, so if it's too cold for a picnic on the benches out front, plan to spend a little dough going out to eat. I need to have my ipod loaded with podcasts, or I start to "get fussy" long before my girl is ready to go home.) Here are the high points - a great place for multiple kids to play together, good for visiting family members, and can be great spots to take cute candid baby-playing-with-gramma, cousins-playing- together pictures. In the dead of winter we have had loads of fun here, when it's empty we do home-school-y stuff, read books, etc. In the summer the place is sometimes mobbed, which is kind of fun for my only-child. It's also a great place to pop-in if you are downtown with a little one who is over-stimulated by a festival or something, or under-stimulated by shopping. It's a nice, clean, air-conditioned place to re-group. Drop in rates are reasonable enough, but we went ahead and shelled out for the membership, and I'm glad we did - I never feel we have to plan a long day there to "get our money's worth" we can just drop in for however long. (Sometimes 15 minutes is plenty to turn cranky-kid into happy-kid then we can get on with our day.) We also use the card at other museums when we travel. The one at Navy Pier in Chicago is bigger and somewhat flashier, but no better, our local one, as you would guess, has a nice Madison vibe, more natural materials, a dairy section, a boat complete with fishing, and more food play going on. Pretty cool for the little ones, and a good value.
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