We ventured into Tarheel territory to check out Kidzu Children’s Museum in Chapel Hill. There’s a lot of creativity packed in a small space, and it’s a crafting kid’s dream come true!
Kidzu Children’s Museum is actually a store-front located inside of a shopping mall. It’s right near the mall entrance and they have a small garden extension outside as well. The benefit to the museum being inside a mall is that there are a few restaurants (Chick-fil-A!!!) located just a few doors down. We definitely made a pit-stop for some heavenly chicken before playing. 😋
The museum is not the biggest space, so they ask that you park your stroller inside the entrance. The front desk also has cool-down kits that can help if your child is feeling some sensory overload. These include headphones, play-dough, a weighted neck wrap, fidget toys, and more.
The Exhibits
The Gravitron
To the right when you enter there’s a wall dedicated to the Gravitron! This kept my almost 2 year old engaged for such a long time! You can send the balls up the chute and then they slide down the ramps, which can be reconfigured in multiple ways on the magnetic wall. Balls can also be launched to the Gravitron from the tree-house located in the center of the museum.
Tot Lot
A nice feature for babies, the tot lot is a soft play area that is completely gated. They ask that all shoes are removed in this area. My almost two year old was probably a little too old to use this space, but since there were no babies while we were there I let him tumble around anyway. He enjoyed climbing up on the soft mats, and I enjoyed that he was fenced in for a few minutes! 😆
Indoor Garden and Play Kitchen
Right next to the tot lot is an indoor play garden where children can plant and harvest wooden plants. This was also connected to the kitchen, so it allowed children to pick the food, cook the food, and then throw it in the compost bin to return it to the garden.
The play kitchen also had cash register and chalk board, so children could pretend to work in a restaurant.
The Treehouse
In the middle of the room is a giant treehouse. Aside from giving you a view of the entire museum, there’s also a small book area and pretend chicken coop up there. The steps were accessible for my almost 2 year old, but there’s also a second entrance through the chicken coop tunnel and it was a little difficult for my 3 year old to scale safely. Luckily it was completely adult friendly so you can climb up there with the kids as much as you need.
Underneath the tree house is a place to setup shop and sell some farm fresh eggs directly from the chicken coop!
Sensory Wall
Also underneath the tree-house is a sensory wall area, which I think would be perfect for babies. There’s a variety of different textures for baby to explore and seating available for mom. It’s also a little more enclosed so baby can stay separated from any of the bigger kids that might run him/her over.
The Beehive
Next to the tree-house there was a fun beehive constructed out of blocks. There was also some bee dress-up outfits so you could pretend to be the worker bees with tool belts and hard hats, or the queen bee with a crown!
Build Guild
My 3 year old spent a lot of time in the building area, known as the build guild. She played with magnatiles and blocks to her hearts content! There was also some construction worker dress up available to really get into the part!
My son is currently OBSESSED with cars (or car-cars in his 1 year old speak). He played on the road tracks for such a long time, just rolling his cars down the road and over the bridge.
Forest Theater
One of the most unique exhibits I saw was the forest theater. It was a separate room with a performance stage area, dress up clothes to get into the part, and an interactive projector so you could use different items to make a story on the big screen. We all enjoyed moving the animals around on the screen to act out a story. Then a bunch of the kids got together and dressed up as animals and acted out a play for the adults! The museum also conducts story time in this room during the week.
The Climbing Wall
If you’re looking for something a little more physical for your child to do, then send them over to the climbing wall! My husband and I actually had a lot of fun trying to climb the wall and ring the bell at the top! The ground below the wall was very well padded to prevent any injuries.
The Book Nook
If you’re looking for a quiet space, enter the book nook. There was a whole wall of books available, and some headphones to listen to classical music or water sounds. The hammock swings in the corner also looked super cozy and I wish they were adult-sized! This room also has a door so it could double as a quiet place to nurse if needed.
Outside of the book nook was also a seating area for adults. This could be a great place to get some work done while your kids play!
The Makery
Now on to the main attraction in Kidzu Children’s Museum: The Makery. Here is where your child can tinker, build, and craft their little hearts out. They have bins of the most random items like corks, sticks, googly eyes, paper clips, and straws. They also have crafts displayed every where, so if you need an idea you are sure to find one! A popular creation displayed is cork people and animals. My almost 5 year old got the idea to make a little unicorn, and the staff helped her get the materials she needed and placed the hot glue for her.
The Makery also had some other fun items to tinker with, like a marble rolling course and some sticks to build with. My older girls sat in here a long time just fiddling around with everything. You can really let your creativity run wild in there!
Overall Impression of Kidzu Children’s Museum
If you have crafty kids that like to sit and build, then Kidzu is definitely a fun place to visit just for the Makery alone! But if you’re looking for a place for your kids to run and burn energy, this may not be it. More rambunctious kids may want more space to move and run and play like at the larger Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh. The climbing wall is really the only physical thing at Kidzu and the rest of the space is dedicated to using your creativity.
We spent about 2 hours here and we were able to see everything. My almost 2 year old was getting a little antsy, although I think my older two could have stayed longer.
I also feel like the admission price is a little high, but we were able to get a Groupon for a discount which made it better! The museum also offers pay-what-you-can admission on the first Sunday of the month, so it can be accessible to all families regardless of income.
Another perk is that the museum stays open late on Wednesday! Most kid play places in Raleigh close by 5pm, but on Wednesdays Kidzu is open until 7pm so you can visit after dinner! They are closed on Mondays though.
Definitely check it out if you haven’t yet!