Our poor departure timing led to a somewhat impromptu trip to the Garden State Discovery Museum, in Cherry Hill, NJ.
The kids were happy for most of our trip, but we knew we would need to stop to feed them lunch, and that a lunch stop would mean cranky kids getting back in the car. Our plan was to find somewhere they could stretch their legs, and maybe have a little bit of fun, too.
It took TT Dad only a few minutes to settle on the Garden State Discovery Museum. It was not too far out of the way, and seemed to be the perfect place for the kids to expend some energy.
Admission for adults and children 12 months and over is $13.95, plus tax. Seniors receive a $1 discount. Family memberships are available, and the museum offers a Buy One Get One Free discount for active or retired Military, disabled veterans, and military reservists.
In addition, the Discovery Museum is a member of the Association of Children’s Museums Reciprocity Program (More info can be found on our Resources page).
In general, this museum was much like all the others we’d been to, but it left a little bit to be desired. Literally. Each exhibit seemed to be missing something. Either part of it was broken, or pieces were missing. I’m not sure if it was just the day we visited, but things could have used a little spring cleaning.
There wasn’t any real issue, however. Everything worked, it just wasn’t perfect.
The museum is quite large, with many nooks and crannies to explore. At just about 18 months, the duo was a little bit young for most of the fun, but we found our way to the Little Discoveries Barnyard- an area designed for children under 5.
I’ve mentioned it before, but that really is a large age range. It’s probably much more of an issue at our kids age. They are over crawling, but aren’t quite big enough to hold their own among the older 3 year olds, or 4 year olds. This room, in particular, seemed to be filled to the brim with kids who I would have ID’d if I were in charge. I am pretty sure there were some kids, older brothers and sisters, perhaps, who were closing in on 8 or 9. I understand that older siblings may not be old enough to explore the museum on their own, and parents may want to keep them close, ending up in an awkward situation in the kiddie room. I get it. These kids weren’t being watched by any parents, however, so they actually could have (and should have) been out in the rest of the museum.
Off of my soap box, now.
The museum had so many little areas, I’m pretty sure we didn’t get around to seeing all of them. There were your favorites, like the diner, vet, and Bubble area.
We were impressed by a few bonus areas we don’t usually see, including a gym, complete with basketball hoops, and a mini hockey arena. This is such a great addition, for kids who are older, and may not enjoy the standard fare.
After a few more minutes at the giant Lite Brite (always a hit) we made our way to the cafe for lunch. Peanut Butter and Jelly for all!
