Children's Museum

Today my daughter and I met a friend and her two children at the Children's Museum in Lake Charles, Louisiana.  I'll start by stating that the children were three years old (my daughter) and 21 months (my friend's twins).  It had been awhile since I'd last been to the museum...well before I had my daughter. Visiting a children's museum without children is kind of like going to a pet store without a pet.  What point is there?

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.  There is parking behind the building in downtown Lake Charles, but because we went on a weekday and towards the end of the day, my friend and I both managed to find spots on the street directly in front of the museum. 

Children under 23 months enter for free, which is good for families with young children, especially for families on a budget.  I didn't think the $7.50 entry fee/person was unreasonable. 

Right after entering, the kids flocked towards a water play area.  If you have a boy or a girl who likes to get dirty (wet), they have waterproof smocks to protect clothes.  After leaving that area, we headed towards a grocery store, which all three kids seemed to like. 

Once we convinced them to leave the grocery area, we entered an area dedicated to the Louisiana wetlands.  Okay, if you bring your young children here, you HAVE to get them to get in the canoe.  After they're in the canoe, they can look at themselves on TV, which considering the number of times Louisiana natives are filmed on the water, was pretty neat.  It was almost like stepping into an LPB nature program. 

For the fitness enthusiasts, there is a rock wall and a place to swing from a rope.  Have someone who wants to grow up to be a fire fighter?  They have a place where your child can dress up and even control the sirens. 

And all that was just on the first floor!

The second floor was where things got rockin'...literally.  There's a music room where kids can sing karaoke (today it was 80s country, but that may change), play drums, or play the guitar, all in front of a mirror and under a black light.

There's also a physics room, a bubble room, and much, much more.

On the third floor, yes, there's a third floor, they have rooms for painting, etc., but they were not open/available when we went.  There is also a blow up castle that my daughter seemed to enjoy, but that wasn't anything special and actually had a few tears in it.

Will we go again? Probably.  My daughter really did seem to have a good time.  Would I recommend it?  For people with young kids, absolutely.  Even if you're just traveling through Lake Charles and need a couple hours to let the kids stretch their legs.  We spent two hours there, but we could've easily spent at least three without becoming bored in the least.

http://swlakids.org/