I don’t think many things can compete with our very own Shark Week, but we tried our best with our visit to the Creative Discovery Museum while in Chattanooga, TN for our family vacation.
The Creative Discovery Museum is also downtown, near the water, and very walkable from our hotel. We have been to a few kids’ museums before, and this one – by far – takes the cake.
When we first entered, there was a huge area of tubes and tunnels and slides and, well, apparati like this that needed to be crossed.
I may have enjoyed shadowing Maddie on this jumbo twistie slide.
Like any good childrens’ museum, Creative Discovery had a water area. Here, there was a series of damns that the kids could open and shut to control the flow of water.
One of the main areas was dedicated to music. Room after room filled with different kinds of harps, drums, horns, xylophones and a player piano (that Maddie adored!).
Because we’re huge dinosaur fans in our house, the girls couldn’t wait to dig in at the dinosaur section of the museum.
The coolest part by far – and probably the coolest feature I’ve ever seen at a kids’ museum – was the dino dig area!
The kids entered a huge sandy area full of dinosaur “bones”. There were brushes to “discover” the fossils and proper paleontologist gear to wear.
After their big dig, the kids got to dress as “pretendosauruses”.
There was also an art area, a medical area, a working kitchen (a class began while we were there, but Maddie was too young for us to partake), a dedicated space for kids 4 and under and the whole top floor housed the current special exhibit. During our visit, it was Bob the Builder.
Anyone looking for the perfect weekend trip with the family should definitely check out Chattanooga, TN. It was a great to kick-off a new school year.
I love Children’s Discovery Museums. These are really cute photos. (-:
What a great museum and love the dino suit she got to wear, so cute!
This looks like a great place to visit!
I love that they had costumes to dress up in!!
The museum looks like so much fun! JDaniel would love the dinosaur dig.
That is so cool, I wanna go there!! Love the shot of the pretendosaurus
That picture as a “pretendosauruses” is just too cute! That looks nicer than any children’s museum we’ve been to!
Love Chatt!! I seriously want to move there.
That Pretendosaurus is adorable. Not very scary at all!
How fun!!
That dino dig area reminds me of the one at Animal Kingdom in Orlando. My kids loved that area.
oh my. that looks like SUCH a good time. I can’t wait until my kids are old enough to do stuff like that.
We just moved from Chattanooga and I’ll admit I’m a little sad that little man wasn’t old enough to enjoy all the great stuff while we lived there.
Are you still in TN? We’re in Memphis.
The Dino area looks super fun!
Wow, that is very cool — especially the dino dig area. Looks like such great fun!
I want Maddie’s hat.
What an awesome place!! I love the dino costume. Did the actual dino get to go, or was he busy sleeping in his dolly bed?
All snuggled up for his perpetual nap time, of course!
awesome! I love children’s museums, especially ones with dinosaurs! sort of jealous that our childrens museum is not even close to the coolness of yours. oh well.
I may need to get two pretendosaurus costumes for Halloween. Damn, these are some cute pics
How fun! We used to always stay in Chattanooga when I was a kid. It was our stop when we’d drive to Florida because my parents thought it was fun. I love the discovery/science center type places. It’s a toss up on who loves them more – the kids or Charlie and I.
So cool! Wish we had a place like that close to us. I would have totally gone down the slide too…maybe not my 8 month pregnant self but that looks like fun!
That looks like so much fun! I think it’s safe to say a blast was had by all!
You’re an awesome mom! That looks like so much fun!
How have I never heard of that place? Must take SH there!
It really was incredible! It just kept going and going. SO much to do there!
What a totally fun place. I love taking my kids to places like that.
That is the cutest pretendosaurus I’ve ever seen.
I know, right?
How fun!!! My son would love it!! I took him to the childrens museum for the first time this summer, and he constantly asks when are we going back.
That sounds like so much fun…I love great children’s museums like that! I always loved dinosaurs (still do) and would have LOVED to dig like that!
We had just walked in the front door of that museum with our two kids when we got the call that our oldest was locked out at home — 3 hours away. Panic. So we really didn’t see much. But it looked like you all had a great time. Will have to try it out again when we get up that way.
That looks really cool! We haven’t been to a good children’s museum yet. My brother and his family went to an awesome one in St. Louis a few weeks ago, though. We definitely need to check some out!
I’ve been to the one in St. Louis. And while it was cool, the Chattanooga one was way better. Ssshh!
This looks like an awesome children’s museum. Those dino digs are always such a great and fun hands-on exhibit for kids.
Guess what…
I GOT AN iPhone!!!
I know. I’m like the last person on the planet to make this move.
And I don’t know how to use it yet.
Baby steps…
You can’t tell me that without knowing I’m going to pressure you to post for #iPPP.
Plus, you were tinkering with ideas to post more frequently.
We are on a d-saur kick, too. I’ll have to show Nora these pics!
That looks like so much fun! I love Discovery Museums like that.
I totally want my own series of dams. Oh, and a dinosaur dig area. But that’s a given.
[...] almost missed #iPPP this week, because I thought today was Tuesday. Anyone else confused about what day it is? [...]
Love that your dino dig has sand. Ours has teeny tiny shards of shredded tires that cling to socks for dear life.
Wow! Loads of fun and great phone pictures!
Love the pictures and that slide looks awesome! We have a Dino Dig section in our local Children’s Museum as well. It’s fantastic!
This is what I love about being a parent, all the fun stuff I didn’t get to do.
I love it as much as they do.
That all looks like so much fun! (For me as much as Lil’ Bit!)
Love these types of activities!
Such cute photos and sounds like it was a great day for the whole family
What a fun place to visit. We have a discovery museum in Reno that is opening very soon that my kids are dying to go to.
I adore the picture of one of them in the explorer hat! So adorable
What a fun place! I love the dino dig pictures!
That looks amazing!