SweetVists: The Easton Children's Museum

If you plan to visit Ikea ( which if you don't you are crazy- it's amazing) how about doing something for the kiddos first? The Easton Children's Museum is located in Easton, duh, and is a wonderful little spot to shake out your silly's before the big trip to Ikea. From Worcester it's around an hour and 45 minutes to get there. Great for a NAP!

Admission is just $6 per person! Really, I am not kidding. Babies under one are free. I am still not sure how they can provide all these nice things at such low cost. In reading their site more it looks like lots of donations, private funding and a partnership with PBS as the bottom floor is a dedicated FETCH! lab.

Set in a 100 year old firehouse the museum has lots of character. The first floor is an open plan with mini stations, campsite, medieval area, train table and train, boat ( complete with crab catching) a stage and facepainting area. Upstairs there is a dinosaur room, craft room, doctors office, diner, mail area and a firetruck. Sounds like a lot. Well, it is. All jam-packed into one small little fun firehouse. I look forward to spring, there is a large enclosed exploration area called 'The Wild Place' to the side of the building with lots of things to look at.

Logistics:  Skip the stroller, you won't need it, plus your kid needs to play. If you have a little one plus a toddler I would wear your baby so you can easily follow your toddler from room to room. Two restrooms, one upstairs, one on bottom floor, changing tables are available. Eco-friendly Soap- HOORAY! Both very clean. ( It's the little things)   Travel lightly, there is a small coatroom.

Equipment is a bit worn but really? They are toddlers, they have a blast in a cardboard box. The museum is a wonderful place. I overheard some moms complaining that it was dated and I wanted to reprimand them. Whoever designed the place deserves a hug.

Keep in mind snacks can only be eaten downstairs ( its said between lunch hours) but no one said anything when we had a snack at 3. Toddlers gotta eat!

I went at 2 PM on a Wednesday afternoon it was very quiet. Almost too quiet. I think that it was just timing as the day went on members started to surface after school let out.

I read about a Gingerbread House making activity in a local paper and decided to go since we were already heading to Ikea. The program was $3 and SO much fun. We built a little Gingerbread House out of a milk carton, graham crackers and lots of candy.

We wandered from room to room spending most of our time in the firetruck and coloring with markers. We played puppets in the medieval theatre and danced on the stage.


There is a quaint little store behind the register with lots of little trinkets great for stocking stuffers or the last minute birthday party.

Overall it was a terrific visit. When we left we went to Ikea for veggie soup and cinnamon buns for dinner and had a quick little shopping trip and I made the long trek home with a happy sleeping toddler.