If you have children and live in the Midwest, go visit The Magic House in St. Louis! Our 18 month old loved it and we were just as entertained watching and interacting with her! The museum is set in an old (huge & beautiful) estate and offers many hand-on exhibits for youngsters. We spent 4.5 hours and only paid $8.50 a person. If we lived closer to St. Louis I think we'd buy a yearly pass (only $20 for one child) and spend many afternoons playing (especially in the long winter months). It seemed many families were doing just that, or moms groups were meeting up for the afternoon.
My favorite exhibits were the children's village and the mystery lounge. The mystery lounge was complete with a case to solve, sleuthing, and hidden passages behind bookshelves. It made me want to be a kid again so I could climb through ductwork and find whodunnit. The children's village offered many play areas including a grocery store, pizzeria, bank, electric company, and post office. The also had a replica of the Goodnight Moon room that I adored!
For lunch the museum is equipped with the Picnic Basket Cafe and we found the prices reasonable. The food was good quality and at 1:00 we weren't bombarded with a crowd.
Overall, the day was a great experience and we highly recommend it! You can explore their website here: http://www.magichouse.org/ and plan your visit!
*photo courtesy of The Magic House website
