I love getting up to Harrisonburg when I can and there are several fun things for families to do. For example, one our favorites is going to the Explore More Discovery Museum. This kids museum is a great place for kids to explore, pretend and just let their minds wander. In this post, we will go through the whole museum to give you an overview and you can decide if this would be right for your kids.
Getting to the Explore More Discovery Museum
This museum is right in the middle of downtown Harrisonburg. Across the street, there is a small parking lot with a few spots, but don’t count on getting one. There are a few street parking options but I personally prefer to just go one more block down Main Street and turn left on Water Street to find the Water Street Parking Deck. This simplifies things quite a bit and it’s a short walk to the museum.
Getting Started in the Explore More Discovery Museum
Before you go, you currently have to make a reservation for a two hour session. This way they can sanitize and set up after each of three groups come in during the day. I like that it won’t have too many kids at a time, but I don’t like that I have to be on someone else’s schedule.
Don’t forget to make your reservation!
When you walk in, give them your name and if you paid for your “playtime” they will let you in after asking you to wash your hands.
As you can see, there are many fun activities to come when you walk inside.
Baby and Toddler Play
There is a small baby and toddler play section to the left after you walk in. This area is great for small kids to play and crawl all over the place. It is gated and has several things to keep little kids entertained.
Upstairs, there is another one and it has a changing station.
Science Themed Room
Across from the toddler area is a science themed room that takes me back to high school science class. There are many items that can be used to build, but there are also bugs that kids can observe. Also, the microscopes look at items such as fish scales and butterfly wings.
News Room
Moving on, this next room is a lot of fun for the kids because they can see themselves on TV and there are speaking prompts on the wall. There is also a area next to the desk where kids can pretend to do the weather. If you have kids that love to look at themselves, you may be here a while!
Health Center
Next to the tv station is the health center. In this section, kids can pretend to drive an ambulance or take a ride in the back seat. Kids can also brush some giant teeth, look at x-rays, learn more about the human body and pretend to be a doctor.
Explore More Discovery Museum Building
I feel this is a pretty typical thing to have in a kids museum, but most kids do love to build things with foam pieces. This smaller area has many different shapes and sizes of foam that kids can use their imagination to build with.
Service Center
This service center gives the kids the illusion of working in a garage on cars. There is a mechanic’s creeper, oil cans, Impact drivers and more. Lastly, this section has sound effects when certain tools are used.
Arts and Crafts at Explore More Discovery Museum
Next to the cars, there is a room for simple arts and crafts. In the past, I have seen pipe cleaners, craft sticks, glue, tissue paper and so much more in this room. In other words, this room is for the kids who will just craft all day and don’t want any direction.
Explore More Discovery Museum Farmers Market and Shops
This next section really seems to get the kids excited because they can pick up things and move them. As you can guess, this section does not stay stocked or organized for very long. The kids are allowed to move around the area with produce, baskets and shopping carts to pretend they are at the market.
Also, there is an ice cream stand (that is a personal favorite of mine) and a post office to keep the kids entertained.
Theatre Virginia of Explore More Discovery Museum
Moving on, the theater is a section the kids really get into. This section has make up mirrors, popcorn, a stage with seats, lighting and a backstage with costumes. Also, you can find a small puppet show area set up in the front corner.
Kids love coming in here, putting on costumes and dancing around on stage. Also, kids can pretend to work the lights for the show.
Barn with Slide
In the next section, kids can climb up in the barn and go down a twisting slide to the bottom. However, I did notice the slide seemed to really throw the kids out quickly and parents cannot see what is going on in the climbing area.
In addition, kids can milk a cow and water will come out of the udders. Unfortunately when we visited, the cow was almost out of water so my kids didn’t get to milk the cow too much.
Puppet Show
Next to the barn, you will find another puppet show area. This one is themed with woodland creatures and kids love putting on shows for each other.
Healthy Habits Kitchen
This area is a simulated kitchen where kids can prepare lunches, pretend to cook, do laundry and more. The goal is to have kids think about healthy habits but they mainly just move things all over the room. Kids love pretending to have their own kitchen space.
Upstairs at Explore More Discovery Museum
As you come upstairs, you are greeted with Maker City. This area is for older kids, by reservation only and kids can use real tools that artists, builders and programmers use for everyday work. There is an introduction class that they need to take but otherwise they can experiment with supervision.
Cash Flow
After you pass Maker City, you will see the Cash Flow interactive portion of the museum. This is a favorite of my older child because she loves collecting the balls, sending them back up and catching them as they fall down. Basically, this is teaching them kids there is a big payout if you save and they feel like they win the lottery when the balls dump out.
Sadly, this did not work for very long the last time we were visiting. An attendant tried to help a little but it just stopped working.
Forest Area
In this forest section, there is a green pod where kids can just hang out, or they can grab butterfly wings and pretend to be coming from a cocoon. In the back, you can see they have information about birds and just have a general forest feel.
Vet station
This is a great little spot for you kids that love animals! There are places to play vet with stuffed animals and on the other side is a grooming station. My kids love to take the “dogs” in carrying cases on the plane on the other side of the room.
Explore More Discovery Museum Color Wall
Next, there is a giant wall where guests can color code the wall with any color they want.
Explore more Discovery Museum Airport
Lastly, we have my favorite part of the museum: the airport. This section allows kids’ imaginations to run wild. Guests can go in the airport lounge and wait for their flight, load the plane for a ride and they can sit in the pilot seat and pretend to fly. Also, there is an air traffic control tower that can communicate with the plane.
Explore More Discovery Museum Exit
After your time is up, you will exit the way you came in. There is a small gift shop with a few toys and a carousel horse you can take pictures with.
In conclusion, I can say this is a great place to take your kids. My two girls love being here but the two hour limit is plenty of time.