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Crock Pots and Flip Flops | Phoenix Kids

Phoenix Kids

Candytopia

Enter a real life Willy Wonka Candy Factory at Candytopia! This pop up at Scottsdale Quarter is magical kids (and adults) dream turned come true. Everything is made of candy with actual candy you eat in each room! There are 9 themed rooms with interactive candy created exhibits. Each room has a different theme like chocolate and gummies. There is candy to collect in each room so make sure to bring a bag to collect it all since the kids will be busy running from room to room. I was happily surprised at how much my kids loved Candytopia. I thought it was going to be more of art exhibit but it’s so fun.

My kid’s favorite was the confetti and marshmallow room! But they had a blast in each room.

Candytopia is only here for a limited time and will close on April 13 so make sure to grab you tickets for this sweet experience! I recommend going during the week and at the earliest time possible.

Admission

  • $28 for adults
  • $20 for kids 4-12
  • Kids 3 and under Free
  • Located at Scottsdale Quarter next to the Splash Pad.

Filed Under: Things To Do Phoenix Tagged With: candytopia, Phoenix Kids, Things to Do Phoenix, things to do scottsdale

Free Admission to Phoenix Museums and Attractions

This is a hidden gem of the Scottsdale and Phoenix Library. If you have a library card you can get admission for two people to museums and activities. I use the Culture Pass instead of having memberships to these places. This makes my kids love them too because they think they are a “special treat”. Check out the links for the Desert Botanical Gardens and Arizona Science Center if you haven’t been to either for my go to guide.

Check here for more info on the  Culture Pass and the whole list of places that participate. Passes are available on a first-come, first-served basis so I always go to the smaller library locations.

Filed Under: Free, Things To Do Phoenix Tagged With: Arizona, Cultural Pass, Free, Kids Activites, Library, Phoenix Botanical Gardens, Phoenix Kids

Children’s Museum of Phoenix

Children's Museum of Phoenix

The Children’s Museum of Phoenix is one of the best places for kids young and old. There are three floors of interactive, hands on exhibits! You could spend an entire day on just the third floor but I’m going to break it down by each floor. Each area does have a dedicated baby zone with age appropriate toys and activities so this is perfect if you have different aged kids to keep everyone happy! 

Don’t forget every First Friday of the Month– Free Admission from 5-8pm

There is usually a special exhibit that is free with admission. They have done foam fun the past two summers. They turn the entire outside into a giant foam party and then sock skating during the winter. In addition, they offer so many free classes to do with your baby and toddler. Make sure and check their museum calendar HERE a few days before and sign up for all these free extras.

First floor

  • Giant Treehouse – As you walk in your eyes will be drawn up to the giant climbing structure built with  kids imagination in mind with a car and house they can climb into. It’s the ultimate climbing structure. Parents can climb to with little ones but it does get a little tight so be ready. It only has one exit and entrance so you can feel confident sending your kids in without you and knowing they can’t go far.
  • Whoosh Area- Push scarves into plastic tubes and wiggle through see-through tubes and then they shoot through the sky!
  • Building Area- This area changes periodically but it usually has wooden blocks, foam blocks or fort building.
  • The first floor also has lockers to store your stuff and a gift shop. We usually spend at least 15-30 minutes playing in the gift shop as we leave and make a list of things we want from Santa. 
Children's Museum of Phoenix

Second Floor- Children’s Museum of Phoenix

  • KIDtchen– This state of the art kitchen has kid themed cooking classes everyday. There are free classes but most of the time they do cost extra. However you always walk away with a yummy homemade treat! 
  • Fort building-This room is filled with sheets and objects to make forts or whatever you imagine. There is also a mailbox area which the younger ones love delivering the mail for quite awhile.
  • Pedal Power/Car wash-Grab a bike, time or push car and take your ride through the pretend car wash
  • Face painting- Stop at the mirrors just south of the stairs and your kids or you can “paint“ their face with washable oil crayons. 
  • Cafe– You can bring your own food or buy some delicious food from their cafe with sandwiches, pizzas, hot dogs and even a cheese plate! 

Outside-

This sprawling outside is a hidden spot that I am always surprised to find people who have been many times never visit.

  • Garden– Stroll through the garden and look at all the veggies growing and you can even try a bit if you dare. Do be carful though my son did take a bit of a jalapeño one time! 
  • Sand area– Play in the sand with kitchen tools and bowls.
  • Snake– Crawl through a giant metal snake. (As you can imagine during the summer this is too hot to play in)
  • Outside Seating for Picnics
Children's Museum of Phoenix

Third floor-Children’s Museum of Phoenix

  • Noodle forest– Walk through this “forest” filled with foam noodles. This is always the the first request to go to with my kids. It’s a fun sensory activity and for reasons unknown to me kids love it.
  • Theatre- Put on your own play with costumes and instruments on their stage!
  • Ball room– As you can guess from the name this room has different ball runs to launch balls through and makes fun sounds while they go.
  • The Market– Go grocery shopping with little carts and baskets, check out and even stock the shelves.
Children's Museum of Phoenix
  • Art Studio– paint the giant castle, make a thing-a-magig (random stuff you tape together) or do their monthly themed activity.
  • Car area– race model cars down two tracks or have a pretend race in the toothpaste and prickle themed cars. 
  • Reading nook– kick your feet up and read a book
  • Cafe/pizza kitchen– make your own pizza in the pizza oven or cook up something on the stovetop with lots of “ingredients”. 

Three and Under- Baby Room

This is a dedicated room for just kids Three and under. There is a baby zone with has age appropriate toys and plenty of soft areas to crawl.

There is a fun “tree house” with a bridge and slide. It has plenty of areas that help work with hand eye coordination.

There is a play house with a kitchen, garden and baby bedroom.

If you have older kids there is also a special “3 and Over” area which is filled with older toys to entertain them while the littles play.

We have a membership since we usually go once a week since they have so many different events, activities and is just overall fun every time we go. Hope to see you there!

Admission and Hours

215 N. 7th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85034 Free Parking on-site

Admission-$14.95 (Children under 1 Free)

Open Tuesday-Sunday 9am- 4pm Closed Monday (open on lots of holiday Mondays so check the website)

Looking for more fun Phoenix Activities for Kids?

McCormick and Stillman Railroad Park

Filed Under: Free, Things To Do Phoenix Tagged With: Children's Museum of Phoenix, crockpotandflipsflops, Free friday, Kids Activites, kids museum, phoenix childrens museum, Phoenix Kids, Things to Do Phoenix

McCormick and Stillman Railroad Park

This sprawling park has two playgrounds, a train, carousel, train museum and an indoor miniature train exhibit. Lots of the park areas are free and you can easily skip riding the train and carousel if you don’t want to spend money! It even has a real pay phone which my kid’s love calling me on.

Train-themed playground-Free

Come play with three climbing structures, sand to dig in and misters to run in when it’s hot. I love this playground because it’s safe for little kids since it is mostly enclosed except for the slides and rock wall so they can climb and explore. For the littlest conductors, there is a miniature train play structure they can crawl and slide on. There is also a train cafe where you can buy food during certain times of year.

Western Town-Free

Across the train tracks there is a two story Western-themed playground. Kids can go back in time with a pretend jail, gold mine, and even a fun wagon that you climb in.

Model Railroad Building- Free

This air-conditioned gem is more fun than it sounds! The building is filled with mini trains that are activated by a hand button. The first area is made for kids with trains pulling animated characters like Mickey through a fair, . There is even a miniature LEGO land. They change the theme based on the time of year which is also fun. Your kids will love watching their hand make their train go and ride through all the different scenes.

Train Ride- $3 per person

This 7 minute train is a blast to ride and goes across the entire park. You ride by all the playgrounds and kids love to run and wave to the train as it passes. The end is a dark tunnel you ride through which is always the highlight of the ride!

Carousel-$3 per person

Hop on and ride your horse to Disney-themed music!

Train Museum-$2 per person

These are real trains that you can walk through! One of the trains is best known for being used by every president from Herbert Hoover through Dwight Eisenhower. It is staged showing how the train was setup for the presidents with their dining room complete with china, sitting room and even the servant quarters.

Admission and Hours

Click here for their hours since they change seasonally.

$3 per person to ride train and carousel, 2 and under free

Address: 7301 E Indian Bend Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85250
Phone: 480-312-2312
Email: therailroadpark@scottsdaleaz.gov

Filed Under: Things To Do Phoenix Tagged With: Free, Kids Activites, Kids Playground, Phoenix Kids, Railroad park, Stillman and Mcormick Train Park, Things to Do Phoenix, Train park

Arizona Museum of Natural History / Dinosaur Museum

Go back in time at the Arizona Museum of Natural History. We came here for the first time for a birthday party and have been going ever since. Lots of people refer to this as the dinosaur museum but there is so much more than just dinosaurs! It is a little bit of a drive for us since we live in Phoenix but it is worth the drive.

You walk into the lobby and are welcomed by a large wholly mammoth dinosaur and a fish tank with turtles. Check in at the front desk and don’t forget to grab a baggie for panning for gold later.

The first stop is the Dino zone with a mini playground with a slide.

Next head back in time to the Wild West-

  • Pan for gold and rubies in the real mining sluice. Prepare to get your hands dirty and feet wet!
  • Mine tour- If you dare, take a tour of the Lost Dutchman mine with twists and turns and even real artifacts from the mining heyday in Arizona.
  • Visit the territorial jail- This is the real jail from the 1880’s. See how outlaws served their time back then.
  • Dig for bones- Slide down to walk into the archeological dig site. Its right past the mining sluice. Take a brush and see if you can find hidden bones.
After all the is there is still another half of a museum! Sometimes we can only make it through this half depending on how much time we have. The other half has 3 floors each with a specific theme. We usually start on the top floor and walk down the ramp through each floor. There are also stairs and elevators to get places faster.

Middle Floor- Dinosaur Floor

From the lobby you walk back in time to a three-story indoor waterfall on Dinosaur Mountain with animated dinosaurs. See a flash flood on the mountain, and watch volumes of water cascade down three stories approximately every 23 minutes! You can even spotlight each dinosaur on the mountain and learn more about them.

Dinosaur Hall is filled with awe-inspiring dinosaur skeletons. Roar along with this massive and awe inspiring dinosaurs.

Dino Hall/ Dino Wall
Ancient Cultures and Native American Culture Floor- Top Floor

This floor has amazing artifacts that I love looking at and learning about and 3 interactive kids activities.

  • Pretend bead making
  • Mayan block building and
  • Rug pattern weaving

Space Zone (That’s what I call it) /Orgins Hall

In a galaxy far, far away…or right in the museum. Check out real meteorites and see stars. My kids love to touch a real meteorite that can from space. I always love having fun while learning and this area is perfect for that mix. It also shows a number of stones and gems which for my rock lover son is great.

Exploration Zone

This area is filled with tons of hands on activities.

  • Fishing for dinosaurs
  • Reading nook with books
  • Create fossil drawing
  • Dinosaur play zone filled with play dinosaurs
  • Get up close and personal with Maya the Nothronychu (a life size dinosaur)

Address and Admission

53 N. Macdonald
(One block north of Main St.)
Mesa, AZ 85201

There is plenty of parking on the street and in free public parking areas around the Museum. Open Tuesday-Friday 10am-5pm, Saturday 11am-5pm and Sunday 1pm-5pm. Closed on Monday.

  • $10 Adults
  • $7 Children 3-12
  • $8 13+ Students with ID
  • Children under 3 Free

Filed Under: Things To Do Phoenix Tagged With: Arizona, Arizona Museum of Natural History, Dinosaur Museum, Kids Activites, Phoenix, Phoenix Kids, Phoenix Museum, Things to Do Phoenix

Arizona Science Center

Discover a world of science and technology at the Arizona Science Center. I love all the hands on experiences at the Arizona Science Center. With over 300, you are sure to find plenty that your family, both kid and adults, will enjoy. It is 4 floors of activities and we have been going since Jack was 2. As he has grown up find more and more places to learn and play. I would not say it is geared to younger kids but they have parts that anyone under five will enjoy. Also, make sure and check your local library for the Culture Pass which will get you TWO FREE tickets to the Arizona Science Center.

Water Works

  • As you walk in the water works areas is our first stop. You can get wet here so beware you may want to end with this if it’s not warm out. This area is filled with plastic balls that launch with water pressure or you can throw them into the water tornado, or even make music with the water. We usually have to spend at least 20 minutes playing here!

Build A House

  • Next up is the building area which shows how houses are built. Kids build with giant blue blocks making their own house. There is even a playhouse already built for the 4 and under crew.

W.O.N.D.E.R Room

  • There is an entire giant body room that shows how the body works with an actual stomach slide that burps as you slide and and nose that sneezes when you throw balls into it! These are just a few of the fun interactive activities my kids love. There is even a tiny ball pit that explains blood flow. Last time we were there they had a squid dissection which was a big hit!

Get Charged Up!

  • Onto the next floor. There is one room that my kids LOVE. It has a bed of nails you lie(you have to try it to understand), tug of war, spinning area and climb wall. All of these explain gravity, pressure, and other important science lessons but my kids don’t even know they are learning. This is our favorite room.

Forces of Nature and Technology

  • Floor 3 is “Forces of Nature”!  As you can guess it’s about nature. Again, tons of fun hands on exhibits including one that lets the kids get their hands dirty which is always my kids favorite! They build dams with sand and then water flows down showing them how waterways and dams work. There is also an open air show you stand in the middle that goes through all the forces of nature like rain, earthquake, fire. 
  • There is a technology based room on this floor that my kids aren’t too interested in so we don’t spend too much time in there. You can play with aliens and make you face look distorted! More about coding etc. but I’m sure we will grown into that room.

Solar and BUG Floor

  • Solar Floor is located on the 4th floor which shows how recycling and earth saving tips. However what we love is a huge bug collection! This is perfect for any insect lover.

Special Exhibits and Add Ons

  • There is usually a special exhibit visiting the Science Center. We have seen giant bugs, mummies and played in a cosmic playground. These usually cost extra but depending on the exhibit it may be worth it.
  • There is a planetarium which plays movies but we haven’t experienced it yet since my kiddos can’t sit quiet that long. But I’m sure it’s fun! 

Admission and Hours

  • Hours- 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
    Closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas
  • 600 E Washington St, Phoenix, AZ 85004, United States
  • 602-716-2000

Online Price

Adults (18+) $18 | Child (3-17) $13
Children 2 and younger are free

Walk-Up Price

Adults (18+) $19.95 | Child (3-17) $14.95
Children 2 and younger are free


Filed Under: Things To Do Phoenix Tagged With: Arizona Science Center, crockpotandflipsflops, Free Tickets, Kids Activites, Phoenix Kids, Science Center

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