Today we finally made it to Port Discovery in downtown Baltimore! Lately I feel like my "babies" are growing up too quickly and I am in a hurry to do every little kid activity in the area! It was fantastic, much better than I ever imagined! I wish we had made it there years ago and we will definitely be back. Below are some pictures and descriptions of just a few of their exhibits.
The first exhibit we visited was "The Adventures of Mr. Potato Head." This is their current traveling exhibit and will only be there until September.
There are opportunities to get dressed up, which of course Daddy just had to do too!
Caleb enjoyed using secret codes to spell his name. Even though his name does not have a "u" in it, he was delighted that the picture for "u" was a pair of underwear!
Mr. Potato himself makes an appearance at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Blake was scared at first, but after I confirmed that it was a "nice" Mr. Potato he warmed up. This exhibit included an outer space and underwater component. There is a slide and a conveyor belt. The boys really like it!
Another exhibit is "The Diner." The boys enjoyed "making" us a cheeseburger and apple pie. There are booths and a counter for adults to sit at while the kids make food and serve it!
The boys always love a good water table and "The Wonders of Water" was right up there with the best of them. Caleb enjoyed moving the red pieces seen in the picture to see how he could change the flow of the water.
Blake was happy to build things using lego blocks in the water.
One of the coolest parts of Port Discovery is "Kid Works." "Kid Works" is a climbing experience in the center of the museum that goes all the way from the first floor to the third floor. Their are entrances and exits at each level, as well as slides, ladders, and other fun things. Caleb loved it, Blake was petrified (typical). Adults are allowed and encouraged to climb through. 80 pounds ago I would not have been able to do it, but had no problem today!
Our FAVORITE exhibit turned out to be "Adventure Expeditions." This Egyptian themed exhibit included hieroglyphs and a ride that you pulled yourself across the room on (seen above).
Another cool part of this exhibit were the mummies that you could see inside of using the box seen above. The boys really enjoyed seeing the bones inside! The boxes slide from side to side so that you can look inside the entire mummy.
Daddy just had to jump out of a tomb and scare the boys!
A final exhibit we enjoyed was "Studio Workshop" where there are arts and crafts.
These are not all of the exhibits, but just our favorites! I highly recommend any one with kids visit soon! (Even big kids like me!)
A few tips:
- Regular admission is $14 a person for ages 2 and up (but certainly not what I paid!)
- Teacher friends: Bring a recent pay stub/teacher identification card and you get in FREE. No questions asked! (Thanks Christine for this information, I did not know!)
- Many entertainment books sold for fundraisers have buy one/get one free kid admissions (I have one extra if any one would like it)
- Arrive early (about 20 minutes) and you'll be one of the first people in. Go straight to the third floor where the Mr. Potato Head exhibit is as it will be the most crowded. By doing this we had the exhibit completely to ourselves!
- Bring a change of clothes or at least a fresh shirt for after visiting the water play area
- Park at the Harbor Park garage for $7 parking on Saturdays and Sundays. Ask for a validation ticket as you enter the museum.
- Visit http://www.portdiscovery.com/ for more information!
