Marbles!

Have you been to Marbles, the children's museum in Raleigh? Well today was my first trip and I am enchanted! We took a family trip there to celebrate the last week of summer vacation for Winds and I. Thank goodness Nate was with us because someone had to watch the baby! I was all over the place, looking at the art, collecting ideas, making plans, getting inspired, taking pictures, and you name it. I am going to share the highlights from our trip today, but to experience it fully, you will just have to make the trip! There are so many areas that I did not document because I was doing what I was supposed to be doing- playing!

The first exhibit was an enclosed dramatic play area. It is set up like a town, complete with an ambulance (pictured), veterinary hospital, boat, barn, stage, and it goes on and on. The coolest part is that the children enter the exhibit by boarding a bus, and then slide out the back into the discovery area.

Winds was very excited to drive this boat.

This is the grocery store, where we did not play, but wanted to share it. The details of the place are amazing. It is ALL about the kids!

This is the veterinary hospital. It is just like being in a real hospital, just pint sized.

The museum has made great use of all the spaces. Out in the open areas, there are giant versions of several favorite games. She loved this connect 4 set.

A picture will never do this pirate ship justice! Towards the top you can see Winds headed to the top deck. I saw kids dressed as pirates, raising and lowering flags, and dropping anchors. It is so real seeming!

This is where things got interesting! We LOVE water, so she was in heaven. You will notice that most of the little children are wearing water-proof smocks- nope, not us! That is why I pack extra clothes I guess...

This exhibit featured light houses from NC. Even though it just looks like "play", there is so much more going on. The little sign on the light house states facts about the Currituck light house, educational for adults and children alike.

This outside water exhibit was amazing. So amazing that Nate was even impressed. So impressed, that he is working on a plan for us to have one at SDS. I am so excited I can hardly stand it! What you can't see is the well at the end. There are boats, sea creatures, rubber duckies, and all sorts of floating things that the children send down the river.

We skipped a lot, and had a wardrobe change after the water area, but I just can not recommend this trip enough. It is closed on Mondays, but open all other days. It would be fun for babies -big kids. Have fun!