North Carolina Museum of the Natural Sciences

Admission is free, though donations are encouraged. Parking is plentiful in paid lots across the street. We paid $2/hour. There is free on street parking, if you get there early enough to find a spot. I wouldn't count on it. 

Tuesday was Brother's first birthday so we decided to take the day off from unpacking and do something fun as a family that didn't involve thinking about how many boxes we had unpacked, how many boxes we need to unpack, or otherwise involved thinking about boxes. New town means lots of new places to visit and blog about, lucky you! So after some deliberation, we decided on the North Carolina Museum of the Natural Sciences.


Hours

Monday-Saturday: 9am - 5pm

Sunday: noon - 5 pm
First Fridays: On the first Friday of every month (except as noted) the Museum stays open until 9 pm.
Note: The Discovery Room, Naturalist Center and Living Conservatory are closed on Mondays and close at 3 during the week.

We arrived on the later side so we started at the top and worked our way down the museum's four floors. On the top floor is a butterfly exhibit that closes at three and we didn't want to miss that. The exhibit is a model of a tropical dry forest. A tropical dry forest is similar to a tropical rain forest, they both receive similar amounts of annual rainfall but dry forests experience dry and rainy seasons whereas rain forests are rainy year-round. In the exhibit are a number of different varieties of butterflies from Costa Rica as well as a sloth, a tarantula, and a milk snake (in separate enclosures within the exhibit). Also on the fourth floor are a number of other insects in the Arthropod Zoo and the Naturalist Center. The Naturalist Center is for children 8 and up, so we didn't get to go in, but it looked pretty cool. There were microscopes, and different animals and other natural items to look at and explore. Younger children can play in the Discovery Room on the second floor, but we were too late by the time we got there as they are only open 11 am to 3 pm on weekdays. I can't wait to go back and discover!

Mommy, don't take my picture!

The third floor was definitely a favorite! This is home to the dinosaurs. Mommy thought she was never going to get Tot and Brother out of the "Terror of the South" room. We had so much fun playing in the giant dino footprint we almost didn't want to leave to see the rest of the dinosaurs.

Also on the third floor is a snake exhibit (another one of Tot's favorites) and an exhibit depicting a mountain cove habitat. We had fun seeing how many animals we could pick out in the exhibit. The last exhibit on the third floor is the Tropical Connection exhibit which illustrates how we depend on tropical habitats every day even though we may never step foot in the tropics at all. Products as varied as coffee and aspirin have roots in the rainforest.

The second floor is home to the Mountains to the Sea exhibit. It illustrates the habitats across our state from the mountains to the piedmont to the coastal plain. The second floor also houses traveling exhibits and the Discovery Room which we can't wait to come back and visit. 

By the time we got to the first floor, we were exhausted and ready for a snack. So we didn't really have much of a chance to explore before the meltdowns began. The first floor has a Coastal NC exhibit and NC's Natural Treasures. Definitely a place we want to get back to when we have more time and energy to explore. Keep watching for another post with more info about the museum!

Mountain Play Lodge

It's a cold, gloomy day in the mountains, so today's adventure: Asheville's Mountain Play Lodge. 
Location: 3389 Sweeten Creek Rd.
                Arden, NC
Prices: Over 12: Free
            3-12: $11.99
            2 and under: $6.99
            Infants: Free (If you hold them the whole time.)
This was not our first visit to the Play Lodge. On past visits MPL has been pretty quiet with just enough kids to not get bored, but not so many that you can't have any fun. Today they were slammed, and I mean SLAMMED! Kids were running around everywhere and it was hard for parents to find a spot to sit and to keep track of their tots. When we've come in the past, Mommy could sit and read and keep an eye on the kids easily no matter where they played. Today that was nearly impossible. Another disappointment today was that for the first time, we had to pay for brother who is less than a year old and not yet walking.
My personal bottom line is that the place is too expensive for what you get. Although they are running a weekday summer special. Ages 3-12 are $8.75 and 2 and under are $5.50 Monday through Friday through the summer. This helps out quite a bit and we do think it's a good place to go on a rainy day to get out of the house.
Socks are required at all times for adults and children; shoes are not allowed inside the play area. There is a snack bar with cupcakes, muffins, cookies, coffee, juice, and water. Outside food and beverages are not permitted inside, however there is a table outside where you can eat your own food. (Which we did for lunch.) The picnic table is right next to the parking lot so keep an eye on your tot outside!
When MPL first opened there was concern about the entrance. You come in through an automatic door and at the front desk are asked to read and sign a safety waiver before paying admission. Then you go through a swinging half-door to the play area. Some moms were raising concerns over how easy it was for a child to get out and into the parking lot. I'm happy to report that they've remedied the problem with the swinging door. It now has a piece holding it shut so kids can't escape as easily.
On to the play space; here's what's inside:

 Four bounce houses, slides, and obstacle courses.

A variety of soft play structures including animals, bridges, a canoe, a wagon, and tree with a small slide. The carpet in the play area is well padded and has a scene on it that these structures fit into.

A train table.

A variety of imaginative play and dress up areas including a fire house and burning building, a beauty salon, a stable, a grocery store, a huge castle, a doctor's office, and a house.

And wireless internet access for parents to enjoy while tots enjoy the play space.  It's a fun rainy day place for little ones.