Travel the U.S.A. with The Weebles
Photos by Katie Landsman
If you’re looking for a cool way to beat the city heat this summer,
pack up your kids and head for the new “Weebles Coast to Coast”
at the Children’s Museum of Atlanta.
In this exhibit created by the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum in Milwaukee in collaboration with Hasbro, Inc. (creator of those lovable “wobbling” Weebles characters), kids can learn about the 50 states in an entertaining way. The interactive exhibit continues until Sept. 8.
From ringing in the New Year with an interactive countdown clock in New York to making Old Faithful erupt in Wyoming, kids of all ages have the opportunity to immerse themselves in fun and engaging activities. My 5-year-old daughter delighted in “tooling up the coast” of California with the radio blasting in her convertible, while my 7-year-old son got to hit a homerun at Fenway Park.
We began our journey by planning our “trip” with the help of a giant map of the nation and a touch-screen kiosk featuring the country’s geographic regions, key facts about each state, national landmarks and popular tourist destinations. Murals of beautiful American landscapes provide the backdrop for terrific play areas that represent various regions: Western, Mountain, Southwest, Midwest, Southeast and Northeast. There are memorable “stops” at the seaside, mountains, forest and desert.
As they raced from state to state, my kids didn’t even realize that they were learning. At each interactive station, they were enthusiastic about which state they were “visiting” and what made it unique. We made several trips back to the Alaska station to race dog sleds, and even went back to New Mexico to fly our hot air balloon.
Aside from this outstanding exhibit, there are several other permanent areas to explore at The Children’s Museum, including a farm, grocery store and a fishing pond that can entertain a variety of ages for hours on end. The Children’s Museum is a great way for kids to learn about the world around them in an intriguing, hands-on atmosphere, and “Weebles Coast to Coast” makes traveling across country a breeze!
– Christy Smith