It took us several months, but we finally made it out to the new Children’s Museum in Short Pump this week.  If you haven’t been, it is located right next to Whole Foods on the first floor of one of the many new buildings in the area.  I didn’t notice any parking designated for the museum but we easily found a spot on the street nearby.  It was already quite busy when we were arrived and the boys were anxious to get out of the stroller and explore.  I am thankful that my new mother’s helper/babysitter, found on Sitter City, was along to help because as soon as we put them down they were off in different directions. 

Unlike the downtown location, CMoR Short Pump is mostly just one long room filled with exhibits.  There is a very small enclosed area for babies and young toddlers, but if your kids are able to climb they can easily get out, so be prepared to get some exercise following them around.  We spent a good bit of time playing in the Dig Pit looking for buried treasure.  I’m not quite sure what it was filled with but it was not sand and the boys did not like the way that it tasted.  Lesson learned.  There were lots of new things for them to explore, but their favorites seemed to be the veggie garden, the Merry Berry Bush and the Magic Beanstalk Climber.  They really wanted to get in on the Water Play, but the tables were a bit too high for them to do more than reach over and get their hands wet.  They also loved the large fish tank near the entrance.  And don’t let me forget the Wild Safari Train in the middle of the room.  It looked like fun and I assumed that they would love it.  They seemed to until a loud lion’s roar scared them to tears.  Maybe they are a little too young for the train and they were definitely exhausted at this point.  All of the other kids really seemed to love it so we will have to give it another try.  I know that my boys enjoyed the visit overall because we had to drag them out of there kicking and screaming. 

I was very pleased with our first visit to the Short Pump CMoR.  It was very clean and the exhibits were fun.  There were some things that we didn’t even get a chance to explore because we ran out of time, so we will definitely go back again soon.  If you already have a membership like we do, you don’t have to pay extra to visit the new location.  It’s well worth it if you visit either one as much as we do.  Please visit their website and plan a trip soon.  www.ChildrensMuseumOfRichmond.org

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