I had an afternoon free so I took my little chitlins to the Pretend City Children’s Museum!
I gotta tell ya, I was on Cloud 9 that day. Usually when I take my toddler boy somewhere, I have to hold onto his arm for dear life just in case he zips out in front of a car or if he attaches himself to someone else’s shopping cart (which he is prone to do). At Pretend City though, I just let him loose. And my heart soared.
“Pretend City Children’s Museum is the first educational facility of its kind in Orange County, representing a small interconnected city. The non-profit museum builds better brains through whole body learning experiences, educational programs and over 15 permanent exhibits. Each exhibit empowers children to learn about and meaningly connect with and expand their world.”
My 8 yr. old girl enjoyed the exhibits immensely too. Pretend City had a scaled-down version of a cafe, a house, a grocery store, a fire station, and more. My girl liked the grocery store the most. The cash register was even real. My boy initially tried eating the pretend produce. I had to explain to him that it wasn’t for eating and that it was a toy. His favorite part was probably the mini house with the mini vacuum. We had to hit some life lessons there like sharing the vacuum with other kids and taking turns. Hoo boy. Luckily, I got him to move on. Hope he’ll like to vacuum as he gets older.
Pros: It’s a huge warehouse space that’s open and pretty safe for the children to roam around. Every exhibit was terrific.
Cons: Toddlers are charged admission too. I wasn’t accustomed to it since he’s free most places we go.
Web Site: http://www.pretendcity.org
Address: 29 Hubble Irvine, CA 92618
Telephone: 949.428.3900
Pricing: Look here or go there.
General Admission – 10:00 A.M. TO 4:00 P.M. Pricing even cheaper after 4:00 P.M.
Infant to 12 months: $2
Children: $10
Adult: $10
Military and Family Members: $8
