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Family Fun in New York: Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum

Mid-Hudson Children's MuseumDuring our time in the New York City area, my family and I have made an effort to visit as many children’s museums as possible. Back at the beginning of February, we hopped in the van and drove a little over an hour to Poughkeepsie to visit the Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum. Our membership to the Children’s Discovery Museum allows us free or discounted entry into over 500 participating ASTC (Association of Science-Technology Centers) and ACM (Association of Children’s Museums) museums, and the Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum is part of the ASTC network, so my family and I were able to explore the museum all afternoon for free. Regular admission is a reasonable $8 per person over the age of 1, and parking is free!

When we first got to the Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum, I took my toddler son to the baby area while my preschooler daughter ran off with my husband. My son had a great time playing with the letter sensory bags and sensory tubes in the baby area. He also liked flipping through the board books. His favorite part of the baby area, however, was the wooden ball that rolled down a wiggly path. He and I played with the ball for a good fifteen minutes before he insisted on being let out into the big kid area.

Baby Area at Mid-Hudson Children's Museum Letter Sensory Bags at Mid-Hudson Children's Museum

Sensory Tubes at Mid-Hudson Children's Museum RiverTown at Mid-Hudson Children's Museum

On the first floor of the Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum are the RiverTown exhibit and the Early Learning Junction. Both my kids really enjoyed playing on the fire engine. My son especially loved pushing all the buttons inside the fire truck. He also loved crawling up and down the ramp in the Early Learning Junction. After playing for a while, both kids also enjoyed snuggling up in the reading nook and listening to my husband read some books aloud.

Market and Bakery at Mid-Hudson Children's Museum Hyde Park Mastodon at Mid-Hudson Children's Museum

Mastodon and Slide at Mid-Hudson Children's Museum Link, Lift, Launch! at Mid-Hudson Children's Museum

The second floor of the Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum was geared toward older kids. My daughter loved playing on the slide next to the twelve-foot fall mastodon replica. She also loved digging around in the sand in the Fort Sifter exhibit. I am not a fan of sand at home, so she always gravitates towards the sandboxes at children’s museums. My son liked playing with the balls in some of the exhibits. I personally enjoyed the WonderDome, which featured a giant Reactor Cube in which my kids and I could create light-art using brightly colored acrylic rods. I also loved the Light Waterfall, which consisted of soothing, color-changing floor length strands of LED fiber optics. I totally want to put some in every doorway of my house!

Fort Sifter at Mid-Hudson Children's Museum Giant Lite Brite at Mid-Hudson Children's Museum

WonderDome at Mid-Hudson Children's Museum Magnetic Shapes at Mid-Hudson Children's Museum

If you are ever in the Hudson Valley area of New York or even as far south as New York City, I recommend taking a trip up to PoughKeepsie to visit the Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum. At $8 per person over the age of 1 with free parking, the museum is reasonably priced. Kids of all ages will love exploring the interactive exhibits that get children moving, building, pretending, collaborating, creating, and discovering.

For more information, visit the Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum website.

Image Credits

Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum © 2016 Heather Johnson
Baby Area at Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum © 2016 Heather Johnson
Letter Sensory Bags at Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum © 2016 Heather Johnson
Sensory Tubes at Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum © 2016 Heather Johnson
RiverTown and Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum © 2016 Heather Johnson
Market at Bakery at Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum © 2016 Heather Johnson
Hyde Park Mastodon at Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum © 2016 Heather Johnson
Mastodon and Slide at Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum © 2016 Heather Johnson
Link, Lift, Launch! at Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum © 2016 Heather Johnson
Fort Sifter at Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum © 2016 Heather Johnson
Giant Lite Brite at Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum © 2016 Heather Johnson
WonderDome at Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum © 2016 Heather Johnson
Magnetic Shapes at Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum © 2016 Heather Johnson

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