The Mommy Park Review: The Thinkery, Austin, TX

Previously known as the Children's Museum, this place keeps the same purpose, but is now known as The Thinkery. It had been closed for various months (maybe a year?) due to Covid-19, which was very sad, but understandable, as safety is their priority. I would say, with the re-opening, the guidelines are strict, and made me feel safe. I went on a Monday, very early, around 9:30 AM, and it was not crowded at all. You now have to RSVP your ticket ahead of time to ensure that you can go in. This is how they can manage the quantity of families coming to the museum.

Now, about the museum. It is pretty amazing! It has 2 floors and various areas for kids, different ages. We stayed at the bottom first and my toddler played with trains, and painted on glass, while the little one was distracted with puzzles and shapes that are at his level and kind of enclosed to keep them in the same area. 

On the first floor, there is also a room "Earth themed" where there are clouds, and sea science and history about how each of these forms. It was very cool! 

Now, for the second floor, there are various areas. One is like a farmers/chicken coup area. The kids get their eggs from the coup, and then can go grocery shopping and get their veggies and play in the kitchen area.

There is a separate area just for younger kids. I think under 2. You go there with no shoes and everything is kind of lower level. There are things to explore on the floor (like bees, and flowers and mirrors!). Needless to say both the pre-toddler and toddler loved it!

 

The final area we visited inside was the water area. I wish we had been more prepared because you might need a change of clothes or water shoes, depending on how wet your kid gets. Thankfully for me, my toddler, didn't want to touch the water too much today, so we didn't stay too long on this room.

The current rules do not allow food inside, so we went outside to a park area that they have. The park has ropes and the kids climb all around the pack. It is very well designed and quite different. The kids loved it!

I would 100% recommend. I would say, majority of kids are about 5 and under. The day we went specifically, there seem to be a group of pre-teens, having fun in the outside park. Mostly is younger kids, though! 

Map: Thinkery

Overall: 5/5

Factor	Description	Rating (Out of 5) 5 Being best
Uniqueness	Did it have that keep Austin Weird unique vibe? Was it new and interesting or same old neighborhood park? (Nothing wrong with your neighborhood park...but if we took the effort to travel...we want something different and unique!) A value of 1 means it was not very unique, a value of 5 means it was crazy unique and different.	5
Variety	Refers to the different areas or different activities that were available. A value of 1, means there was not much variety. A value of 5 means it had a lot of different things for the kids!	5
Safety	How safe was my toddler without me having to intervene much? Did he fall multiple times? Did he hurt himself? A value of 1 is not very safe and probably would not bring the kid back. A value of 5 means safety was in the mind of the designer and pretty much kid proof.	5
Kid Friendly	Was it Intentionally design for kids? Or mostly for adults? A value of 1 would mean that it was fun enough for kids, but not really designed for kids. A value of 5 would be it is designed for kids.	5
Overall	Average of all factors listed below for final overall score	5

Cost (As of 1/6/22) is listed below.

Stroller friendly? Yes! There is an elevator and spots to park your stroller.

Restroom? Yes! And there is also a nursery room in the second floor!