Scott Family Amazeum — Attraction in Bentonville

We visited this museum while passing through town with our ASTC membership. It was wonderful to be able to visit using our membership from our local science center. I loved the wide variety of exhibits for different age ranges. Our 3 yo had an absolute blast and I feel like older kids would also be able to have a great time as well. I really liked how everything was spaced out with enough extra room for parents to assist their children when needed. There are a couple things that keep it from being a five star experience though.

1. They are strangely obsessed with kids keeping their shoes on. Some people might see this as a plus, but my 3 yo has sensory issues and I didn't see anything in that place that would be dangerous without shoes. Plus they have an amazing water exhibit that is guaranteed to get you child wet. So my son walked around for 3 hours with soaking wet shoes. So parents take an extra pair of shoes with you if your kid is going to check out the water exhibit.
2. The employees/volunteers are few and far between. In our home center there is one in each exhibit area. No such luck here. I think I saw maybe two out on the floor the 3 plus hours we were there. The entrance guy said if the shoes got wet an employee in the water area could help us, but we never saw one... and my son stayed in that area for like an hour.
3. No place to eat. Our home location has a wonderful picnic room with vending machines and a microwave for kids to eat in. No such luck here. I think they might have outside tables, but it was raining the day we went and all the outside stuff was closed. My little guy was definitely hangry by the time we left. There also seems to be plenty of room on the 2nd floor to create a lunch room. All in all I recommend the place and plan on trying to come back at some point, but definitely take these into consideration when...

Incredible place to take the kids. Fun for both adults and kids! Very educational while keeping their attention! Only bad part is that the REALLY EXPENSIVE gift shop is right behind (with some displays to the side) the ticket purchase counter. The place you enter and exit. It’s hard because all children are drawn to the brightly colored displays and toys! This can create drama before even entering the Amazeum. It really depends on the age and temperament of the child at that given moment. I totally understand selling merchandise to help keep ticket cost lower, but it can be really hard for some parents. I wish they would handle this area differently. Even if you have annual passes, you must go here to check in. I know it makes me, as an O’ma, less inclined to take my grandson (even though we have annual memberships) because I’m either going to have to listen to him whine or if I do give in, I won’t get out of there for less than $25. They have less expensive items, but of course, most children want what’s on trend. It really limits my visits. If it were my option to open a door and take my child into the gift shop, I would take him at least 75% more. I wonder how much greater actual visitations to the museum would be if this were the case and if it would offset any loss of revenue from the gift shop. At the very least, I would think, this is something, on which, I would want a survey done. Maybe I am an anomaly and others don’t feel this way. But these are my thoughts. I genuinely DO love this place and what they bring to the...

I'd suggest finding the least busy times if you want a more calm and respectable environment. My son really enjoys all the activities and it's super nice seeing kids who don't know each other be able to work together nicely to figure them out. That aspect I really admire. However, it is very over stimulating for me. It often is very packed which makes it incredibly loud and very disorganized. Which isn't necessarily the employees fault. As far as the disorganization, so many families/groups do not care to put things back where they go and it makes it difficult to find the items for the activities. It is insane how many parents just sit down with their eyes glued to their screens oblivious to their children being hateful to others and/or destructive to all the equipment. I had a child bash right into my ankle really hard with one of the wooden wheelbarrows and they didn't apologise or seem to care at all. I didn't even see a parent in sight. I'm just glad it wasn't a little one they ran into instead. A bunch of kids will just cut others off and push them out of their way. It just isn't a fair experience that if your child is being respectful, it's likely they'll get shoved out of the way and sometimes not even allowed a turn at all. I do not like having to witness that. It puts me in a very uncomfortable position where I feel like the kids acting like that need someone to help offer some guidance on manners and being respectful though I don't feel comfortable doing...