Sandcastles Children's Museum — Attraction in Ludington

We got there at noon today, and we left 30 minutes later. I know better than to go during a school vacation week ever again. I was told there was also a birthday party. It was packed! I wish at the door they had warned me, we would have happily come back another day. Even if we had decided to stay I could have said I was warned at least. My son has a huge bruise on his forehead from getting hit by a kid with one of the bubble table wands. While walking with my toddler down the stairs a lady almost pushed us down the stairs and couldn't even mumble an apology just kept on going. A group of kids had taken over the second floor and were acting like they owned the place, stealing the store cash registers and taking the play money right out of my toddlers hands, and they even took his full grocery cart away from him. I know they can't control this, but it just added to the disappointment overall. My ten year old finally looked at me and asked if we could just leave, even she was done being pushed around. I am not sure if they keep track of how many bodies are inside the building at a time, but today definitely felt like a bit too much. Therefore it was not kid friendly and absolutely not toddler friendly today,...

From an educator's standpoint, this is exactly what a children's museum should be. The intentional connections to key aspects of the community are incorporated into the play in fun and inviting ways for a wide range of ages for children. I have been to many children's museums that are largely informative but lack the invitation to play that this museum does so well. The exhibits are clearly put together by a team that understands early childhood research and has actually put best practices into action.

From a mother's perspective, I loved this place because my children were engaged the entire way. The exhibits were clearly fun and learning happening occured in ways that my children didn't even realize that they were learning; they simply thought it was play. It was awesome to see so many young volunteers actively involved in their community, and the staff were genuine and kind in their interactions with parents and children alike.

I would absolutely...

My favorite children's museum I have ever been to! My children and my niece love this place! There are 3 levels of fun for kiddos to explore, with excellent hand-on-learning experiences within each floor. On the bottom, there is a sand play area, airplane, classroom, giant Lego blocks, rock climbing wall, Badger play area, and more. On the second level there is a nursery area, bubble table, post office, grocery store, bank, doll house, Hungry Howie's Pizza Station, House of Flavors Ice Cream Station, a giant model eye ball, and a veterinarian. On the top there is a new construction zone, a farm with tractor, and a band area with stage and instruments. There are so many fun things to do here, it is very easy to spend hours...