MADE for Kids, created by The Magic House — Local services in St. Louis

We had my daughter's birthday party on 2/11 at MADE. Our experience with MADE was disappointing and frustrating.

We paid for a private birthday party for my daughter and her friends ($350), in early January. I was under the impression that we would have the space for 1.5 hours. To my surprise, there was a MADE morning event that was scheduled on the same day and same time. There was absolutely no mention of this MADE event when we booked and no one bothered to check for scheduling issues after.

So, the space we were supposed to have completely to ourselves was now crowded with people for the MADE event. Making this experience overwhelming and difficult for my daughter to talk and play with friends. When questioned about it we were referred to several different people and was not given an explanation or solution until after the party had already started. On top of all of this, the staff were not on time and one in particular was incredibly rude.

We were promised a full refund that we have yet to receive. Apparently, it could not be done online and they are mailing us a check. We have not gotten it!

We love the Magic House but will not be...

I absolutely love this place but my son loves it even more ! There are so many different stations to try your creative mind on. Bc it’s STEAM based, it’s hands on learning backed by science/engineering —but most importantly, fun! My son’s go-to stations are the coloring, pottery & rocket ship. Close runner ups are the recycle, legos, puzzle & buttons creation stations. The yearly membership is very reasonably priced and worth every dollar even if you only take the kiddos once a week. The priceless aspects would be the quality time, unique creative experiences and imaginative designs coming to life. There’s an adult version downstairs; unfortunately, there aren’t “daycare” options available to single/ co-parents who wish to simultaneously use the adult version. This is slightly irritating as a single parent but moreso bc the adult version is located in the same exact building as the kid one. I wish they had a single parent night or option to use the adult studio while your child was playing in the kid studio.

We need an adult/kid-friendly art co-op in the STL area— w/ daycare options...

I visited The Magic House in December 2022 during the peak winter break time for most families. While I do not have children, I had a BLAST going with my cousins of all ages ranging from 12 to 3 years old.

There is so much to do at The Magic House and all avenues of interest from STEM, art, US government, construction, literature, a mini city, etc. The amount of detail in each of the quadrants of the museum is astonishing. Children can do so many THOUSANDS of hands-on activities, so plan to be there awhile.

There were two traveling exhibits when I attended: a Lego animal sculpture yard and a PBS Kids Molly in Denali Alaskan wonderland. I particularly was impressed with the scavenger hunt available for older kids (myself included) to do while visiting. A cafe is available to eat at while visiting, and a gift shop near the entrance/middle floor of the museum.

I don't live around the area, but it was 100% worth the drive to visit even without having kids. Worth every penny, worth every minute spent absorbing the splendor...