Children's museum in Austin

This Tuesday we had the chance to do something new to us in Austin. We went to the Children's Museum downtown. It is a really fun Green building that is fun for kids of all ages. As we walked in Gwen found this train table and invited herself into the game with these kids.
Then we were able to play all different kinds of musical instruments, here is Gwen trying out some Marimba tunes.
They had this little store that had all sorts of play food and drinks and there was a little cash register to check out your items. Gwen was shopping for veggies in this picture. And on the other side of the store was a little diner type kitchen, with a wrap around counter where the kids could serve up the food they bought and made. It was really cute.
They also had an area just for toddlers and babies. I think that Gwen was just as pleased with this area as she was doing everything else. She found books to read and a little slide, I don't know how well you can see it, but all the way on the back wall/fence, there are creative activities that show the mechanics of things like what is inside a rattle, so you see what makes the sound, and there are little places to put a golf ball and you can watch it go down a track from level to level until it is spit out at the bottom. Gwen really liked those ones.
Even something for the babies to do. Plush toys, and a padded play area with a fun mural on the wall and a wrap around mirror for them to see themselves. Nice.
On the second level there was this construction site area where the kids could build with big wood blocks, or right next to it put on construction gear and build with bolts and different shaped building stuff. Here are the "kids at work". Hannah and Harrison did some supervising work.
Then when the hats fell down, the fun was over. Right around the corner from this was another little set of stairs that lead up to a giant tube slide that went from the third floor all the way down to the first. But you had to be at least 5 years old to ride it, and that stopped us right there.
As we were leaving there was this mock up version of a city bus that the kids drove and played in. What a great place this was. Gwen made herself right at home and discarded her shoes every chance she got, and was crying when I told her that we were leaving. I had to drag her on the elevator, I am sure that there were more than a few parents that were questioning my maternal instincts and skills during that moment. The fun didn't stop there, we made a little trip to Whole Foods for lunch and ate on the roof top where the kids ran and played around some more. And we didn't even get lost! Ha! All in all a pretty great day.