Are you raising a mini Michelango, Donatello, Rafael or Leonardo? We mean the artists, not the turtles. If you are, then take them to visit the Crayola Experience (30 Centre Square, Easton, Pa) where they can let their inner artist be free and you don’t have to suffer through hours of scrubbing crayon and marker off of your walls.
What’s There to Do
The Crayola Experience, has four floors of family fun. Each floor is chocked full of activities for kids, that will interest even the older jaded kids in your group who think they’re too old to go to a museum dedicated to crayons. We promise, they aren’t, and it isn’t just dedicated to crayons either. Inside you’ll find activities that use crayons, of course they’re still the star of the show, but others that feature markers, modeling clay and art mediums.
When you get to the museum, we recommend first heading to the theater AKA Crayon Factory to watch a show on how crayons are made. The show stars two animated crayons, Scarlet and Turk and a Crayonologist AKA He or She who makes the crayons. The show is only about 20 minutes long and gives a live demonstration, along with video from the factory floor, of how crayons are made. The animated crayons keep the kids entertained and they will love seeing the new crayons being born.
After the show, head up to the fourth floor, for a bevy of melted crayon activities. In Drip Art, kids (and parents too if you want) pick two crayons to create a swirled masterpiece. They place one crayon at a time into what looks like a compression chamber from a 70s TV show with a piece of paper underneath. While the crayon melts, they spin the paper at varying speeds to create a pattern. Add a second crayon, rinse and repeat. At Meltdown, your kids throw themselves on the floor and start screaming and kicking. Sorry, wrong meltdown. This one is actually a good thing. Kids get to paint with a variety of different colors of melted crayon. The results are pretty amazing. A word of caution, once dry, melted crayon tends to flake so make sure to keep the artwork secure in your plastic bag (they give you one when you enter the museum to hold your artwork) on the way home so you don’t end up with crayon flakes all over the car.
Ever wanted your kid to be a star? Well at the Crayola Experience they can be the star of their very own coloring page. In the Be a Star exhibit, you have a photo taken of your kid, kids or the whole family and then it gets transformed into a coloring page. Pretty nifty, huh?
There are three exhibits at the Crayola Experience that require tokens, Wrap it Up, Marker Mania and Modeling Madness. When you purchase your tickets for the museum, you will receive three tokens, one for each exhibit. If you want to repeat any of the attractions, you can purchase additional tokens for $.50 each. At the Modeling Madness exhibit, you can purchase additional packs of modeling clay for $.50 each or holders for the modeling clay, such as a dragon fly body or monster feet, for $2.00 each (mark our words, your kids will want one of these!).
What Does It Cost
Admission to the Crayola Experience is $15.99 per person ages 2 to 64. Purchase tickets online, to save $1.00 on each. Seniors 65+ are $12.99 per ticket. Annual passes are $29.99 and are worth the price if you plan to visit two or more times in a year.
How to Get There and Where to Park
The Crayola Experience in Easton, Pa, is around 1 ¼ hours from New York City by car. Take the Holland Tunnel from New York City to Route 78. Take exit 75 off of Route 78. The Crayola Experience is 1.5 miles from the exit.
Metered parking is available on the street near the Crayola Experience. There is also a parking garage behind the Crayola Experience with parking for $2 per hour.
To Do Nearby
Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom is only 30 minutes away in Allentown, Pa. Make it a Pennsylvania weekend and visit both attractions.
– Mikaela Walker
