Home Indoor Fun Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery by Martin SpieringsMarch 8, 2018 Search more like this augmented realityearly childhoodeducationfamily friendlyfarmers markethands on activitiesmake believesciencestory timemuseumsandsandboxseaexhibit Advertisement Trending Now News Disney+’s Prices Are Increasing—Unless You Want to Watch Ads Food & Drink General Mills Is Bringing Back 4 Classic Sugar Cereals That Your Mom Never Let You Eat Viral & Trending Cat Sneaks into Family Car & Joins Their Road Trip, Becomes Instant Celebrity Viral & Trending Weatherman Discovers His Map Is a Touchscreen and His Reaction Is So Pure Celeb & Entertainment Serena Williams Announces Retirement: ‘If I Were a Guy, I Wouldn’t Be Writing This’ Advertisement Look beyond the beach if the weather turns nasty in the Santa Cruz County area and head to the Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery. Situated in the center of the Capitola Mall, this unlikely location for a museum serves up some great indoor education and entertainment for your little ones. The hands-on activities are interesting and varied enough to keep children aged two to eight occupied for hours. The exhibits have a local flavor, from the agricultural theme of the play farmers market to the popular beach-themed sand pit. For repeat visitors the exhibits and layout are changed on a regular basis so there’s always something new to explore. Big Blue BlocksFor the active engineers in your family there’s the giant foam blocks area. Limited only by their imaginations, children can construct all sorts of buildings, bridges and tunnels with the help of the soft interconnecting blocks, tubes and cylinders.Deep Sea ExhibitIn keeping with the ocean vibe of the Santa Cruz area, your children can learn about the creatures of the deep by dressing in costume and exploring the fluorescent lit deep sea tent. Your kids will have a ball dressing up and playing make believe in the deep sea.Augmented Reality SandboxA highlight of the museum is the topographic sand pit, a fitting exhibit for Santa Cruz, an area renowned for its varied landscape of mountains and oceans. Children move sand around a sandbox, building hills and valleys, and observe the results on a digital display which simulates real-world topography and water flow. Dinosaur ExhibitAll kids love dinosaurs and here they can dig for fossils with a real brush in the sand pit. They can learn more about our prehistoric friends from the surrounding books, models and posters.Workshops and ClassesIn addition to the exhibits, educators put on workshops throughout the day which are free with your day pass or museum membership. These can be story time, open art time, science demonstrations and even sock puppet making. All exhibits are conceived by former teachers or early childhood educators so you can be sure your kids are getting a well thought out learning experience. Check the event calendar for what’s on the day you visit.Museum MembershipIf you’re planning on a being a regular visitor it might be worth selecting one of the three membership options. Benefits include unlimited visits, some free passes for friends and discounts for birthday party packages and the Museum Store.Time to ShopWhen you’re done at the museum, and want to extend the excursion, you’re conveniently located in the middle of a family friendly shopping mall! Check out the indoor playground around the corner while you fuel up in the food court. There are children’s clothing specialty stores and kids love visiting the Santa Cruz SPCA to say hello to the adoptable dogs and cats. DetailsHours: Monday to Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday noon-5 p.m.Cost: Adults $8, Seniors & Active Duty Military: $6, Children Ages 1 – 17: $5Location: 1855 41st Avenue, Suite C-10, Capitola, CA Online: sccmod.orgHave you visited the Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery recently? Let us know your kid’s favorite area in a comment!—Martin Spierings Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on Copy (Opens in new window) Search more like this augmented realityearly childhoodeducationfamily friendlyfarmers markethands on activitiesmake believesciencestory timemuseumsandsandboxseaexhibit Welcome to our Tinybeans family! Be sure to check your email for new activities, recipes and parenting hacks – and to see if you’ve won! Do you have a dog or cat? 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