Phelp's Youth Pavillion: Waterloo, Iowa

Phelps Youth Pavilion

at the Waterloo Center for the Arts

225 Commercial Street

Waterloo, IA 50701-1313

Spring Break 2011 will go down as one of the soggiest in memory. That being said, Lydia and I were left to find activities that were both fun AND indoors. While we were in Iowa, we decided to go with Daddy and Oma to the Phelp's Youth Pavilion in Waterloo. There website listed the necessary visitor information, but I called ahead of time to avoid taking the 45 minute trip and risking they were closed on Good Friday. The woman that answered the phone was more than pleasant and assured me that it would be a fantastic spot for Lydia to play as they cater to kids 0-8 years old.

Our arrival at the museum was greeted with construction. Thus, it was difficult to park. Furthermore, I was unsure of where the entrance was because the Children's area is inside an Art Museum. Once we entered the facility, we were greeted and directed down a long, but cheerful and bright hallway to a ticketer in the gift shop. She accepted our ACM membership card and gave us pointers regarding the exhibits and what she felt Lydia would like the most. She personally introduced us to the Executive Director, who's office was directly next to the entrance.

From the moment we entered the museum, Lydia was engaged and the Toddler Fun Factor was high. Equally, I had a wonderful time! There were so many wonderful exhibits that I even enjoyed. One of which was a virtual paint canvas that allowed you to paint on the wall with a computer mouse and print off your creation. We spent a lot of time in the Jamaican area fishing from the boat, playing in the authentic house, riding the van, and playing virtual steel drums. I was highly engaged by the time machine, while Lydia liked to color hieroglyphics and take a peek into the cave.

On the second floor, Lydia danced on stage, played with puppets at the puppet show, and created an art piece in their designated art studio. From all of the art studios we have seen at various Children's Museums, this one was the best. It was large with several tables. Each table had a different project for kids to complete with directions and a sample/model. There were additional materials that were well organized throughout the space. This space was not entirely "Lydia friendly" but it was great for older kids that want to create a fun art project.

The museum had a traveling exhibit on display featuring various Iowa Illustrators. Although I was pleased with the space, it did not have much of a toddler fun factor. Lydia was bored, but I feel older kids would have liked it.





Overall, we rate the museum:

Toddler Fun Factor: 4/5
Lydia loved her time and didn't want to go. There was lots of room for her to run around with many developmentally appropriate tasks for her to complete.

Parent Pleasers: 2/5
The bathrooms were difficult to locate and places to eat a snack or buy food.
The gift shop was nice, but not overwhelming and distracting for the kids. It also featured some beautiful gifts for adults.

Car Seat Curb Appeal: 2/5
The museum is located right on the river, but they were undergoing construction. This made navigating the parking lots difficult and finding the entrance a guessing game. I am assuming that the construction was to create a designated entrance for the museum. The parking lots were small, but there was plenty of parking.

Overall Impact: 4/5
We had a wonderful time and will go back. It was perfect for Lydia's age and I know she would "grow into" some of the exhibits she didn't enjoy when she was there (They had a cow that you could actually milk, but she was scared of it, so crawled in the "hayloft" instead).