Kids ‘N’ Stuff Children’s Museum

• 301 S. Superior Street
• Albion, MI 49224
• (517) 629-8023
• Website

Things to do on a rainy day.  We’re always looking for new things to do entertainment wise just as we do for new restaurants.

We had plans to be outside this past weekend but that wasn’t going to happen.  The rain was relentless.  We started talking about lunch options and I brought up the new brewery in Albion. I also mentioned there was a Children’s Museum right down the street to sell a forty five minute drive.

Kids ‘N’ Stuff Children’s Museum is in downtown Albion on Superior Street north of Erie Street.  The museum takes up two store fronts on the main business district in buildings that were donated in the early 2000’s.

There is street parking along both sides of the streets but right now, Superior Street is shut down for construction.  We parked in front of Albion Malleable Brewing Company and walked a half block in the rain because we didn’t know there was a back entrance and parking lot accessible off of Erie Street.

Right inside the front entrance is a souvenir/snack shop that is also the main point of entry.  Admission to the museum is $6.50 per person.  Only children under the age of one are free.

This is another case of us entering a building with no expectations and being blown away by what we found.  The museum is two large areas of interactive exhibits that are spread out just enough that even if there are a lot of kids running around, it wouldn’t feel like you were on top of each other.

The kids were immediately drawn to the Felpausch Grocery Store area right inside the door.  They each grabbed carts and started shopping.  The shelves are stocked with empty boxes of real products.  There are then two cash register setups where the boxes actually act like they’re scanning when you run the bar code over the reader.  B started putting his stack of cereal and ice cream on the conveyor while L rang him up.

From there they kind of split up.  J took one and I took one and we just let them go.  L really got in to The House of Mitchell Costume Shop.  This area had a stage with lights and a curtain as well as a number of dress up clothes and large stuffed animals.  Somehow, L got a bunch of other kids preparing to put on a show of the Lion King inthe Drama Area for the parents although it never came to fruition.

B kind of wandered around for a while and ended up at the Water Table for a while.  I threw some of the fake fish into the water and handed him a magnetic fishing pole.  It kept him entertained for a while but there was still a lot to see.

Right next to the Water Table is a room with Lego’s.  For a while he was more interested in opening and closing the door but eventually we sat and built with the blocks for a while before heading out to find L and J.

We found L at Willie’s Auto Shop.  This area is set up like a repair shop with a Jeep ready for the kids to wrench on.  L was already knee deep in repairs by the time we got over there but B grabbed a wrench and helped her replace the spare tire on the back.

B took off again so I followed him first to The Playroom which is designed for kids younger than him.  There were a couple of moms in there with babies so I coaxed him out of there as quickly as I could.

We made our way to the back of the second room where the AgKnowledge exhibit is.

He was drawn to the cab of an old combine that was in the back corner.  I always laugh when the kids are drawn to farm equipment.  Papa (my dad) owns some farmland back in Illinois that he hires someone to farm.  I sent him a picture of B playing with the controls and asked if he’d buy us a combine.

J and I switched off which kid we were chasing for a while and I ended up with L for a half hour or so.  She played at the Pig E. Bank’s Credit Union, the Public Safety Fire Station, and in the Oak Lawn’s 101 Wellness Avenue.  I didn’t have to watch her quite as closely but it did give me some time to play and pretend with her.  With B, it’s just a lot of chasing and making sure he doesn’t climb something he shouldn’t be climbing.  With L, we can actually play and pretend which is a little more fun.

I eventually caught up with J in the Messy Art Room.  B was playing with the giant Lite Bright by the windows but they also had a whole big mess of art supplies which L really liked when we brought her back later.

We spent about two hours at Kids ‘N’ Stuff Children’s Museum and the time just kind of flew by.  I think we both knew that there was a Children’s  Museum in Albion but we just don’t get that way often.  It was nice to get away for lunch then find some place that the kids would enjoy.  The Kids ‘N’ was a huge hit with both of them and if it was a little closer to home, we’d probably end up being members.