It’s not every day you get to wander into the world of Curious George. And it was that fact that may have been—no strike that. It was that fact that absolutely was the first draw to the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center in Mobile, Alabama, but it was so much more than that had us promising each other we’d be back again on our next annual trip to the Emerald Shores of the Gulf Coast of the US.

It was a cold day in Florida. Not one of those unexpectedly cold days, but more like one of those cold days that are way worse and way more unexpected than the cold days that you don’t expect. It was Polor Vortex cold. In Florida. And coming from the North, we just wanted to go to the beach. But we couldn’t.

Trapped inside, mourning our lost days of sunshine and sand, we decided to head out of the house in search of…something. And last minute research led us to the Gulf Coast Exploreum, where we read there was a Curious George exhibit.

My little people had never really been much into Curious George. They kind of get fixated on a book or show for months, years even, at a time, and any attempts to introduce a new character or a new town are not well received. But on that long drive from the cold, snow-covered depths of North Eastern United States to the cold, grey cloud-covered depths of Florida’s Gulf Coast, they fell in love with a Curious George holiday movie. And since it was literally two days after Christmas, we accepted finding this exhibit, Curious George: Let’s Get Curious!, as really a design of fate.

And fate did not do us wrong. Why you ask? (Well…maybe not why, maybe more like How? You know what I’m trying to say though, right?)

Cost

With dreams of Curious George, the entrance made it them a reality for the littles, with a huge George flying overhead the bright, glass-lined entrance hall. The little people waited with heads tilted back in awe as the Three Kids Dad paid our entrance. The Gulf Coast Exploreum, we discovered, is actually pretty affordable, especially given the number of exhibits that exist within its walls.

The admission fees vary by age as well as the type of ticket: exhibits only, imax only, or combo. While children under three are free, prices for other visitors can range from $6 to $17, which isn’t too bad for an entire day full of stimulating STEM activities (among other things). The Gulf Coast Exploreum also provides a Blue Star Military Discount as well as a military discount during non-Blue Star programs (more info on the dates of these can be found on the website).

Another option that the Exploreum offers is a membership program, ranging from student memberships to memberships for families of eight, which then also includes guest passes. But one of the most appealing aspects of membership is that the Gulf Coast Exploreum is a member of the ASTC (Association of Science-Technology Centers) Passport Program, which allows for free or reduced admission to over 300 science centers around the world. So, if you’ve got a Science-loving little tribe of travelers, it may be worth the cost.

Size

The block-long, white building is striking from the outside, with it’s large arched windows lining the entrance and a grand, open atrium greeting guests. But even though the building is grand on the outside, this non-profit has a welcoming, manageable feel on the inside (even on the freezing cold days of South Coast winters…wait…freezing days? YES. Ugh, freezing days.)

After purchasing tickets, there’s the option to take the path to the right or the path to the left, both of which are fairly straight forward. This means that it isn’t difficult to take in all that the Exploreum offers. And the bonus is, it also means that it’s a bit more difficult for a little person to get lost than they would in a maze-like facility. As mother of a tiny mischief-maker, a straight forward floorplan is a blessing. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not letting the little man walk all over willy-nilly, but I can take one single eye off of him for a moment so that my other little people get an ounce of my attention. So, we all win.

The layout does require a bit of a backtrack as once you hit the end of one direction, the only way to get to the other side of the building and the other exhibits is by crossing back through the entrance hall. We found this to have absolutely no impact on us or our appreciation of the Exploreum, but it’s worth mentioning (I mean, really it was for the best as it gave us another opportunity for the littles to hit up the restrooms).

After soaking in all that we could, we headed out, back into the outdoors (have I mentioned yet how insanely cold it was?). And we managed it all in just a few hours. It was the perfect amount of time: not so long that any of the littles started to get ansy and not so short that it wasn’t worth the trip. (And to tell you the truth, if they were a bit older (and could read), they probably would’ve been content to stay even longer.) That being said, it’s a perfect activity to do to get out of the heat for a few hours during the hot months or to get out of the house in the cold months.

Variety

Want to stack some giant blocks under sun-filled conservatory windows? Perhaps play in a literal sea of balls? Learn about alligators? Discover how gears work? How much energy does your body produce?

Well, at the Gulf Coast Exploreum, you can do all that. And then some. And probably then some more. You can do this and you can do that and you can do something else when you’ve finished. The constant availability of new information, activities, centers, exhibits, and experiences means that each and every person, the little and the big, will find something to make the Exploreum a fabulous place to be. And it also means, that as one activity starts to stale, it’s just a quick move to the left or the right in order to avoid a meltdown.

The Exploreum provides more that just different topics to excite the little people; they also offer a variety of ways for those little people to soak up that information. The Exploreum is filled, primarily, with hands on exhibits. There are stations to make boats to see if they float or sink. They have play structures and blocks to build with. Their My BodyWorks exhibit, part of the permanent collection, allows Exploreum-goers to test how high they can jump or how fast their reflexes are. There’s a Virtual Surgery Center where visitors can test just how well they’d do at knee replacement surgery. With a 12-foot tall illuminated heart, our littles got sucked into watching it beat.

This variety worked well for our family because two out of the three little people don’t read. So, rather than just going from room to room looking at pictures and reading blurbs, the littles were able to feel like they were playing, with the added bonus of learning. They launched tennis balls in the air and performed surgery all in the same day. They made windmills, shopped at a local fish market, and played video games. All under one roof.

Exhibits

The Gulf Coast Exploreum has both permanent and special exhibits, so say, for instance, it’s a stingingly cold day along the water. You can easily head over for a visit for a few hours. And then, for that summer visit to the Gulf Shores later in the year, you can head back over for a break from the blistering mid-day sun. And guess what? It’ll be a bit different. And not just because the little people have grown, but also because there really will be new content for them to explore. It’s sortof perfect, no?

But beyond the new exhibits that constantly pop up, the museum also offers IMAX films that change periodically. So that retreat from the scorching mid-summer sun can last a little bit longer if you’d like. (The films generally stay below 60 minutes, so it’s not like there’s any guilt for feeling like you’ve given the whole sunny day away to a movie.)

Now about our day there? Here it is in a quick nutshell. The three little people of Three Kids first found fun crawling all over a spaceship-like structure. Then they ran into a room filled with giant blocks, then they played with gears, met an alligator, dove for pretend fish off a pretend boat in a pretend ocean, climbed a jungle gym, designed a boat and then watched it sink, listened to the sounds of the body (yes, they loved the fart sound the most–two of them are boys), did pull ups, sorted mail in Curious George’s lobby, built blocks in Curious George’s factory, and made a few trips into outer space in his rocket ship.

The common denominator here, really, is that my little people were completely occupied the entire time. Not just staring at things or watching things either. It wasn’t my voice they constantly heard telling them to stay close or “don’t even think of touching that.” Those six sweaty little hands were engaged; their bodies were engaged; and their minds were engaged (even if it was just in listening to the sound of a human burp or sneeze).

Location

What else is it about Gulf Coast Exploreum that makes it such a special place to visit, especially when you’re bringing a pack of rough and tough little people with you? Well, for a few hot minutes (before the unusual cold of that visit really made their tiny feet entirely numb) it was just the magic of walking into the building and walking out of the building.

We had parked our car and started walking towards the Exploreum’s entrance when we started passing by statues of men and women, young and old, dressed extravagantly, excitedly. A little research told us that this was “Mardi Gras Park,” a memorial to the carnival (which, I’ll have you know, was actually first celebrated in Mobile rather than New Orleans (some super trivia to throw out at the next card party)). We admired the statues and some had us all in awe on the way in.

And then, on the way out, we found the real kicker: The Fort of Colonial Mobile. We hadn’t realized there was a fort. But when you’ve got two young boys with you (and even a young girl) seeing canons sticking out of old buildings is a big deal. Huge. So not only was everyone thrilled with what was inside the Exploreum; there was so much going on around it, that they were delighted both coming and going (which just doesn’t always happen these days).

So, if you happen to find yourself stuck with a cold day when you’re along the Gulf Shores or if you need a break from summer sun, the Gulf Coast Exploreum has your back. All of our little people loved their time there and, frankly, there were a few times I had to track down the Three Kids’ Dad who was off playing surgeon or playing a healthy choices car video game. Our day in Mobile, Alabama may have started with us feeling a bit put off by the cold, dreary day, but it definitely ended with us feeling pretty thankful for that gloom.

Have you found any unexpected places because the weather forced you to step out of your plans? Share your discoveries below. We’d love to hear about them!