Last week my sons and I had the pleasure of our first visit to the Interactive Neighborhood for Kids or INK Museum in Gainesville.
Someone told me about this great place for kids a long time ago, but it took someone else to arrange a homeschool field trip to get me to go. My boys loved it, so I’m sure we’ll go back many times.
According to their website, INK is “a non-profit organization located in Gainesville, Georgia whose mission is to encourage children of all ages to develop their full potential through exciting hands-on learning. INK strives, through the exhibits of the museum, to create a unique environment in which children of all ages, abilities and experience can feel free to imagine, create and explore beyond their dreams.”
My description is: “It’s the ultimate place to play MAKE-BELIEVE!” The “neighborhood” has a child-size post office, bank, vet clinic, grocery store, and radiologist clinic, just to name a few. The grocery store was a big hit with my kids who were able to get their child-sized carts and fill them up with groceries. (The containers were all real, but they were empty. The fruit and meat were plastic.)
For the first time in his short life, my four-year-old got the chance (all in one day!) to sit in a real fire truck, police car and airplane! My 22-month-old was especially enchanted with the airplane, and the other children playing in it didn’t deter him. He ran up, climbed in and sat down for a ride to who knows where.
At the bank my boys were able to bang on a computer keyboard (something they are not allowed to do at home), and in the radiologist’s clinic, they could touch real X-rays.
There’s also a room for the builders out there, which my kids spent some time in. There are blocks and tinker toys in it that my toddler quickly dumped all over the floor.
Another section of the museum is about the human body with models and charts that the kids can touch and put together. There’s a couple of play areas too.
My sons kept returning to the train set and all the small movable parts around it. (It’s in a big case so no one can destroy it.) They could push buttons to get the trains to move or a car to spin and even a little haunted house to light up. (As you can see, the museum is clearly not just for kids. Adults can play too.)
My four-year-old told me that his favorite room in the museum was the music room. There’s a piano, keyboard, organ and lots of other small instruments to play in it.
There’s more to do at the museum than we could fit into our first afternoon, and I have a feeling that we’ll be able to go many times and my boys will always find something new to explore. As they get older, they’ll also understand certain sections more, so it will be fun to see how they utilize the exhibits over time.
The museum is reasonably priced and open seven days a week. Monday through Saturday it is open 10-5pm, and admission is $8 for adults and children. Sunday it is open 1-5pm, and it offers $6 all day admission.
If you are a homeschooler, they offer homeschool days on every first Tuesday of the month, and the admission is half-price, which is $4 for children and adults. That’s a great deal, if you ask me.
I should warn you, however, that INK has a really cool toy store in it too. If you’re on a tight budget, you might want to prep your children appropriately beforehand. (Though parents might want to sneak back there someday for a Christmas shopping trip.)
The INK Museum isn’t far from Barrow County. Just take U.S. 129 to Gainesville, turn left on Chestnut Street, and it’s on the right. Be sure to check out their website for events and other information: http://www.inkfun.org/
Shelli Bond Pabis is a Winder resident and columnist for the Barrow Journal. You can reach her at writetospabis@gmail.com.
