story and photos by Kayte Deioma

It’s a good thing that there are signs posted from all directions pointing to the Kidspace Museum in Pasadena or I would never have found the unassuming white structure in Brookside Park across from the Rose Bowl. But the signs are easy to spot and they led me into the vast Parking Lot 1, then past the camouflage of uniform-clad soccer teams and bushy trees and up to a big white house with a little round sign near the ground next to the entrance. The contrast between the businesslike exterior and the fantasy that begins as you enter the Kidspace Museum is startling.

A Kaleidoscope Tunnel of glittering red, orange, and gold circles and mirrors leads you into the building. Another sign directs you out the other side of the building to the ticket booth that juts into the inner courtyard. Beyond the ticket booth, are two distinct worlds. Mothers at courtyard tables sip their mochas from the Nestle Café by Wolfgang Puck. Just feet away, kids in hard hats work together to create structures of giant blocks or PVC pipe and plastic squares as others drive pint size construction vehicles in the Blasting Zone. Steam shoots up from the pavement, reminiscent of the streets of New York, not Pasadena.

Beyond the central courtyard, you enter another imaginary world, or really, many of them, bumping up against each other in the Digging Deeper exhibit. Kids can interact and get a bug’s eye view with people-sized bugs and become servers or customers inBugsy’s Diner or get up close and personal with a real bee hive. They can go on an archaeological dig and discover fossils and dinosaur bones, create an earthquake by moving tectonic plates, drive a jeep or climb up and up and up on all kinds of climbing towers. Supervised art and activity stations let them get as messy and creative as they want.

Through the glass doors the Nature Exchange provides hands on opportunities to learn about rocks and fossils. Kids can bring their favorite stones and trade them for different ones.

If it’s not raining, you’ll definitely want to venture into the KidspaceGardens. Even in a mild drizzle, you might want to throw rain ponchos on the kids and go out to explore, but watch your step. The trail can be slick in the rain.

This area really sets Kidspace apart from most other children’s museums. Immediately behind the Digging Deeper building, is the paved Wisteria Courtyard. On one side is Kirby’s Kid’s Korner, where kids can play on a small playground. Most of the rest of the pavement is covered by the Trike Tracks where kids can race around on solo or tandem trikes. In the Stone Hollow Amphitheater on the hillside above the courtyard, staff present educational and interactive shows with costumed characters if the weather is good. The hillside is landscaped as a miniature version of Pasadena’s Arroyo Seco, with a trickle of a stream running down the rocky hill. TheSpider Web Climber, Bat Cave, and the Strata Cliff Climb rock climbing wall are popular highlights of the outdoor exhibit.

From the central courtyard to the back of the outdoor exhibit, most activities are designed for kids five and up. The Early Childhood Development Center has activities and toys for children four and under in the front building next to the Busy Bee Learning Store. Immediately to the right when you come through the kaleidoscope tunnel is the Nestle Café by Wolfgang Puck. Considering that it is in a museum, the food is reasonably priced, and since it bears the Wolfgang Puck brand, it’s also quite good.

The Kidspace Museum in Pasadena used to occupy the gymnasium of a downtown elementary school. They moved to this 3.5 acre location in 2004 and are still under construction – not just by the kids. Look for the interior exhibit space to have tripled by March 2007.

Kidspace offers a $2 Rainy Day Discount.

Kidspace Museum
480 N. Arroyo Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91103
(626) 449-9144
www.kidspacemuseum.org