My family and I received complimentary admission into the museum to share the excitement of these new exhibits! As always, opinions are honest and my own.
What's New - The two big updates to Port Discovery are Sky Climber and The Port. You can't miss either exhibit as you enter the museum on the first floor. Past visitors of the children's museum will remember the large KidWorks climbing and sliding structure that spanned all three floors. While my oldest always loved playing in KidWorks, it made this mom a little nervous as it was hard to keep track of little ones in the maze of cargo nets, slides, and tunnels. Parents will be happy to hear that Sky Climber is much easier to keep an eye on little explorers as there is one way up on each side and then everyone comes down the slide. Kids will be happy to hear that this is a challenging and fun climb that goes up four stories before taking the super fast twisty slide all the way back down to the first floor. Grown-ups can join the fun too in this exhibit - although I will warn from personal experience that there are some tight squeezes, especially earlier on, and the climb may leave you feeling every bit of your age! Guests may only wear socks on Sky Climber so come prepared! They also have socks you can use at the base of Sky Climber, but even though they have a spot for clean and dirty socks, I still have a weird thing about sharing socks with someone else.
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| Learning about navigating a ship! |
The other new exhibit is The Port which is again a multi-level experience for children. Little minds can learn about the various operations that take place in a busy port - just like Baltimore! Here they load and unload cargo, navigate a ship, and go through port security. . .and that's just the start. The boys loved loading cargo and watching it climb up the lift. On the lower level of the exhibit, young guests can explore the engine room. There were several Port Discovery staff members around this exhibit to help guests navigate the new area and make sure kids were able to see and enjoy all there was to offer.
Old Favorites - If you've been to Port Discovery before, you'll be happy to know that many of your favorite exhibits are back and feature some fresh updates. Our boys have always enjoyed Tiny's Diner where they can cook food and serve it to us in a restaurant. The jukebox is working and the kitchen has received some new items. The Adventure Expeditions exhibit has also gone through a quick makeover - not changing the contents of the exhibit, but getting everything working again. The other favorite place for the kids to play was in the Water Works area where they could have fun, practice some engineering, and, of course, get a little wet! My kids have outgrown the Tot Trails area which is designed specifically for children 3 and under, but this used to be a regular hangout for Caleb and I while Brody and Dan would be off playing elsewhere. This large room features several sensory friendly environment for children and recently was updated with a private nursing areas for mothers. I think one of my favorite things about visiting Port Discovery is that each time we go, the kids find new things to enjoy!
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| Will these objects sink or float? Let's make a hypothesis! |
- Admission is $17.95 for guests 1 and over. I know parents with young children might be used to children under 3 getting into places for free, but believe me when I tell you that your littlest family members will have just as much fun here as older explorers.
- Parking is available throughout downtown Baltimore, but I recommend parking at the Harbor Park garage which is located right next to Port Discovery. You can also have your parking validated for a reduced rate inside the museum so bring your parking ticket!
- There is no dining option inside the museum, but there is a designated area to eat snacks or food that you bring with you and vending machines are located onsite. Within a block radius of the museum there are ample restaurant choices from sit down locales to quick service options. We like visiting Blaze Pizza and then grabbing an ice cream from Lucky's located in the old Power Plant on Baltimore's Inner Harbor, right next to Phillip's Seafood.
- Lockers are available at Port Discovery and are FREE to use - parents with diaper bags rejoice! You can set a combination to lock your bags up for the day and enter / lock as much as you need throughout the day. I will say the code locks were a bit fickle, but after a few attempts we were able to get them working just fine.
- Port Discovery takes family safety very seriously. When you enter, your entire family will receive wristbands with a unique code for each member. Upon leaving the museum, staff will check wristbands at the exit to make sure that no kid is leaving with an adult they didn't come with - love this!
- I would plan on your visit taking at least two hours. Anything less than that and I think you'll be missing out on some exhibits your family may really enjoy. I would say at a maximum you're looking at 4 hours roughly here. Beyond that, I believe your children would be running out of steam despite the many rooms to explore. The more that your family wants to participate in story times, music classes, and such, the longer you'll want to plan for your visit.
I hope that you enjoy planning a visit to Port Discovery Children's Museum with your family! It's a perfect destination for early elementary and younger to play, learn, and explore for hours of fun. For more information on planning your visit, be sure to visit www.portdiscovery.org. I'd love to hear about your experiences in the comments below!
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