Children's Hands-On Museum of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States

4petersse 5:00 PM Dec 27, 2007

CHOM's in Tuscaloosa
What a lovely museum for children! The wonderful variety of themes covered in this museum ensures that everyone in the family will find several areas in which to let their imaginations run free. As a child growing up in the Chicago area, I loved my family's many visits to the museums but they could take a page out of CHOM's exhibits! Grandma's attic is set like an old house with costumes of yesteryear to dress in while playing here. Yesteryear's mainstreet was a real treat for us grown-ups but my son found it equally fascinating. As a frequent international traveler and mother of a 5 year old, I was thrilled to be able to show my son how Japanese families live. The authentic Japanese house, which was provided by a local Japanese employer, is complete with kitchen and bathroom - my son was fascinated with the in-ground toilet and tall square tub! Plenty of real props allow you to set the table for meals, then when bedtime rolls around, move the table, pull the bedding from the closet and make down the beds! He played endlessly in the tugboat where he was pilot and deckhand. The farmer's market complete with old farm truck let him pick out his crops and take them to market to sell. We played doctor at the "hospital". As an exhibit provided by a local hospital, they have incorporated everything to give the feel of the real thing from the waiting room and registration desk, orthopaedic unit (with life-sized skeleton to examine), obstetrical unit, and healthy living station where the children can weigh themselves, take blood pressure, etc. Crawling around in the indian village and nearby cave brought yet another experience in both nature and history. All of the exhibits, while geared for children, are sized to play in and arranged like the real things so can be enjoyed by the whole family. We weren't able to experience some of the other exhibits because we hadn't allowed enough time for our first visit but you can bet that we will go back next time we visit Tuscaloosa - this time allowing more hours to enjoy it leisurely! Allow a full afternoon (3-4 hours) to really appreciate this dandy little museum!

4Emily_Jane_144 5:00 PM Jul 22, 2018

Lots of hands on fun
My husband took our 10 and 7 year olds here for a couple hours of fun. He was worried that maybe it would be too young for them but was pleasantly surprised at all the different things to do. My kids had a great time! They loved the game area, planets, beaver dam, and a personal favorite of my daughter’s was the motorbike race. They had fun and even learned a little (unknowingly of course). They were amazed at how much something weighs on the moon vs. the Earth vs. Jupiter. Highly recommend for a couple hours of kid fun!