If you're looking for a place where imagination runs wild--I highly recommend checking out a children's museum or science center. In Tulsa, Oklahoma, you'll find the Discovery Lab which is part of a network of similar children's museums across the US.
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We have a membership to the Scott Family Amazeum in Northwest Arkansas so we took advantage of the reciprocal benefits for free admission to the Discovery Lab in Tulsa.
What is the Discovery Lab
It's a childrens museum filled with interactive exhibits that encourage learning through play. There are dozens of these facilities across the US, each with a different assortment of exhibits. So, it's definitely not like all the others.
The Discovery Lab is indoors, making it suitable for year-round play in all kinds of weather. There are a variety of activities geared towards different age levels, but the majority of fun is geared towards kids ages 8 & Under.
What to Expect
If you've never been to a children's museum, expect to be delighted at the perfect balance between learning and thoughtful, engaging play. Our first impression was that this facility was much smaller than what we were accustomed to. Our first ever trip to a children's museum was in Bloomington, Illinois which boasts three stories of themed fun for everyone.
In comparison to that facility, Tulsa is much smaller than you might expect. However, that doesn't mean it was light on fun.
When you first enter the facility, you are greeted by an elaborate climbing play structure and massive slide made out of a packing-tape-like plastic material. My littles aren't real adventurous so we initially skipped this exhibit to see what else the Discovery Lab had to offer. (However, once we gained a little courage, it became the highlight of the day.)
Here is what you can expect to find at the Discovery Lab in Tulsa, Oklahoma:
Central Gallery (pictured above) is locally-famous as the 'Taj Mahal of Tape Tunnels.'
Ballapalooza is one part room-sized ballpit and one-part mischievous fun filled with suckers, blowers, and slingshots galore.
An alternative energy exhibit reimagines how kids play with a classic train set.
Another exhibit brings together math and music to explore frequency and tempo while jamming to a beat.
The Hydrolab provides water-based play.
An imaginarium transports kids into a stunning, immersive world of play using a 360-degree projector inside a dome room.
The goelogy hall lets kids learn about rock formations and earthquakes.
The Science Lab puts kids face-to-face with the world around them, facilitated by a volunteer instructor.
The Workshop is a good place to sit down and tinker or put on a shadow puppet show.
The Little Lab is a special play area designed for younger tots (under age 4) to play in imaginative ways with their parents or caregivers.
What to Know Before You Go
First and foremost--the Discovery Lab is a place of play. It is full of kids having tons of fun which means it will be loud and possibly chaotic. We definitely categorize this one as a high-sensory activity.
However, for those with special sensory needs, the Discovery Lab does offer sensory-friendly play experiences on designated days and times. There are reasonable mobility accommodations such as ramps and elevators to access the main areas, however I would not consider the exhibits themselves to be particularly accessible. Many of the play exhibits require climbing.
No Outside Food or Drinks
The Discovery Lab offers a small cafe with coffee, snacks, and a small menu of lunch items in case you want to take advantage of on-site food options. However, you won't be able to pack your own snacks to enjoy while inside the facility.
Luckily, the Discovery Lab is adjacent to The Gathering Place--which happens to be the ultimate picnic space inside the city limits of Tulsa. You can get a stamp from the front desk to leave the Discovery Lab for lunch, enjoy your picnic outdoors, and then return for more play.
Admission is for Everyone [But It's Totally Worth It]
Daily admission is $10 per person (including adults) for ages 2 & up. Of course, babies get in free. While I feel that this is a reasonable price for such an amazing amount of fun, we opt for an even better deal by purchasing an annual membership to our local ASTC-affiliated museum.
Our membership allows our family to visit for free anytime we like. Plus, we get access to members-only hours and special event discounts along with reciprocal benefits at hundreds of locations across the country. That's one reason we are always so eager to check out these facilities in other cities.
Is the Discovery Lab Worth the Trip?
Although we were initially disappointed in the size of the facility, we left feeling very satisfied with our experience. As a disclaimer, we are members of another ASTC children's museum so we received free admission using reciprocal benefits and did not have to shell out cash to get in. But even if you do pay at the door, $10 for hours of fun is probably worth it.
The tape tunnels were an easy favorite because my kiddos love slides and it offers a huge one with dozens of kids tumbling down forwards, backwards, upside down and all together. We also spent a lot of time in the science center because there were so many neat things to touch. A tortoise shell, porcupine quills, molted snakeskin, fossils, and much more captivated the kids for what felt like forever.
As an adult, I enjoyed the slingshots in the ballapalooza exhibit, but my five-year-old found them a little too difficult to handle. She preferred the laser energy-driven train set and bright, neon lights of the music room. So, bottom line is a yes...it's worth it if you want to get indoors, facilitate some engaging playtime, and need to entertain a younger crowd.
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