My three boys and I had a blast when we visited the EverWonder Children's Museum on Father's Day. I needed to milk this for all it was worth, in order to give daddy-o a nice, long break. After paying the $7 per person admission (under 1 is free, and admission assistance is offered for those who need it), I made all of my people head to the 0-5 area. In what can only be described as euphoric shock, we lasted a full 30 minutes in here—including my 7-year-old. The sand table and light table were footnotes to inspecting insects trapped in resin, animal puppets, gear magnets and a block city on a floor rug. That's not even to mention the quiet reading room with puzzles and books geared to infants, and a large chalkboard wall. I was already considering being a member at this point!

I should mention the layout at EverWonder is very compartmentalized, as this is a former office building. I kind of love this about it though, because you wonder what each room is going to hold. On the downside, the exterior is nondescript and a bit drab.

We couldn't prolong our stay in the infant area any longer, and didn't have need for the nut-free snack room (we would later... yep, we stayed that long), so we moved on to a classroom where art supplies awaited. My three spent time working very hard on fingerprinted Father's Day cards and finally, we were ready for the main exhibits.

All of the hands-on highlights are within 10 yards of each other. It's pretty no-frills, but kids don't care about frills. They want to launch a paper cup rocket in an air tube, race cars down a shoot, and try to build a PVC pipe run actually leading a wooden ball—plunk!—into the plastic cup. It brought me joy to hear my 4-year-old excitedly say, "I got an idea! I got an idea! I got an idea!!!"

At the two-hour mark, Mommy was getting hungry. It seemed like only a little bit was left to explore, but when I realized what was in that last room, I knew we could easily burn another 30 minutes. So, we headed to the picnic table out front for snacks I'd brought along. (There is a caterer next door, but the hours aren't set, so best to bring your own food). Also, keep in mind that EverWonder is a nut-free facility.

After snacks, we ventured back in where I found yet another room I'd missed, entirely devoted to tinkering. Screwdrivers are at the ready to take apart and reconstruct phones, printers, etc. Most of my crew is too young for this, so we agreed to save that for a time when Daddy was along (and I promptly pried the tools out of their hands). Thankfully, the final room was full of large, lightweight Imagination Playground construction blocks, where they weren't sure whether to build, or throw themselves around. Fantastic.

By this point, we were going to close the museum. A few other families were in the same boat. I even heard one mother urgently reminding her three they were going to a restaurant and even that couldn't get them to move toward the door!

Moral of the story? This place is a welcome and wonderful addition to the neighborhood. May it enjoy continued success! Annual memberships are $120 for two designated adults and all children in the same household. EverWonder also offers birthday parties.

EverWonder Children's Museum
31 Pecks Lane,
Newtown, CT 06470
203-364-4009