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Life & Science Museum in Durham
I just got back from my and DD's first trip there. Wow, it's wonderful! We were there for four hours, DD had a blast, and we didn't even see everything. I think she could have spent an hour in the butterfly house alone.
I'm normally leery of any place that we have to pay to go (especially since there are so many great, free places in this area). But this place was definitely worth the $10 admission price (DD was free, since she's not 3 yet).
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I love the Life & Science Museum. We don't get there often enough being in Raleigh! Did they have animals out? Was the train running?
We've never ridden the train there before.
Yes, to both questions. Frankly, the train ride was a little boring (for me -- my daughter loved it). The train at Pullen Park in Raleigh is, in my opinion, just as good.
But you know, toddlers and trains. It's like the law that they have to do any train ride they encounter.
We didn't get back to the zoo area of the place (seriously, there's a lot to do there!), but all of the farm animals were out.
I highly recommend getting a membership for the Life & Science Museum. We go all the time so it pays for itself. We are in Carrboro so it's not far, but I think it's worth the trip even from Raleigh.
Any good places to eat near the museum?
The cafeteria there actually isn't that bad if I remember correctly. They've got salads and wraps and things like that. You pay a bit of a premium for eating there. But it's nice not to have to leave the place.
I don't know Durham real well. I'm sure others can tell you better than I can but two of my favorite places and a pretty quick shot from the museum are Foster's Market and Guglhupf Bakery. Both are on 15/501 about 8 miles away. They're next to each other. Very kid friendly and really yummy.
Parker and Otis is a great sandwich shop and gourmet foods market right on Duke street. Open for breakfast and lunch. Lovely place and great food!
The Mad Hatter's Bakery is kinda nearby the museum. (I'm coming from Cary though, so Chapel Hill is even kinda nearby the museum ;) ) I LOVE taking the kids there because kids meals come with a cupcake/tray full of toppings that the kids can decorate their own cupcake with. I do like the cafe that they have on site, but it can be expensive- especially with more than one kid. We've been members of the museum for 2 years now and think it's great. The membership pays for itself in just 3 visits, depending on how many in your family, and we'd even upgraded the membership to the level that gives you reciprocity with other museums. Now we can visit the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, the Children's Museum in Poughkeepsie and hundreds of other places with no admission charge. We travel a lot, and it's really nice to be able to have a "free" place to go!
I'd never heard of The Mad Hatter's Bakery. Thanks for the tip. Sounds fun.
Okay, so I want to do this as a day trip with my kids but the budget is too tight for this to be a $50 outing. SO, has anyone packed a picnic lunch and taken it to the museum?
I have not taken a picnic there, but I do know that they have a picnic area, so it shouldn't be a problem.