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π201 S Estes Dr, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, Located Inside University Place Mall
π¦Weβre currently on a mission to visit all of the Triangle’s indoor playgrounds and spots for family fun! If you donβt see something on our site yet, itβs definitely in the works!
Essential Things to Know
Hours:
β¦ Monday β CLOSED
β¦ Tuesday β 10:00 am β 5:00 pm
β¦ Wednesday β 10:00 am β 5:00 pm
β¦ Thursday β 10:00 am β 5:00 pm
β¦ Friday β 10:00am-5:00pm
β¦ Saturday 10:00am-5:00pm
β¦ Sunday β 12:30pm-5:00pm
Pricing:
General Admission: $8.50
Museums for ALL National Access Program (Discounted Admission for EBT/SNAP/WIC Recipients): $3.
*Free admission offered on First Fridays (the first Friday of each month)
The Nest Pricing:
Adult: $6.00
Child: $6.00
Website
Kidzu Chapel Hill NC Indoor Playground Review
Kidzu Children’s Museum is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. First opened in 2006, the museum has grown over the years and finally landed in their current home inside the University Place mall.
I recently visited this Chapel Hill children’s museum and indoor play space with my son (21 months) and my two adopted little siblings (6 and 7 years old). We all had a great time exploring Kidzu for a couple hours, and I’m here to tell you all about it.
Kidzu has around 10 distinct learning environments that kids can explore. These include Flexible Forest, Forest Theater, Gravitron, and Farm to Fork, just to name a few.
The Climbing Wall was popular with my siblings; the perfect fun challenge for them. They already want to come back and give the wall another try, as neither of them quite reached the top! The flooring below the wall is a super squishy mat, so climbers can feel safe knowing they have a soft surface to land on.
The Farm to Fork section was a big hit with all 3 of the kids. The museum has a huge collection of pretend foods, and we made a series of “meals” with them. Kids can go through the whole food cycle, planting and harvesting produce, selling these items at the market, preparing and serving food in the little shop, and then composting the waste at the end (which lands right back in the “garden.”
My son Malcolm really loved Gravitron, a magnetic wall where you can watch a ball fall down a series of tracks. (This is his favorite thing at every indoor playground nearby!)
And of course, one of the most popular exhibits for every child visiting Kidzu is the treehouse/crow’s nest elevated 12 feet inside the Flexible Forest. Parents can go up there as well, which is how I got this neat overhead shot of the whole museum.
There’s also a little Hive seen in front of the rock wall, where kids can dress up as bees and practice harvesting honey! While Malcolm is too little to understand this concept, he enjoyed running in and out of the perfect-size-for-him hive and looking up at the cool conical shape inside.
There is a whole lot at Kidzu beyond just the open play areas. We’re looking for forward to visiting again to experience all of the museum’s offerings.
One thing we’re definitely going to check out is The Nest. This is a special infant and toddler area located directly next door to the main Kidzu location. A beautifully decorated learning space for the littlest among us, The Nest offers both open play sessions and facilitator-led sessions that include story time as well as time for child-directed play and collaborative art and STEM projects. Check back here for our future review of The Nest!
Kidzu offers lots of events and programming for both members and non-members. By the way, the membership seems like a good deal if you live close to the museum; it says it pays for itself in just 5 visits!
In addition to various track out camps and summer camps, Kidzu has weekly events (a few spotted on the calendar include Mandarin Story Time and Jammin’ Baby Music Classes).
Overall Impressions by Mom of this Indoor Playground in Chapel Hill
Kidzu is super cute! There’s lots to do here that I didn’t even get to mention in the first section, like the Makery for Art and STEM projects, the Forest Theater for productions and storytelling, and more.
This is a place that we will definitely visit again so we can experience these other elements. Some, like the Makery, seemed too advanced for 21-month-old Malcolm. At this age, he mostly runs from activity to activity anyway!
I really liked the layout of the museum; it’s not too big that you’re constantly losing sight of your child, but not so small that it seems chaotic. I think this museum is ideal for the younger crowd, preschoolers are probably the target market for most of the play areas. Older children may be somewhat bored as there’s not as many spots to be active.
You could definitely come here with multiple ages. There’s an enclosed soft play area for babies that crawlers love.
Other things to note: the bathroom with changing table is right near the play area. Clean and easy to find. There’s a section in the back of Kidzu where caregivers and kids can sit to rest and enjoy a snack. For a true moment of rest and relaxation, head into the adorable book nook for some chilled out reading.
I am super impressed by Kidzu’s website. It’s packed with resources; not just information for visiting the museum, but ideas for things to do at home. The “virtual museum” has video content, printables, and links to even more resources for parents. It’s really great.
Speaking of their website, be sure to check it out. It not only has all the virtual fun, but information you might want to know like the price of memberships, details about summer camps, and of course, their upcoming calendar of events.
Have you been to Kizdu Children’s Museum in Chapel Hill? What was your favorite part?