Family Museum of Arts and Science, Bettendorf

You could tell this place was focused on kids from the start. The parking spaces were decorated, the building was in bright colors. Upon going in, there was no wait and it was $9/ per person which for me being from the Chicago land area was unheard of. The people at the desk answered all of my questions and near the entrance was also a mother's room the doubles as a sensory space. This place is decked out for kids. The climbing tower thingy was so much fun, and they had loads of centers. Vet, fire station, bakery, grocery store and a few others. They also had a four and under area, a farm/apple orchard area, music zone, and bathrooms located throughout. I did not go upstairs because we were killing time until a wedding and dressed for it, but was informed they had a series of different arts and crafts. Their gift shop was small, but unlike our area, things were pretty reasonably priced. My kid picked out gifts for four people and only spent $17. We spent 2 hours easily and of we had gone upstairs I think I would have spent another hour easily. If I'm in the area again, I would definitely go.

This place is a special treat for our kids. A fun safe space for them to explore the interconnectivity of a town. They also have a wonderful climbing structure. My 11 year old did lose interest. So this may be more for elementary level kids and younger. There is a toddler section, but the was no staff enforcing it so there were a lot of big kids in the little kid area. I wanted to set my baby down and had to actively keep big kids from stepping on her (in the toddler area)