Parents, if you’re like me, you’d hear the words, “Pretend City” and think, “Why would that be so fun for kids???”
Boy, I got schooled today. This place is in Irvine, California. The costs are $11 per person even parents which, I thought, was pricey, but, my kids loved it. All children are handed time sheets and places to do “work” that included a Fire Station, Police Station, Farm, Post Office, Ocean & Beach work, an area for physical expression that included tunnels and gymnastic mats, a library, an art studio and many other little “spots” for kids to pretend. There is even a stage for pretend performances which included lights, music and costumes.
Of course, my kids, especially my youngest’s, favorite place in the whole museum was the ATM. There was unlimited money. He understood that in order to get money, he had to do work, however, when it time to hit up that ATM…well, let’s just say that for one hour of work, there were 10 hits of the ATM all at random times, but we came home with at least $100 in pretend money to be used nowhere, but, he was thrilled.
From the parent’s perspective, I thought it was pricey. My children are 6 and 8 and we could barely spend two hours there before we were done. However, there were MANY “pretendologist” amongst the parents who were directing traffic and maintaining order among 100?s of kids which I appreciated. Many moms and dads had already checked out on their phones or were reading books or chatting and not supervising {it was safe enough to do that} however…you did bring your kids to the museum shouldn’t you be supervising your own personal kid? Also, there was storytime and extra art projects throughout the museum and we came home with a car full of “swag” so all in all, it’s worth the money. Pretend City is also incredibly close to a beautiful outdoor shopping mall, Irvine Spectrum, so there is something for the parents here if you are looking for something for YOU as well as THEM.
That’s just my two cents. Pretend City did not pay for this review…we are just doing lots of exploring and kid friendly field trips here this summer and it seems like I should share in case some of you are planning on vacationing in Southern California!