Imagination Place in Gadsden Helps Little’s Creativity Soar

Located about 1.5 hours away in Gadsden, AL
Geared for ages 2 - 10
Children/Adults 2 & Up are $8

I had my first birthday party at the Imagination Place in Gadsden, so I was so excited to take my son to continue the tradition. We met up with his cousin, Lyla for a fun day of play and exploration. Although both babies were not walking at the time of our visit, we still had lots of fun exploring the different rooms and there were plenty sensory options for the babies to take in.

At just over an hour and half drive from Huntsville, the Imagination Place is the perfect day trip, and can be coupled with a visit to Noccalula Falls for even more fun.

What’s the Imagination Place?

It’s no secret that play is essential to learning in childhood and is a way that kids connect with the world around them. That idea is central when you enter the Imagination Place. Kids can “shop” at the Piggly Wiggly, be a bank teller at Exchange Bank, examine an x-ray at the doctors office, and more. It’s all about exploring and playing.

Throughout the building, the Imagination Place has small rooms or areas with different themes for kids to play and pretend – largely centered around professions. In addition to the carefully decorated areas, kids can truly dive into each experience with special props. When they go shopping at Piggly Wiggly for instance, they can stand behind the counter and scan things at the cash register or grab a small basket to pick up the carton of eggs or small plastic veggies.

What to Expect

There’s two levels in the Imagination Place. Decorated like a downtown street, the bottom level is complete with a small ride-on trolley that goes down the painted road and several little shop fronts that include: a bank, fire station, doctors office, grocery store, and more. There’s also a small tree house area and a construction zone at the end of the “street”.

The second level has an aquarium/sea room complete with a boat, a train area with a ride-on train, a cafe area, and a farming/gardening bed. The upper parts of the tree house are also continued on the second level. During their visit, kids will have a blast running from area to area and pretending.

Even Babies Can Get in on the Fun

We started our Imagination Place visit off in the construction zone where kids can use diggers and dump trucks to till up rubber pieces. This used to be a favorite for my younger brother. Oliver and Lyla enjoyed running their little hands through it, but we eventually had to move as they began trying to eat the pieces.

We spent a good portion of our visit in a designated baby area that had plastic balls, a pull up bar, a mirror, and soft climbing toys to explore. This and the vegetable garden on the top level of the building were big favorites for the babies. Oliver also enjoyed the various riding toys that were scattered throughout. Although they were too young to pretend in the different store fronts, the sensory options were almost endless and kept them both entertained for the couple of hours that we were there.

For the Big Kids

Although babies can certainly have fun at the Imagination Place, older kids will have a blast! After all, the children’s museum is designed primarily for ages 2 – 10. In addition to the areas mentioned above, there’s also an inflatable with a jumping area and slide. In the same room, kids will love building their own fort with the large foam blocks, and a variety of large yard games like Connect Four and Scrabble.

Plan Your Visit to the Imagination Place

Phone: 256-543-2787
Location: 501 Broad Street, Gadsden (map)
Website | Facebook

Hours:
Monday – Thursday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sunday: Closed

Admission:
Children 24 Months & Under – Free
General Admission – $8

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Lauren Lee

Lauren Lee is a longtime dog mom transitioning to life as a rookie human mom. She is married to her college sweetheart, Josh, and they welcomed their son, Oliver, to the world in June. Lauren is a Jacksonville State University alumni and has been a published writer since she was sixteen. In her free time, Lauren enjoys reading, writing, knitting and hiking with her two dogs.