Become the star of your own coloring page. Watch your drawing become part of a scrolling mural. Turn a crayon into a race car. Spin melted wax into a work of art. These are just a few of the activities kids—and adults—can have fun with at Crayola Experience, new to Mall of America in 2016.
I had an opportunity to visit Crayola Experience during TBEX, a travel bloggers conference held in May at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. Although Crayola Experience is designed for young children, I had a blast with all of the activities.
The first thing I did was to personalize a Crayola crayon label and then take the label and crayon to the wrapping station for finishing.
I named my crayon after my granddaughter.
Next up was Be a Star. I sat in front of a monitor, chose my scene, posed, and pressed a button to create a coloring page with my image in it.
Some of the other activities I tried were Art Alive, where I drew using a computer (actually, just wrote “Happy Travels”) and saw it projected onto a scrolling wall mural; painted with watercolors and put the wet paper through the drying machine; melted a crayon, which became a race car; and created a Drip Art masterpiece, which is like spin art but with melted wax.
How the Crayola aroma brought back childhood memories!
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I also saw the Crayon Factory presentation in which a “Crayonologist” demonstrates how crayons are made in the Crayola factory.
I had planned to spend only an hour in the Crayola Experience. After two hours I still hadn’t gotten to all of the activities. There is also a playground for a little more active fun; Meltdown, where you can paint with melted crayon, stations for coloring, molding clay, creating your own puzzle, and more. A family can easily spend a full day at the Crayola Experience, taking a break for lunch at Crayola Café.
As you leave, you’ll pass through the Crayola Store filled with Crayola products and souvenir items like a 2-pound crayon.
If you go to the Crayola Experience
Crayola Experience, located on Level 3 of Mall of America, is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Check the website for admission rates and other details. There is no fee to enter the gift shop.
Accommodations: Check rates and reviews of hotels near the Mall of America
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Disclosures: My admission to Crayola Experience was complimentary. However, any opinions express in this article are my own.
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