Is the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden good for toddlers?

So I know I told you about the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden the other day. But I was holding out on you. I apologize. I actually skipped all of our favorite parts, because I wanted to use them to answer this question: Is the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden good for toddlers? So, is it?

Is the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden good for toddlers?

Yes! A resounding yes! Here are all our favorite parts of the garden and what my toddler liked best.

My sample toddlers had a great night. Lyla (2 1/2) and Jaye (2) were excited from the get go about what they were seeing in the First Adventure area. First Adventure is a walled-in (great for parents!) and shaded (great for everyone!) garden designed just for toddlers to explore science and nature right at their own level.

The First Adventure area has lots of fun stuff for toddlers. There’s a caterpillar maze, a huge sandbox, giant acorns and insects to climb on, mushroom seats and tables, a potting shed, a tree house, log tunnels, a giant bird’s nest, a babbling brook, and a water fountain for splashing.

And, oh man, there will be splashing for sure! The water areas were Jaye’s favorite part of all. Here she is exploring the lily pads in the babbling brook. Currently, this is what she does when you ask her to smile. So adorable.

Jaye liked the giant kaleidoscope, but it was up a little high for her to be able to use it on her own. However, the real star of the math-focused area was these giant shapes. Jaye thought they were so fun to walk on. We had to pull her away to keep our tour moving.

Another highlight was the Pure Energy area, which is designed for kids to learn about energy and how water and wind create it. Our little ones might not have grasped the full concepts here, but they loved splashing at the water table, pumping the fountains so that the paddle wheels would turn and watching the water guns!

At first I thought the Earth Cycles area would be a little over my toddlers head and uninteresting. It’s focused on weather, fossils, and rock and water cycles. However, Jaye and Lyla enjoyed inspecting the rocks and fossils. The human sundial was also a big hit. Jaye like standing precisely on a month plaque. Benjamin (4) (and the adults) loved the exhibit that taught about water cycles and erosion by allowing you to build your own river bed out of sand and then turn the river on to see what happens!

The toddlers liked running along the skywalk and looking out over the gardens from up high. Jaye really loved jumping (no surprise there; the kid’s a jumpaholic) on these nets in the trees. I was a little nervous because it was 30ft off the ground, but that didn’t phase Jaye. And it was perfectly safe, I needn’t have worried.

Overall, I think this picture answers the question, “Is the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden good for toddlers?” perfectly. Yes. The Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden is SO MUCH FUN for toddlers!

I do have a few tips for going to the Adventure Garden with Toddlers:

1. There will be LOTS of water play. The kids will be very wet. Wear shoes that can get wet. Bring extra clothes for the ride home.
2. There may be potty-training accidents. Jaye, who rarely has accidents, had several wet ones because she was just too busy playing to even think about the potty. Also, the bathrooms are a little far away from some of the exhibits. So bring more extra clothes if you anticipate potty-training accidents.
3. Lots of water to drink! It’s hot out, and while there is a lot of shade and mist-cooling stations, it’s still important to make sure everyone stays hydrated. And toddlers get thirsty when they are playing so hard.
4. Bring snacks. When we were there we had some appetizers catered by the cafe that will be opening soon. While they were super delicious, they weren’t very kid-friendly. Plus, if you’re like me, you hate paying that much for something your little one is only going to pick at. So just pack a snack you know they’ll eat.
5. Remember: Wagons are NOT allowed in the garden. But strollers are totally OK!
6. Plan to stay awhile. Don’t go right before naptime. There is a LOT to see and do. We were there for 2 hours and we barely scratched the surface. I think Jaye could easily have been entertained for another 2 hours. When you are planning what time to go, remember that tickets to the garden have a timed entry. I think it will be easiest to buy tickets online beforehand, which you can do here.