The Works: Ohio Center for History, Arts, and Technology is an amazing place (even better for free if you have a membership here or any other ASTC-accredited museum or science center). My kids went nuts over a plethora of hands-on interactive science-related activities on the first floor, beginning with a health and fitness exhibit with various fitness tests such as pull-ups (which I failed haha). Our little one then went off to the table with hundreds of magnetic blocks and other simple creative stations, while the older ones headed to exhibits with Dad that had more technology and buttons to push. The best part for a toddler or preschooler is the Tyke Lab in the back corner, complete with train table, dress-up area, puppet show stage, and even an ice cream parlor modeled after a Velvet Ice Cream Parlor, since their headquarters is in nearby Utica.
We then reconveined into the glass-blowing studio where we could watch Zach Layhew, the resident artist, work with paying customers to blow their own glass. Formal demonstrations are shown on certain days, as well as workshops (although I do need to mention they are not cheap). We then went to a small activity room while waiting for the planetarium show to begin, which was a nice quiet break where my husband and I could sit and watch as they played with various games, mini robots, and other STEM-related activities. In an effort to stay consistent in our parenting principles and not allow our children to leave until everything was cleaned up, we were unable to enter the planetarium show which we already had tickets for. When they say the show starts at 2 p.m., they mean it! Thankfully because of our membership, we did not pay for the tickets.
Upon wandering outside, we discovered an old train car (it is covered in case you go during inclement weather) that the boys loved! The train once belonged to the Jewett Car Company and has been restored and returned to its home town. Although I wasn’t able to read a whole lot of the history since the boys kept us moving, the company seemed to have played a huge role in the local economy at one point. We were able to board the train car, but the bell with the chain just in reach of at least three of the boys was a much bigger hit—the louder the better, of course.
After discovering the second building had a cool-looking restaurant, but not much for touring, we turned back around to check out the second floor of the main building, and I’m glad we did! The second floor is more of a museum than a science center like its counterpart beneath. As soon as we reached the top of the stairs, the boys went straight to the flight simulator and the Spirit of Columbus where they took turns flying a plane on a computer screen (we had a lot of crashes, going to need a lot of training) and sitting in the cockpit of a real, full-size plane once flown by Jerrie Mock, the first female to circle the globe.
We viewed a few more historical pieces, a lot of which was from the Pure Oil Company based out of Dayton, we found ourselves in an old-fashioned village. Different rooms showcased various professions and shops of the day. Our favorite was the game room where we stayed and played checkers, Space Force, and “chess” (this was more of the little one and me taking turns galloping horses across the board), and learned of Ohio’s history with the Etch-a-Sketch as well as Uno. It was a wonderful, cocooned family moment.
There were more exhibits involving local Native American tribes and prehistoric wildlife on the other side of the second floor, but we were past due on nap time and patience. Overall, it was a wonderful place for the kids and us. Everything besides the train car exhibit is stroller-friendly, although we did not need the stroller with our toddler. Next time we (as in I :)) plan to visit the Ye Old Mill where Velvet ice cream is made now that I know it is nearby. If you are in the area on a weekday between May 1st and October 31st you can even take a free public tour of the facility.
