Thanks to the amazing Zoom pass, my family and I were able to visit Hands On! Children's Museum for FREE. If you have a Buncombe County Library card, you simply visit their website to request which area attraction you'd like to visit and which day. Once reserved, head to your nearest branch with photo ID and pick up your pass. You are able to visit each area attraction one time per month for free. For more details about this program, check out our guide here.
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Located on charming Main Street in downtown Hendersonville, there are plenty of eateries to grab food before/after your visit. It's also worthwhile to note there's a coffee shop right next door if you need a little caffeine boost to help match your child(ren)'s energy level. While food is not allowed inside Hands On, you may bring in a lidded beverage.
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The first exhibit we encountered was "Airways" where my kids enjoyed watching a scarf shoot out of the tubes.
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Next, I made them stop and pose for a picture with this life-size triceratops. Fellow parents can relate to the challenge it can be sometimes to get kids to look at the camera and smile; however, I actually love this sweet shot of my son looking lovingly at his big sister.
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Time for a dino dig! While my son was busy brushing off fossils, my daughter was fascinated with the bug microscope.
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This augmented reality sandbox featured a volcano and roaming dinosaurs which added to the coolness.
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The next room focused on unleashing your inner artist. There was a giant Lite Brite station to explore.
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There were bins of various art mediums such as markers, crayons, colored pencils, scissors, glue, and paper to create a masterpiece.
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How cute is this display wall to proudly display your work of art along with a drying rack?!
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I personally was a big fan of this kid friendly hand washing station. Both my toddler and preschooler were able to reach the soap, water, and paper towels independently. We made sure to stop by here again at the end of our visit.
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The fire truck exhibit had dress up jackets and hats along with a hose you could pull out and pretend to put out a fire.
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Across the way was an adorable Kilwins shop. Look closely and you'll notice aprons along with a bell you can ring. There was a pretend sprinkles dispenser, hot fudge, and of course various ice cream flavors to add to cones.
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The center of the museum features a hidden tunnel slide and a water table. There are plenty of water smocks you are welcome to borrow to help prevent needing an outfit change.
You can also catch a glimpse of the Star Theatre where kids can pick from a variety of dress up costumes and put on a performance for their grown up.
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Coming out of the slide, you'll land at Baby Place. My daughter enjoyed using the stethoscope to listen to the baby's heartbeat and feeding him a bottle.
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While she was busy tending to the babies, I enjoyed exploring the various x-rays of different body parts.
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Next, we stopped at this cute little dentist office. Both kids had recently been to the dentist the week before, so this exhibit was especially relevant to us.
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My little guy enjoyed brushing the jumbo teeth with the large toothbrush.
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We stayed at the Build-a-Car station for quite some time as their favorite part was sending their creations sliding down the ramp.
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Paying homage to Hendersonville's multiple apple orchards, they have a neat section where you can collect play apples of various colors, turn a crank that sends them down a ramp into a collection bin only to be collected again.
From there, you are led into "The Little Co-Op Grocery Store."
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Featuring two pretend registers and several kid size grocery carts, both kids enjoyed selecting their items. My daughter first tried putting one of everything in her cart but discovered that wouldn't work and she'd have to be more selective.
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They have a sign posted asking you to put back your items once you're done playing, and I think they almost enjoyed that part the most. It was like a fun matching game in a way trying to find where things went.
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