We deviated from our normal routine because I had to go out of town. To make it up to a cranky toddler who doesn’t like long car trips, I scheduled in a stop at Edventure in Columbia, SC. This was the best choice of the trip! Almost every part of the museum was an accessible for Kai, who is currently 18 month old.

There was a whole section on food production that included a farm where you could collect eggs from chickens’ nests or pick fruit in an orchard. The food you collected could then be moved one a conveyor belt to the grocery store.

The grocery store was fully stocked, with food, including really realistic looking raw meat, a bakery counter, and household goods like laundry soap. They even had tiny carts and a two working checkout lanes that read the barcodes on the packaged food and calculated a total.

Then you could take your groceries to a kitchen and cook the food! It was adorable.

There was also a section on fire safety, with a firetruck that you could “drive,” a huge stack of tires to climb, and a movement section with a bounce house, climbing walls, hula hoops, and lots of other things to try out.

The other adorable pretend play area was a veterinarian’s office, with stuffed dogs and cats to care for. There were stethoscopes and  x-rays, and little vet coats.

It was the highlight of our trip, hands down, and the next time we are in Columbia, we’ll definitely be going back to Edventure!