Downtown Aiken, SC: The Aiken train museum & kid-friendly shops

WHO:  Everyone!

WHAT:  Downtown Aiken has quite a few fun things to do with kids, including their small train museum and some shops in the heart of their downtown.  The boys and I recently spent a few hours there and really enjoyed ourselves.

WHEN:  The train museum (technically the Aiken Visitors Center and Train Museum) is open Wednesday through Friday, 10am-5pm and Saturdays 9am-2pm.  Most of the shops downtown are open Monday-Saturday, from about 10am to about 5pm.

WHERE:  The Aiken Visitors Center and Train Museum is located at 406 Park Ave., SE, Aiken SC, 29801.   The city’s shopping district is centered on Laurens Street and Richland Ave/ Augusta Aiken Rd. (Route 1).  To get there from West Augusta, I like to take Broad Street through downtown Augusta, then take the right exit onto Route 1 N/ 78 E (Augusta Aiken Road); you can also take I-20E to Aiken.  Once in Aiken, Route 1 becomes Richland Ave. and crosses Laurens St. and the shopping district.  To get to the train museum, keep on Richland Ave. past Laurens St. and take a right on Chesterfield St., then a left on Park Ave.  The visitor center and museum will be on your left across the divided road.  There is parking on either side of the building.

WHY WE LIKE IT:  First of all, a visit to the visitor center’s train museum is FREE!   Just three years old, the center/museum is housed in the old Aiken Railroad Depot, so right off the bat, when the boys got out of the car, they were excited to see the train tracks and old station shelter there, as well as an old engine, car and caboose out front (though two of them were covered under tarps as they are being restored– we were told that when they are finished working on them, visitors will be able to climb aboard!).  On the first floor of the visitors center, there is a staffed information desk; pamphlets for area attractions (I promptly loaded up… can’t wait to explore more of Aiken!); a small gift shop area with various gifts for the train lover, ranging from a $1 Thomas the Tank Engine ring to a $400 Lionel Polar Express model train; and an adorable train-themed bean bag toss that kept my boys occupied for quite some time.  The second floor is laid out in a circular plan and contains 9 dioramas depicting the towns along the lines run by the original South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company.  A model train runs the entire line, and the dioramas are alternately lit and dark to represent day and night (it is especially neat to see all the lights  in the buildings and train during the “night” setting).  The  dioramas are really well done, and I enjoyed examining them while the boys chased the train around and around the track.  As we left, the staff at the front desk gave each of the boys small train-themed crayon boxes and coloring sheets.  We ended up spending about 45 minutes in the center/museum, had a picnic lunch outside, and then headed downtown.

At the visitors center, the super-friendly staff people, as well as a local mom, gave me some ideas for places to take the kids in the shopping district.  I love window shopping in Aiken, but wasn’t sure I could keep the boys entertained enough to walk around Aiken’s great little downtown, so I truly appreciated the tips!  We ended up parking on Laurens Street and heading first to Cyndi’s Sweet Shoppe, an old-fashioned candy store.  This place was obviously a hit!  Even I, who am not a big fan of candy, loved seeing all the rows and rows of jars filled with colorful sweets.  I let the boys each fill a bag with a small amount of candy… the best part was that there were so many choices, they spent a lot of time just choosing the few treats they wanted.  For less than $3, we had a fun timing looking through the shop, making our selections.   The added bonus was that they nibbled their few candies for quite awhile, giving me to windowshop in peace.  Another favorite stop on Laurens was the Aiken Center for the Arts: even the boys enjoyed looking at all the different artisan merchandise, as well as the locally produced artwork in the galleries.  Currently they have an exhibit featuring the artwork from their summer camps, and my kids enjoyed seeing the fun art created by other children.  We didn’t make it to “Betsy’s on the Corner” at the other end of Laurens St., which we’ve heard is a fun, old-fashioned diner complete with an old-timey soda fountain counter, but we spotted their bright red and white tables on the sidewalk and hope to grab lunch there on our next trip to Aiken.  I’d also like to check out Pitter Patter Children’s Boutique, also on Laurens, since we didn’t have time to go in this time.  And if you need a caffeine fix while doing all this window shopping and you are a fan of Augusta’s New Moon Cafe on Broad Street, don’t forget that their Aiken location is on Laurens Street as well!

HOW: For us, this combination of train museum and a little downtown window shopping worked great as a half-day visit to Aiken from Augusta.  For more information, here are the websites for the visitors center/museum and the shops I mentioned:

Aiken Visitors Center and Train Museum:  http://www.visitaikensc.com/whattodo/detail/aiken_railroad_depot

Cyndi’s Sweet Shoppe:  http://cyndissweetshoppe.com/

Aiken Center for the Arts:  http://www.aikencenterforthearts.org/

Betsy’s on the Corner:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Betsys-On-the-Corner/165708713532997

Pitter Patter Children’s Boutique:  http://www.pitterpatteraiken.com/

Railroad-themed bean bag toss at the visitor center (yes, my son wanted to wear his engineer cap for the occasion!)

Checking out the dioramas and model train at the Aiken Visitor Center and Train Museum

Shopping downtown Aiken (as you can see, this is a much better picture than my flip phone takes… this is from beautifulaiken-dot-com)

Augusta Museum of History

**Note: during the month of August, admission to the museum is just $1 (as always, kids under 6 are free)!!**

WHO:  The museum would probably be enjoyed the most by adults and kids preschool-age and up, though some toddlers might have fun checking things out, especially if they have older siblings to follow around!

WHAT:  The museum offers great exhibits on the history of Augusta, on topics ranging from transportation to James Brown (to name the two most enjoyed by my little ones).

WHEN:  The museum is open to visitors Thurs.-Sat., 10am-5pm and Sun., 1-5pm.

WHERE:  At the intersection of Reynolds St. and 6th St. in downtown Augusta.

WHY WE LIKE IT:  This is a great space for the kids to explore, especially on a hot or rainy day when you’re looking for an indoor activity and are bored with your “usual” hangouts.  My four-year-old’s favorite, without question, is the transportation room.  This large hall houses a real train engine and cars, which you can actually board!  My son is happy as can be just looking at the train, boarding it, and playing “conductor”.  The hall the train is in is made to look like a street, complete with a “worker” fixing some power lines, which my son also found fascinating.  Other big winners for my kids in the transportation exhibit are an old steam fire engine and Model T car “gassing up”, and an old trolley that you can also board.  My boys also liked the new, expanded James Brown exhibit where you can watch videos of Brown’s various dance moves (it’s hilarious to watch a preschooler try to re-enact them) and push buttons to hear audio clips of his songs.  They also liked the golf exhibit, and the four-year-old is anxious to see the baseball exhibit when it re-opens after renovations.  There are also exhibits on colonial life and the military, among others.  All in all, this museum makes for a great outing and kept my little ones entertained for about an hour… well worth the super low admission price, which is usually $4/adult, $2/kids 6-12, and free for under 6, but during the month of August, admission for adults is only $1!!

HOW: Further information on the museum can be found on their website: http://www.augustamuseum.org/index.php.

ALSO… The Augusta Visitors Center is located in the museum gift shop and is open Mon.-Sat. 10am-5pm and Sun. 1-5pm.  This is a great resource for brochures and information on all the places to see and events in Augusta!

Transportation Exhibit, train and workman

Transportation Exhibit, Fire Steam Engine

James Brown Exhibit (the blur is a dancing preschooler!)

Sunday Sketch at the Morris Museum of Art

WHO:  Best for adults and children around 9 and up.

WHAT:  A FREE afternoon of sketching in the art galleries.  The Morris provides drawing supplies that are free to use (just return them when you leave):  large and small drawing boards, sketch pads/paper, pencils and erasers, and portable stools to carry into the gallery if you want to sketch a painting that doesn’t have a bench in front of it.

WHEN:  Typically one Sunday a month, from 2pm until 3:30pm (although when I went I was there until almost 4pm and the supplies were still available).

WHERE:  The Morris Museum of Art, at 10th Street and Reynolds.  Supplies are available in the activity room at the top of the stairs before you get to the lobby.

WHY WE LIKE IT:  Did I mention that it’s FREE?!   I personally find this to be a great time to unwind on my own after a hectic week with little ones!  Some parents with older children make it a family event, which I look forward to doing one day as well.  A great way to nourish your creative, artsy side, whether you think you have one or not ;).  I hadn’t sketched since I was a kid taking art classes myself, so I didn’t know what to expect– but I really loved the experience and definitely plan to go often.  Also, the day I went, there was also a string quartet giving a (free, again!) concert in the downstairs auditorium, so it made a very nice afternoon to be able to enjoy the music and then the art.

HOW:  Couldn’t be easier–  just check the Morris’s calendar of events to find out when they are having a Sunday sketch, and go!  There is a sign-in sheet when you get there, but you don’t need to call or reserve in advance at all.  Here is the website where you can find their calendars:

http://themorris.org/

Saturday Market on the River

WHO:  Everyone!!

WHAT:  A large outdoor market with tons of vendors from the area.  The market area, which is closed to traffic and easy to stroll, is full of great stuff: fresh fruits, vegetables, milk and other offerings from local farms; plants and flowers; breads and other baked items (even funnel cake… yum!); handcrafted jewelry, pottery, and woodwork by local artisans; handmade children’s clothing and accessories; and more!

WHEN:  Saturdays through the end of October, 8am-2pm.

WHERE:  Downtown Augusta, on 8th St. at Riverwalk.

WHY WE LIKE IT:  So many reasons!  Aside from all the goodies for sale, there are balloons and balloon animals for the kids, as well as the 8th St. public splash fountain (featured in this blog’s banner, actually).  The last couple of times we have been to the market, there was a hula-hoop vendor and lots of people were demo-ing and trying the hoops, which my boys found entertaining.  And of course another big draw… it is a quick stroll down Riverwalk to reach the playground and marina at Riverwalk Park (see next post).  Between strolling the market and hitting the playground, our Saturday mornings are full!

HOW:  For more information on finding and exploring the Market, as well as how to become a sponsor or vendor, check out this website: http://www.myaugustadowntown.com/saturday_market.shtml

“Artrageous” Sundays at the Morris Museum of Art

WHO:  This event is for the entire family to enjoy!  Events and activities vary month-to-month, but most seem to appeal to a large age-range of kids, from toddlerhood on up.

WHAT:  A FREE afternoon of creative fun at the Morris Museum of Art.

WHEN:  Once a month at 2pm on Sundays.  The next one is this Sunday, July 10th!

WHERE:  The Morris Museum of Art is on the corner of 10th St. and Reynolds St. on the riverfront downtown.

WHY WE LIKE IT:  First of all, it’s FREE, even for non-members!  Also, the museum does a great job pairing an entertaining program with a related art craft to be completed by the children either outside or in their activity room immediately following the main program.  We attended the June Artrageous Sunday and a great time was had by all, little ones and adults alike.  The program was led by “Okefenokee Joe”, a wildlife enthusiast, herpetologist, and musician.  For over a half-hour, Joe entertained the kids with stories and original songs about the wildlife he has encountered and engaged with during his many years working at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in the swampland of southern Georgia.  Following the storytelling and music, the kids all got to see various live snakes– venomous and non– indigenous to Georgia.  There was one moment of particular excitement, for kids and adults alike, when an antsy copperhead attempted to make his escape… fortunately, Okefenokee Joe is a seasoned and expert snake handler and quickly put the wayward snake back in his place.  The kids then got to complete two crafts– one in which they used molding “art noodles” to create sculptures of snakes and other swamp animals, and another in which they created a torn paper landscape.  Both crafts were ably led by enthusiastic and engaging museum staff.  All in all, we had a fantastic time and are looking forward to this Sunday’s event: a puppet show by the company “Planet Earth,Inc.” and a chance to decorate a flowerpot that comes complete with a live baby plant to take home.

HOW:  For more information on how to get there and their normal business hours and pricing, visit the Morris Museum of Art website: http://www.themorris.org/index.shtml.

BONUS… The Morris also has a great monthly program called “Toddler Time”… stay tuned for an upcoming post!

Okefenokee Joe

Craft: Torn paper landscape