Mommy Meltdowns: WONDER(ful) WORKS!

While in Orlando my Toppall team and I visited this place called "Wonder Works". Located on International Drive I couldn't help but notice this building every time I drove on I-4 back and forth to one parent or another. Why? Because the entire building is upside down!!

Yep, this is exactly what the building looks like.
Ian especially likes the upside down palm trees.

I had never been before and wasn't exactly sure what the inside had to offer.  I was very intrigued and got excited when Jeff, the kids and I had a free day to spend however we wanted. Given the location I was a little nervous that this would be a tourist trap, a waste of time and money.

Wonder Works only has 4 locations in the U.S.: Orlando, Myrtle Beach, Panama City and Pigeon Forge. I just looked at their website; it appears that a new location in Syracuse has just opened too (Which if you ask me, makes no sense when the other 4 locations are all huge tourist destinations -- Syracuse is not!!).

I am excited to report that the inside is even cooler than the outside. This place rocks!! And, not only did Sam fall in love with Wonder Works, but so did Ian, Jeff and me. Every floor had us engaged no matter what age we were. My Toppall team spent 4+ hours having fun and doing the coolest things. Everything is hands on and interactive. There were endless exhibits that we couldn't get enough of.   Fortunately the day we were there (December 24th), it wasn't that crowded and we could spend as much time as we wanted before moving on to the next thing.

Our favorite things:

Ian:    Baseball pitching simulator; you could pick different major league players to pitch against.

Sam:  The bubble room where you could make the biggest sized bubbles you've ever seen!

Jeff:    A room that you walked by and it had you dancing like you were in a 70s music video; complete with lights, disco music, and projecting your moves into psychedelic patterns on the big
screen.

Robyn: The ropes course. Very high in the ceiling was a full obstacle course that you walked around while harnessed in.

A few moments stood out for us. There were three things that Ian wanted to do, but was scared. One was the bed of nails, where you lay on a flat surface and then thousands of nails push your body up several inches. The other was the ropes course. Ian talked a good game of wanting to go everywhere on this course, but once he got up there, his fear of heights kicked in. The last thing was the roller coaster simulator. It took a little hand-holding from Jeff and me, but we convinced Ian that he shouldn't let fear keep him from enjoying something he wanted to try. Once Ian finally tried it he was happy he did it. It was a great moment when Ian realized there was no reason to be scared.

What a nice surprise to have discovered such a great place. Without hesitation we would go check out Wonder Works at one of their other locations if we were nearby.

Sam and Ian are moving a ball with back and forth to each other with their brains.
The one who is the most relaxed will move the ball the furthest.
Believe it or not, Sam won this challenge.