We took our 14 month old Willa to Color Factory and it was quite possibly one of the best days of her life!
I really wasn’t sure whether it would be a good time for her so I thought I’d write this blog post to give parents / carers an idea of what to expect!
I had been to Color Factory in the past with my friend and her daughter as well as with my husband on a little anniversary date night. Both times were super fun but I wasn’t sure if our babe would enjoy it. Nothing to worry about in the end – her mind was blown and she had the best time ever!
We booked a morning slot on a Thursday, and so we were pretty much by ourselves in every room for most of the visit!
They don’t allow strollers but you can check them at the coat check. I think it would still be a nice time for a baby who might not be walking yet but I do think Willa got to experience a bit more of it because she was more mobile. We carried her a little bit but she mostly walked through the whole thing.
We went from room to room and took our time so Willa could explore at her own pace and on her own time. She had so much fun and was squealing and “weee”-ing throughout our time.
These were some of our babe’s favorite rooms:
Color Wall with Buttons: This was the first room on our visit and it was basically just a hallway with lots of different panels of colors with buttons that you could choose from. Willa enjoyed walking around this room and we helped her choose a few buttons (she couldn’t reach)!
Phone Booth / Drawing Room: Probably the most child-unfriendly room there but we still had fun! You’re meant to put on headphones and listen to instructions as you draw with your partner across from you. We just ignored the headphones and had fun saying hello through the plexiglass and Mark helped Willa do some drawing.
Xylophone Room: Willa loved this room as she got to take the mallets and make music! We stayed in here for quite some time.
Confetti Room: We think this was her all time favorite room. When we got to the entrance she stopped in her tracks and took it all in. She was in awe. Confetti was falling from the ceiling and was in piles on the ground to pick up and throw. We stayed in here for quite some time with Willa dancing and throwing and squealing and having a ball.
Disco Room: Very fun. Willa danced a bunch but also danced/ ran into the mirror so just a heads up on that one, haha!
Giant Ball Pit: The last and best. Our daughter still talks about it to this day. So so so fun!
They had sweet treats available throughout the exhibit and to avoid eating ALLLL of the sugar, we sort of made it a “rule” that we would just collect them all in our special bag and try some later (which we did in a nice controlled environment, haha!). Willa was totally happy with this plan and we decided with her before we even saw the first treat so that was great. I was also 5 months pregnant with Linc so the sweets were very welcome later on!
We shared one little ice cream they gave us at the end so that was a special little time that we had. I also brought a pouch for her snack that we had in the middle of our visit – super easy!
Overall it was a really fun and successful outing, and a great learning through play experience for Willa throughout!
Thanks so much for reading – hope this is helpful and let me know if you have any questions! Find me on Instagram @christinehanrutledge for more tips as well as the reel I made of our visit! I’m also on YouTube with new parent tips and baby / kids development and yoga – would love for you to check it out and subscribe!
Update (Feb 14, 2022): A few people have asked about the COVID safety there so I thought I’d share our experience. We had to show proof of vaccination before going in, and they had pretty intense looking air purifiers in every room. They also must have staggered the visits more than usual because we were basically by ourselves in every room, and all the employees had masks on. As rules change all the time, I’m not sure what the situation is now but I’m sure they are still very cautious. We felt very safe the whole time we were there!