It's truly magical for kids to use their imagination. Giants Big bed to jump on, space station, and so much more. Go with an open mind to explore this imaginative space read more

Summary: while Doodlehatch is definitely not short of character, there are some key points that make it hard to love. A question I had prior to visiting Doodlehatch was "what is it?" The best answer I can think of is that it's an interactive art museum. There are tons of random sections throughout: a space area, a unicorn area, a tea party area, a giant bed, etc. Most are designed to be "interactive," but I don't know how much care + maintenance is going on. Parts of the exhibit don't feel sturdy and a lot of it doesn't feel clean. There are a lot of areas that have fabric that retain moisture/dirt like the giant bed (plush), bean bag chairs, and hammocks. Coming off a fresh pandemic, it didn't give the best feeling to "interact" with something like that. Conclusion: I think the concept is cute and the art is unique. The exhibit itself makes for a cute little outing. I'm just a bit more wishful as far as care/maintenance goes. I wouldn't describe myself as a germaphobe, but even so I didn't feel great about it. read more

DoodleHATCH - Children's Museums Near Me - Columbia, Maryland

This place is ideal for toddlers and maybe kids under 10 yeaes old. Very eclectic. The whole place needs to be disinfected at least 3 times daily. I saw a child who was playing the piano and was pretty good until she proceeded to pick her nose and place the burger on the piano keys. Please please wipe everything down with bleach and wash the sheets on that BIG BED. read more

Overall: Okay place to spend an hour or two with young kids, but it is very dirty and most exhibits feel like safety hazards and are close to breaking. They have multi-stall gendered restrooms. We went right when they opened on a Saturday morning and had the place pretty much to ourselves. We used a Groupon deal. My son just turned 3. His favorite exhibits were the mail station, the space station, and the room with the ukuleles and guitars. The mail station was really cute. It had instructions to write a letter to your younger self and you could put it in the mail box and organize the mail by year you wanted to send it back to. It really didn't look like this place had a cleaning regimen. I can't imagine who thought it was a good idea to put that many (very used) plush toys in a place where this many children visit. You sign a waiver saying you're liable for anything your kid breaks, but so much of this place is about to break and I'd be worried about my kid being hurt as much as I'd be worried about parts of these installments breaking. read more

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Whimsical Art installation in Columbia, MD. Our toddler loved it, but fun for all ages!

This is my first impression. I walked in and what confronted me was antiquated stuff. I felt like I was in an antique shop. This was supposedly interactive kids place. What i saw was, old props from some stage shows that really looked and felt unkempt and dirty. The place was protected by a waiver a parent will sign. The x-large bed with pillows are were the kids get attracted to and jumping up and down with worn and dirty looking sheets and covers. There was see-saw that i witnessed few kids fell to the ground, the equipment was not balanced and too high for kids to hop on. I overheard one staff telling a parent that the sheets on the bed are washed once a week. its a small place that really did not encourage "interactive" play or engagement with kids. I'm sorry, but i would not recommend this place to anyone. read more

a very beautiful interactive area to explore with my children- a lot of variety, we were able to have multiple pretend play experiences between traveling to space, dungeons, time with giants, salon time with unicorns, and brewing with witches- both my 3yr old & younger 9month old found their own level of entertainment with art coming to life some of the space required more parental monitoring- some exhibits were more art than play space, such as the instruments & fragile larger exhibits of tea parties & macabre art- but they do offer a lot of touch-me manipulative welcome spaces such as dress up stations, instruments, games, and puzzles-it was also a great experience because staff was often around to show us how to play or things to explore only 10$ a ticket for 2hrs, ample parking, clean bathrooms, lots of space- it was a pleasant place to spend our morning to note: if going with a larger group of ticketed adults/kids- check out groupon for deals they offer the kids a free book on the way out- to keep this going consider bringing a book to donate! they also have an expansive needed donations list posted- this place would be a great home for unneeded things highly recommend read more

Honestly to me it felt like the kids were let loose in a thrift store to play dress up and have a pillow fight. It seemed shabby to me, but the kids loved it. I was shocked. We went for a party. They loved the oversized bed and pillow fight. The kids didn't want to leave. I definitely wouldn't pay more than $5 each. Check Groupon for offers. Kids 9 and under will enjoy for a couple hours. read more

It was cold outside one Dec afternoon but I wanted to do something with my 3 children ages 8, 6, & 2. I used my Groupon app to find ideas. Columbia is not far so I drove out to the DoodleHatch museum location to check it out. It appeared to be a repurposed department store in a shopping center with a few other businesses. Plenty of free parking available. The staff member was very pleasant and gave us an introduction upon entry. DoodleHatch museum is a great place for you to take your children to use their imaginations to explore the different exhibits ranging from a "Giant's Bed" to a "Space Command Center". The kids were able to play dress up and perform on stage, use pianos & other instruments, draw, enjoy oversized games and put together puzzles. My husband and I even found ourselves caught up in the pretend play with them which I appreciated because we don't get much time to actually engage in playtime with them. The manager told me about the different workshops they offer for t- shirt making, etc., and also the clothing for sale. The kids played for a strong 2 hours and passed out in the car on the drive home. They REALLY enjoyed themselves! I recommend this place for anyone looking to allow their little ones to get creative and burn some energy. Especially in the winter when it's too cold to be outside! They also have a complimentary book case with some good reads to take along with you. Admission was less than $20 for my family of 5 (Purchased tix from Groupon). Check them out! read more

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I'm not sure how this place is open. We took our toddler here over the summer just looking for an art museum to keep him busy during the hot days, but we should've just taken him to a thrift store. The place is extremely dirty, smells like an animal rescue center and all of the play areas are old and falling apart. More than half of the place was closed off anyways. I wouldn't let our kid sit on anything bedding-wise because everything looked like it had bed bugs on it. It's unfortunate that this place is taking up so much space in Columbia because there could be something far more interesting here. Do your family a favor and literally go to goodwill because this place is basically the same thing. read more

Both kids (under 6yr/old) had a fantastic time playing and were only agreeable to leave bc they got hungry. It's an odd place. Eclectic collection of what I'd imagine freshman/sophomore college art students might make. Definitely some stuff that was creepier than I would have expected. But, kids loved using their imagination! Check Groupon for discounts before you go. read more

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I really wanted to like this place, but it missed the mark for us. First of all, it's supposed to be tailored to kids but really wasn't. It was full of very fragile "interactive" art but my son couldn't really touch things the way he's used to. The stuff wasn't meant at all for rough and tumble play. For example, there are tea cups to have a pretend tea party but they are real glass... which makes me nervous for my hyper, impulsive 4 year old. Both that he could break it and that he could get hurt. Contrast that with a place that's really designed for kids like port discovery or bland air park---nothing is breakable. He can touch anything and it's durable. My next problem is that there was A good amount of creepy and downright dark/macabre art displays. They had a coffin, a baby being cooked, plenty of skeletons, and lots of busty art that emphasized breasts. I think that stuff went right over my kids head, but I did not like my child seeing that stuff. I felt very uncomfortable with it. After being there for about 45 minutes or so, I started to feel a sense of darkness there. It's hard to explain but it felt like a dark spirit (or spirits) was/were there. Once I started feeling that, we had to leave. We won't be back. One highlight was the space ship display. My son really enjoyed that and he could actually touch some of it without being worried about it breaking. This place was a cool concept and I'm sure the owners mean well, but in my opinion, the place is really not kid friendly or designed for kids. read more

Since I didn't have to work today until 2pm, we took an opportunity to go on a "field trip!" We went to a place called DoodleHatch and it was AMAZING! HIGHLY RECOMMEND for anyone with kids! It's an immersive, interactive arts installation (and play space). Incredible!!! My girls had a blast! #doodlehatch Sometimes they have Groupons available. read more

DoodleHATCH - Children's Museums Near Me - Columbia, Maryland

Art exhibits turned into children's play space? They have you and your kids wear gloves throughout the space. It is an hour long and there is a space exhibit at the entrance that is open to all. It is $30 for an hour and it is pretty easy to schedule and reschedule if needed. Masks required. There is an area to paint. read more

DoodleHATCH - Children's Museums Near Me - Columbia, Maryland

HIGHLY recommend this unique experience for a multitude of reasons. A huge reason being amazing photo opportunities!! We made a last minute call due to expected rain on prom day for photos. They were not only agreeable, they were extraordinarily accommodating! When we arrived barely on time they made wonderful suggestions and were very tolerant of our chaos. I look forward to having more time to fully explore this incredibly unique hands on art installation. Thank you again from Sarah and the Prom crew 2022!!! read more

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I am with a lot of others. Very dirty and messy. I would not let my granddaughter on the giant bed and the unicorn exhibit was nothing like the photos on their website. There was nothing left of the unicorns manes and there was just a few Mardi Gras beads to throw on their necks. As far as art goes, there were basic coloring book pictures to color with broken crayons to use. I think an art museum could do much better at providing imaginative crafts for children. read more

This is close to us, and we swung by with our grandkids on a day that was a bit cold for the park. It's a hidden gem! Rocking horses, a giant's bed, games and amazing works by local artists. Great place to spend a few relaxing hours. Easy to just walk in. read more

My daughter found this place to take my little grands to. We did a tee shirt and the kids played in all the different areas. There is a witches bree area. The mad hatter tea party, the giants bed, an intergalactic area.. there is a stage with costumes we were there for 3 hours and the children were not sure they were ready to leave but, I was exhausted and the place was ready to close. I highly recommend this place for wearing out the children.and exploring imagination. I can't wait to see what our tee shirts look like once they are done. I will definitely take my little ones there again! read more

A kid (and fun adult) place to spend a rainy or cold afternoon we went with my 4 year old. Jump play listen test and see! Robotics and outer space! Bells and whistles! read more

Thank you for having an appointment only day. I came with a friend that wasn't fully vaccinated yet and is Covid susceptible. She really appreciated getting out & seeing beautiful art and having the place to ourselves for a whole hour! Can't wait to bring my family back on a regular day! read more

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This place is an exploration for children to use their imagination and creativity while having fun. We went online and paid for tour and children activity. They love dressing up and getting on the stage, jumping in the giant bed and the spa station. They were given pics to color and some takeaways. They sell costumes and jewelry made by the owner. It was a nice gem to visit and the girls enjoyed it. read more

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Very creative space for kids to play. Not your typical indoor play space. Kids had a blast and even got their faces painted!

Awesome place to spend time. Once you find it be ready for a unique experience that's geared to the young and young at heart. My daughter (5 y.o.) asks to return often and explore the play area and all the Retro toys available for hands-on play! read more

This place is a dream play area, my 2 year old daughter had the time of her life. During covid especially it was such a treat as we were the only ones inside! read more

I don't think there's anything quite like this. It's like... a children's museum if it was made by artists? But it's pretty cool for non-kids, too. For about a week after we left, I could tell a difference in my kids (9 and 12) in terms of how they played with each other. They were much more creative. This place is a stimulant for the mind. read more

As much to play with as your typical indoor playground, but so much more unique and interesting. Dress up, vehicles, coloring, see saw, play food, vintage toys, plus upcycled art and couture and fantasy. My three year old toddler had a blast and the adults loved it too. read more