Pure Imagination
By Tonya Prater
Inspire creativity and enchant your children’s minds no matter how old they may be at the newly expanded Buckeye Imagination Museum, bursting with puzzles and games.
The Buckeye Imagination Museum is redefining play for all ages with its expansive 32,000 square feet of colorful and innovative space in Mansfield’s Imagination District. The opening of the museum’s newly completed second floor invites the entire family to enjoy fun activities, catering to teens and adults and even hosting exclusive adult-only evening events for grown-ups to play.
The first floor continues to captivate the little ones, featuring an indoor playground with climbing steps and slides, large foam building blocks for endless tower construction and life-like exhibits including a dentist, veterinarian, grocery store, car wash, theater, airport and pizza place. For guests 48 inches and taller, the upstairs area provides a plethora of games like Skee-ball, a rotating rock wall, oversized chess and checkers boards, giant Jenga and various other multiplayer games, all designed to foster a spirit of friendly competition.
A hit among the older visitors is a cutting- edge, custom-built laser maze, where players race against time in two identical, dimly lit hallways, skillfully dodging lasers to reach the end and stop the clock before their opponent while a leaderboard tracks their progress.
The venue also features unique attractions like a one-of-a-kind airplane shooter, digital mini-golf setup with over 100 courses, six- person air hockey table and classic games such as basketball and arcade zones, including a two-player Pac-Man game.
With doubles or games allowing multiple players, the aim is to nurture connections and friendly rivalry, creating memorable moments between kids and their parents or caretakers. After all, what 14-year-old wouldn’t love to boast about outscoring mom and dad?
The museum offers more than just entertainment — it subtly introduces children to concepts like engineering, trajectory, problem-solving and physics, engaging them in learning without them even realizing it.
To ensure adults aren’t left out of the excitement, Buckeye Imagination Museum hosts monthly events exclusively for adults, featuring specialty drinks, snacks, raffle prizes and plenty of opportunities to play.
With the completion of its second floor, the museum fulfills its mission by uniting families of all ages from toddlers to adults. It creates a space where everyone can come together and create lasting memories through the power of play. So next time you’re seeking something new to engage your kids, remember the Buckeye Imagination Museum is brimming with exciting options waiting to be experienced and remembered.
Traveling With Teens?
Please the pack at these stops.
Everyone can take their favorite carved animal for a spin at the nearby Richland Carrousel Park. Get some energy out at Ohio’s top BMX and skateboarding hotspot, Stoke Run Action Sports Park, then join the action at Battle Zone Paintball Park III. Test your aim at Axe Social Lounge with axe throwing, then enhance those driving skills with the Teen Defensive Driving Program at The Mid-Ohio School.