Pretend City

As a child I remember my sister and I would always pretend play, we would turn our bedrooms into whatever we could think of. My sister always was the mom with kids that lived in the house with the kitchen set and I would be the banker, the store clerk, he one that worked in the office.

We would always go to the bank with my parents and the clerks would always know us and be friendly and of course we took advantage and would take deposit slips to be used when we played. We even used our monopoly dollars when we played bank. Then other times we would pretend we were lost at sea and use pillows as "rocks" or "islands" to get from one place to another. Yes, those were the good old days where we did not have a care in the world. The only care we had was who would clean up after playing and even then no worries, being I love cleaning up :)

Fast forward a couple of year {no one is counting right?} last summer we visited Pretend City which is located in Irvine. It is a Museum unlike any other. It's name says it all, children and families visit and enjoy playing real life.

It is amazing all you can do there, your visit begins with you entering what resembles your city with a park, bank, grocery store, post office, gas station, fire station, doctors office, dental office, farm and even a pier!

It is so much fun, we planned to be there for two hours and in the end spent five hours. We didn't even notice until it was time to go. Our 6 year old pretended to be a mail carrier, then she pretended to be working at the restaurant -which changes theme and food type every couple of weeks-  today it is a sushi bar. Every time she pretended at each station she would get a stamp on her card then she would visit the "ATM" to get play money to buy groceries, food, gas, visit the doctor. She felt so accomplished while "working" and so happy that she could be like an adult.

The farm is also so much fun with chicks ready to hatch and pretend vegetables and crops to be tendered. The family house is also fascinating because each month a different family is featured it is a local Orange County family. The home is decorated just like that family's home and there is a video playing in the living room of the house showing the family and they are talking about their traditions, heritage and more.

Pretend City is a fabulous Museum that is open seven days a week! Tuesdays through Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Mondays 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

With spring break around the corner is the perfect place to take your family. They also have an infant section in the center of it all for the babies to play, a theater where kids can dress up and have their own show. There is also a craft room where there are all the materials you can think of to make a craft and they have staff members to guide on that day's craft.

It is truly a must visit Museum. To learn more about Pretend City and plan your visit click here

GIVEAWAY!

We have a family 4 pack {valued at $44.00} of FREE admission for you and your family to enjoy this wonderful city.

What do you have to do to win?

All you have to do is leave a comment in the comments section that includes your e-mail.

Winner will be chosen randomly and notified by e-mail. 

Good luck!

*This giveaway is open to U.S. residents ONLY, age 18 or over. Giveaway ends on 03/22/12 at 11:59 p.m. (PST). Winner will be randomly chosen and will be notified by e-mail and posted on this blog. Winner must reply within 48 hours of being notified or another winner will be chosen, winner must also reply to e-mail with a complete mailing address.