Hey Raleigh, Editor Laura here — I recently spent the day playing at the new imagiFAB exhibit in Marbles Kids Museum. And no, I may not be in the targeted age range, but man the activities were entertaining.

The exhibit features hands-on STEAM learning + fun and is now open in the downtown space (201 E. Hargett St.).

Children of all ages, backgrounds + abilities can experience and engage through science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (aka STEAM) at the new exhibit presented by NC-based furniture company Nugget.

The space includes 4 play areas: Create, Make, Build, and Animate. Each area offers unique activities — think giant building blocks, a glass wall to paint on, and real tool sets.

What we tried:

I tagged along with a Marbles member, 6-year-old Saleh Abdel Halim, when I first got to the exhibit. Having already visited imagiFAB once before, he knew to guide me straight to the Animate area — and he wasn’t wrong.

GIF by RALtoday

In this area, kids (and kids at heart, like me) can design their own vehicle on a sheet of paper. Then, by putting it under a seemingly magical animation machine, the customized vehicle shows up on the giant screen in the room in a matter of seconds. So cool.

What not to miss:

6-year-old Saleh plays in the Create area | Photo by RALtoday

In the Create section there’s a glass wall for children to freely paint on, but get this — the wall cleans itself with water every few hours for a fresh canvas.

Besides all the markers and art supplies a kid could dream of, there also is a paint dispenser built into the wall that senses a palette underneath before dispensing paint. Messy bottles + caps of acrylic paint, be gone.

What we’re still talking about:

Cormac painting in the Create area | Photo by RALtoday

Having the 4 distinct areas all part of the exhibit allows a variety of experiences from just 1 trip to the museum. While I was hanging out with mom Sarah Emmert and her family, she mentioned how nice it was that her 2 older twin sons, Jack and Liam, (both 8 years old) and her younger son, Cormac (3 years old) could all be at the same place having fun.

Jack and Liam play in the Create area | Photo by RALtoday

How you can experience this:

Pre-booked admission tickets ($9) are required to visit imagiFAB and can be purchased online. Admission is timed-entry. Guests will choose entry windows to check into the museum, however, they may stay all day to play.

Inside the imagiFAB exhibit | Photo by RALtoday

Visitors can also experience the exhibit during museum events like the Kooky Spooky Halloween Party (Oct. 29) and 21Marbles (Nov. 12) — a night where guests ages 21+ can play in the museum.

Nugget furniture can be found throughout the exhibit | Photo by RALtoday

Things to know if you go:

Experience: Visit the imagiFAB exhibit at Marbles Kids Museum
Price: $9
Website: https://www.marbleskidsmuseum.org/imagifab
Address: 201 E. Hargett St.
Hours: Marbles is open Wed.-Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Thursdays until 7 p.m.
Social: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Ⓟ