You must have heard about the Alive Museum SG by now, or at least seen pictures of your friends on Facebook, posing with strange things with mock shocked expressions. As I looked at those pictures, I wondered if this was something my kids would be interested in. My 2-year old and 6-year old who traditionally enjoy being out in wide open spaces. Then the kind folks from Alive Museum SG offered to host us one day so I thought well what's the harm in trying, so off we went.
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There's a high chance you've read about your friends' awesome experiences, like these posts from fellow parenting bloggers (10 family-friendly tips by A Happy Mum, Life is in the Small Things' pictorial proof of camera-shy kids enjoying the exhibits and 3-generation fun from The Kam Family).
But no, not us. Well, not me at least. Halfway through our 90-minute visit, I was grabbed by claustrophobia. Although, my shortage of breath could have been due to poor ventilation, from chasing and grabbing kids, the crowd, or a combination of factors. At some point though, I did feel extremely uncomfortable; I didn't realise it then but the moment I saw the exit sign, I dashed out and immediately felt much better.
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The kids enjoyed it though. There's a fair bit of climbing and exploring that will entertain any 2-year old, and lots of funny things to see for 6-year olds. Speaking of 6-year olds, mine was crawling on the ground for a shot and had a nasty scratch on her knee, plus a hole in her leggings. That put a damper on her mood for the last half hour of our visit.
I won't strike this place off as a no-go completely because it's undeniably a fun place to visit for both friends and families. It does however, cater to a certain type of people, and if you're the kind of person who prefers natural shots with your kids and not the 'plonk offspring here and "look here! do that!"' kind, there's a chance you might not enjoy this place so much.
There are suggestions all around on how best to take the most fun shots, like how to pose and where the best location for both photographer and subject. However since there are often many exhibits sharing the same room, you will often find yourself in a situation where you're either having to ask folks to scoot a little, or that you're in someone else's shot.
We were there late morning on a Monday which also happened to be a school holiday, and it was reasonably crowded. If you're the kind who enjoys taking things slow and browsing, then do brace yourself because this isn't going to be that kind of experience.
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Let's just say I felt like I was on a package tour, you know, when you travel for hours on a coach, arrive at a tourist attraction and your guide tells you you have 15 minutes to take your photos and enjoy the sights and then you're back on the bus again (but wait, you also have to pee so you spend 10 out of that 15 minutes waiting in the toilet for your turn) so you rush through everything and wonder why in the world you're on holiday when you're rushing so much. It kind of felt like that for me.
So there you have it. My honest sharing on the Alive Museum SG. We won't be back, but here's more info for those of you who are keen. Like I said, everyone else I know who's been has enjoyed it!
Alive Museum Singapore
Suntec City Mall #03-372 (between Towers 3 and 4), where the old The Rock used to be
Opens daily from 10am to 10pm (with last admission at 9pm)
Tickets: S$25 for adults 13 years and above, $20 for children aged 3-12 years.
Disclaimer: I received complimentary tickets to visit Alive Museum SG. All comments and opinions are my own. I was in two minds about posting this review, but figured you'd rather read an honest review than a sugar-coated one.
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| There were many fun exhibits, like this one, but many were the 'stick your head in this cut out and smile', which was quite disappointing for me. |
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There's a high chance you've read about your friends' awesome experiences, like these posts from fellow parenting bloggers (10 family-friendly tips by A Happy Mum, Life is in the Small Things' pictorial proof of camera-shy kids enjoying the exhibits and 3-generation fun from The Kam Family).
But no, not us. Well, not me at least. Halfway through our 90-minute visit, I was grabbed by claustrophobia. Although, my shortage of breath could have been due to poor ventilation, from chasing and grabbing kids, the crowd, or a combination of factors. At some point though, I did feel extremely uncomfortable; I didn't realise it then but the moment I saw the exit sign, I dashed out and immediately felt much better.
.JPG)
.JPG)
The kids enjoyed it though. There's a fair bit of climbing and exploring that will entertain any 2-year old, and lots of funny things to see for 6-year olds. Speaking of 6-year olds, mine was crawling on the ground for a shot and had a nasty scratch on her knee, plus a hole in her leggings. That put a damper on her mood for the last half hour of our visit.
I won't strike this place off as a no-go completely because it's undeniably a fun place to visit for both friends and families. It does however, cater to a certain type of people, and if you're the kind of person who prefers natural shots with your kids and not the 'plonk offspring here and "look here! do that!"' kind, there's a chance you might not enjoy this place so much.
There are suggestions all around on how best to take the most fun shots, like how to pose and where the best location for both photographer and subject. However since there are often many exhibits sharing the same room, you will often find yourself in a situation where you're either having to ask folks to scoot a little, or that you're in someone else's shot.
We were there late morning on a Monday which also happened to be a school holiday, and it was reasonably crowded. If you're the kind who enjoys taking things slow and browsing, then do brace yourself because this isn't going to be that kind of experience.
.JPG)
.JPG)
Let's just say I felt like I was on a package tour, you know, when you travel for hours on a coach, arrive at a tourist attraction and your guide tells you you have 15 minutes to take your photos and enjoy the sights and then you're back on the bus again (but wait, you also have to pee so you spend 10 out of that 15 minutes waiting in the toilet for your turn) so you rush through everything and wonder why in the world you're on holiday when you're rushing so much. It kind of felt like that for me.
So there you have it. My honest sharing on the Alive Museum SG. We won't be back, but here's more info for those of you who are keen. Like I said, everyone else I know who's been has enjoyed it!
Alive Museum Singapore
Suntec City Mall #03-372 (between Towers 3 and 4), where the old The Rock used to be
Opens daily from 10am to 10pm (with last admission at 9pm)
Tickets: S$25 for adults 13 years and above, $20 for children aged 3-12 years.
Disclaimer: I received complimentary tickets to visit Alive Museum SG. All comments and opinions are my own. I was in two minds about posting this review, but figured you'd rather read an honest review than a sugar-coated one.