There can never be enough places where they make learning fun for kids, so no surprise that we’re very taken with the new Port Wonder Children’s Museum in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Nature Gallery, Port Wonder ©Kathryn Shea Duncan
The words, ‘interactive alligator’s nest’ were always going to attract our attention. But the fact that they’re attached to brand new Port Wonder in Lake Charles, which in turn is a reimagining of the Children’s Museum of Southwest Louisiana, makes them even more interesting.
Port Wonder is all about outsize fun, and easy learning
If you want to get interactive with alligators, that intriguing nest is part of the Nature Gallery where the theme is ‘big’, and everything is outsize, from the banana spider web weaving exhibit to the pollinator garden. We’ve heard wandering around described as a ‘Honey I Shrunk the Kids’ experience, which gives you a pretty good idea of its ambitions. Needless to say, it wins hands down with kids, of all sizes.
Learning is fun, Port Wonder ©Kathryn Shea Duncan
Port Wonder delivers 25,000 square feet of Wow!
‘Go for Wow!’ was clearly part of the design brief here, and we’re safely predicting that young visitors will be completely unaware of how much learning is going while they’re romping through the galleries being thoroughly amazed, and having what feels suspiciously like, pure fun.
Health Gallery, Port Wonder ©Kathryn Shea Duncan
Port Wonder engages kids with the ordinary, in extraordinary ways
There are four galleries in all: Nature; Health; Tech and City. The names aren’t giving much away, but dive in and you quickly realise how much thought has gone into encouraging kids to explore and engage in extraordinary ways with ordinary, every day stuff, like eating: the Digestive Maze in the Health Gallery is a wonder.
Cowboy Café ©Kathryn Shea Duncan
Put aside plenty of time for the Tinker Lab and urban exploring
Older children, up for some hands-on experimenting, will love the Tinker Lab in the Tech Gallery. And we can practically guarantee you’ll have to drag young urban explorers out of the City Gallery once they set eyes on the Lighthouse Climber and Cowboy Café.
The Bayou, LDWF Nature and Science Center ©Kathryn Shea Duncan
Discover the wonders of Louisiana at its wildest
Port Wonder is also home to the new Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Nature and Science Center. It’s right next to the Children’s Museum and includes amazing aquarium exhibits demonstrating the state’s incredible biodiversity.
Again, education is high on the agenda, yet lightly delivered by the likes of an amazing 2,900 gallon Touch Tank, along with a fascinating Oyster Reef Tank and a Bayou Tank. There’s even a fun fishing game, to balance the more serious side of things for younger kids.
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Kayaking Lake Prien, Lake Charles ©Visit Lake Charles
Welcome to Lake Charles, Louisiana’s Playground
If this is your first time hearing about Lake Charles, the fact that it’s known as Louisiana’s Playground gives you a clue as to why somewhere as bold and innovative as Port Wonder feels right at home here.
Louisiana’s Playground ©Visit Lake Charles
Second largest Mardi Gras in the state, plus 74 more festivals
In Southwest Louisiana, just over an hour’s drive west of Lafayette, Lake Charles is also home to the second largest Mardi Gras in Louisiana. Although if you miss that, don’t fret, there are another 74 festivals in town, every single year.
Holly Beach, Louisiana ©Visit Lake Charles
Head out on the Creole Nature Trail and end up on Gulf Coast beaches
There’s a breezy local vibe, coupled with a lot of sunshine, so no surprise to discover that playing outdoors is a big deal in Lake Charles. Unspoiled nature in every direction helps with that, particularly if you’re keen on some wildlife spotting: hit the Creole Nature Trail All American Road for a high chance of alligators.
Warm weather also means lots of great waterparks, or the perfect excuse to spend a day on Southwest Louisiana’s gorgeous Gulf Coast beaches: Holly Beach is journey’s end on the Creole Nature Trail.
Lake Charles Downtown ©Visit Lake Charles
Develop a passion for Creole cooking, big breakfasts and legendary seafood
Of course, you could always just hang out and tuck in, because this is Southwest Louisiana and that means great food, often best eaten outdoors.
It goes without saying that seafood is a big deal, and you’re going to quickly discover why they have such a passion for crawfish round these parts: it’s delicious and pretty much the local speciality.
How to plan Port Wonder in Lake Charles
How to get there
Direct UK flights to New Orleans from 10 hours, 7 minutes
Lake Charles is 3 hours drive west of New Orleans
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