Motherhood is a glorious, joyful experience filled with love
and kindness and a lot of tantrums … both from child and mom. The only people who ever say that raising little people is
easy never had any. And the only thing harder than raising kids is entertaining
them especially when they are little
and home all .. day .. long.
How many of you moms out there were nodding along just
now?? Well, last weekend I found a little gem that you are going to love. No
really.
At 52 South Main Street in Nazareth, moms (and dads too)
will find the entrance to
Jelly Bean Town, USA. Your children will be so
entertained upon entertaining that you will actually be able to – gasp – enjoy
playing with them while
not arguing or bartering or pitching tantrums! You won’t find
jelly beans though, so read on for the scoop.
Jelly Bean Town USA is the vision of its owner,
Tara Carson. It is, at its core, an arts and crafts center; but it is nestled inside
a kid-friendly ‘town’ complete with a library, mail stop, dress-up center, grocery
store, tool station and train table. A town whose every colorful detail is
perfect and exact; thanks largely to its co-owner, Tara’s husband (vision-realizer
& architect) John Carson.
You will see a
bookshelf full of Dr. Seuss, a map listing capital cities, tables covered in
art paper and supplies, several Purell stations, a water cooler, a coat rack
and a clean bathroom. Your child will
see the clouds on the ceiling, the jelly beans on the walls, the princess hat
and knight mask, the balloons, the Legos, the trains, the huge chalkboard, and the
stickers, oh and the STICKERS!! Together,
you and your child will spend an afternoon laughing and creating and forgetting
why you hate Barney and naps respectively.
And it is not just for the ultra-mini set. I brought
along my Rooks (or little Castles), who are 11 and a half (so important to a girl) and 9. I knew my
daughter would love the crafts. I was surprised to see how much fun my son had
banging around in Tool Time and playing with the trains.
Jelly Bean Town, USA received 2 Thumbs Up from the Rooks.
What better endorsement could you need?
Details:
Open Play Times are only $5 per child no matter how long
you stay. (Seriously!!)
Monday 9:30a – 2p
Tuesday 11a – 5p
Wednesday 9:30a – 3p
Friday 9:30a – 2p
Every Sunday from 1 – 3p is a themed craft and playtime.
Again, only $5.
There are also several one-day and one-week
camp sessions
during the summer.
Best Detail:
Oh yeah. Tara loves birthdays and has several themes from
which you can choose such as Princess Royalty or Diggin’ for Dinos. She is also
open to any ideas you or your birthday bean may have. Ready to break out of the boring birthday bash grind? Of course you are. So call
Tara.
Cool Details:
Jelly Bean Town, USA offers
art classes after school for
the young, budding-Picasso set. There are also special Crafting Sessions for
adults several times a month. In the future, look for after-work art classes
for adults too!
Tara, who studied art in school and is a graphic
designer, really does see art everywhere. Her ultimate vision is to help old
and young alike experience it for themselves too.
Helpful Details:
Need to fulfill an art credit for your home-schooled
kids? Want to earn an art-centric merit badge for your troop? Yep,
Tara does
that too. Shoot her a call or email to make special arrangements for your class
or troop.
Quirky Detail:
Jelly Bean Town USA’s mascot, Shelly Jelly Bean, can come
to your parade or event. Guess how you find out more? Yep, call or email
Tara.
Necessary Details:
52 South Main Street, Nazareth, PA 18064
610.248.0549
Cash, Visa, MasterCard and Discover accepted.
