The Amon Carter Museum of American Art has gone above and beyond in helping families know ahead of time what to do and providing ample family programming at the museum.
Here’s everything you need to know about this great FREE museum in downtown Fort Worth.
First, their website is so helpful for families. If you click “plan your visits” then for families you come to this great page with drop-down menus! They have info on changing babies, feeding babies, wearing babies, stroller rentals (they're free) ETC! Such a great resource. Keep in mind no outside food or drink is allowed though they have a picnic spot our front or a small cafe inside.
The museum has published a social narrative (if you're unsure what one is read about them here) for use before you go. Social Narratives are usually geared towards families or individuals with autism to help them know exactly what to expect and what can and cannot be done at the museum. This is an amazing resource that is helpful for everyone, especially those wanting to attend with small children. They have PDF on their website you can print or view digitally.
This museum is downtown but it has a dedicated parking lot that is free. It's small and may fill up fast on busy days but no need to worry about street parking or garages.
When you walk in at the front desk you can pick up a family brochure, or ARTtivity tote. They had 3 different options the day we were there and we explored with the sensory bag. This bag was full of things to do while at the museum. It was great to have things our preschoolers could touch and do while exploring the galleries since museums are usually a “look with your eyes only” kind of place. They also had drawing boards you could bring paper or pick up a coloring sheet from the family pop up space to draw in the galleries
Here’s a sneak peek at what was in our bag. The look bag had images to find throughout the gallery and binoculars to wear to help them look, the touch bag had samples of textures the art was which was a great tactile experience since we couldn’t touch the art itself. Each bag had a different theme and we can’t wait to get a different bag next time.
On the second floor (accessible by an elevator) is the family pop up space. Inside was a dress-up area with mirrors and several western attire choices, a reading nook with books about the artists and art in the museum, a coloring station with coloring pages of the artists, a matching game that featured art from the exhibits and some interactive display of downtown fort worth and it’s historic museums and buildings. This room was so fun. Even though no specific family programming was going on we had a blast doing the dress-ups. It was fun to dress up like cowboys then go out into the gallery and hunt for the artwork of western scenes. This is the space they hold their family activities in.
Inside the family pop up space were MORE brochures. One specific to access in the museum and the other 4 were family-specific themed brochures designed to help you engage with the exhibits themselves. For instance, the opposites brochure leads you through different kinds of opposites you might find in the museum encouraging you to look as you walk around.
Not only does the Amon Carter give you so many resources to make an everyday visit to the museum accessible to your family but they have many specific family programs! We haven’t made it to one yet, most are on Saturdays. See all the events here.
AND IT IS ALL FREE! This museum gets an A+ in our book for not only having great programming for families but they communicate it so well through signage and information on their website you can feel comfortable knowing what to expect before you go.
What you need to know before you go:
Where: 3501 Camp Bowie Blvd, Fort Worth, TX 76107
What: Art Museum with Family Programming (CLOSED MONDAY'S)
Cost: FREE
Accessibility: Free onsite parking lot, free stroller rental, elevators, and ramps! All restrooms have changing tables, drinking fountains on both floors
Other Notes: No outside food allowed. Some snacks are for sale onsight.
We received no compensation in exchange for this review.
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