Visit the FUN HOUSE: Summer Exhibit at the National Building Museum

0

Enter the Fun House

Summer Fun at the National Building Museum

Each summer, the Great Hall at the National Building Museum transforms into an innovative and interactive Summer Block Party exhibit. Even if you haven’t gone to one, no doubt you’ve seen pictures all over Instagram: “The Big Maze” in 2014, “The Beach” in 2015, “The Icebergs” in 2016, “The Hive” 2017. The exhibit for summer 2018 is aptly named “Fun House” and is designed by the NYC-based design firm Snarkitecture. It is truly a delight for all ages. If you’ve been asking yourself whether or not you should go, the simple answer is – yes!  

What exactly is this Fun House? To Snarkitecture, it is a riff on a traditional home and living spaces. According to the design firm, “Each room plays on the familiar layout of the American home, but creates new meanings through word-play, surprise, and disbelief. A single simple gesture, the absence of color – the signature of  Snarkitecture’s work – represents a limitless world of possibilities, allowing viewers to interpret a personal set of meanings.” Get ready to cross this off of your ultimate summer bucket list, because this is one event in DC you and your kids won’t want to miss. 

A room of streamers makes for a great game of hide-and-seek

The Fun Begins…

Once inside, the exploration of this whimsical space begins! Kids love playing hide-and-seek in the room of giant streamers, crawling through the Styrofoam cave, and playing with the GIANT (seriously, it is enormous) marble run. You can play ping-pong, shoot hoops, run inside a shrinking house, and build a fort with giant grey cushions under a ceiling of white oblong structures that give the appearance of giant punching bags.

The biggest draw of all, not surprisingly, is in the “backyard” of the Fun House. Snarkitecture gives a nod to it’s uber-popular 2015 installation, The Beach, by including two ball “pools” in this year’s exhibit. There is one smaller pool (a circular wading pool about 1 foot deep) and one deep kidney shaped pool. Jump in, flip in, or climb in via the side ladders and “splash” about. My daughters (2 and 5) and our friends spent 45 minutes just jumping into the “pool” over and over again. Word to the wise: make sure you take your shoes off and keep valuables out of your pockets as it is all too easy to lose a flip-flop – or worse, a phone – in the depths! 

IMG_8575
IMG_8643
IMG_8631
IMG_8589

Ticketing and Visit Information

Tickets are required for entry, but the process is easy. You have the option to reserve tickets in advance online or just stroll in and get them on the spot. (Weekends are much busier – no surprise). Members are free, and non-member ticket prices are $10 military, $13 youth/student/senior, and $16 adult. You’ll get a wristband with a specific color and time corresponding to your entry into the Fun House. While you wait for your time, lounge on the giant foam letters on the west side of the Great Hall (which spell out FUN HOUSE), or visit any other of the museum’s great exhibits like “Secret Cities“, “Evicted“, or the perennial kid-favorite, “Play Work Build“.

The exhibit runs July 4-September 3. If you are not a member, consider visiting on a Free Ward Day. Free Ward Days are on select Tuesday mornings, from 9-11, and offer a wonderful opportunity to get a feel for the entire museum. Check the Building Museum’s website to see when you are eligible, as well as information regarding other summer events including yoga and special tours (must have DC resident identification). 

The author “swims” in the ball pool with her two daughters.

Tips and Recommendations 

Other points worth mentioning as you prepare for your visit…

  • No strollers, food or drink allowed inside Fun House.
  • Kick off your shoes and go barefoot if you please (especially recommended in the ball pools)! Just remember that shoes must be on throughout the rest of the museum. 
  • Your wristband is your ticket and is marked with a timed entry good for one hour of fun. A wristband also gives you unlimited access to the rest of the museum (although you’ll still need timed tickets for the Building Zone).
  • Members are free.  If you aren’t a member yet, I would seriously recommend the investment. For just $90/year for a family membership, we more than get our money’s worth with visits throughout the year!
  • If you are there towards the end of the day, check out Hill Country BBQ’s Backyard BBQ; summer set up on the west lawn of the Building Museum for music, games, and delicious food. Other great family-friendly and budget-friendly nearby spots are Bantam King; and Wiseguy Pizza
IMG_8564
IMG_8634
IMG_8635
Previous articleThe Case for Nice Things
Next articleTaking a Leap of Faith as a Working Mom
Juliet Armerding
It took Juliet a while to fall in love with DC but, a dozen years later, she wouldn't want to live anywhere else! Juliet and her fellow native New England husband have 2 school-aged girls and a toddler boy, and love raising them in this vibrant city. A former middle school teacher and marketing assistant, Juliet is currently a SAHM in NW DC, on a block happily filled with many other young families. She loves laundry day, visiting ALL the museums, reading historical fiction, eating sweets, theatre, and planning overseas adventures.