Crayola Experience Plano :: 5 Things To Know Before You Go

Dallas Moms Blog received complimentary admission into the Crayola Experience Plano on Media Day to write this post. All opinions are 100% our own!

Crayola…a name that makes any adult feel young at heart! When it was announced last year that Crayola would be bringing their 4th national attraction to our hometown, I have to admit – I got a little giddy! I don’t know whether I was more excited to take my children for their entertainment or mine. 

The time has come and the big grand opening of the new Crayola Experience Plano is here (March 23, 2018)! Dallas Moms Blog was invited to a “media preview” before the opening and I’m happy to provide you with some basic facts you’ll need to know before you head over to The Shops at Willow Bend with your family. 

5 Things to Know Before Visiting the Crayola Experience Plano

1) If your child can’t color or doesn’t enjoy coloring, this may NOT be the place for you. 

The Crayola Experience Plano is over “60,000 square feet of colorful fun,” so come prepared to color! There are a total of 22 attractions most of which include coloring sheets, crafts, and puzzles using crayons, Model Magic, paint, and markers. 

For younger ones (ages 3-6), my favorite attractions were the Be A Star, Color Playground, Toddler Town, & Scribble Square. These attractions involve little to no technology and wouldn’t cause a little one to lose interest quickly or get frustrated. 

Be A Star :: A Selfie Booth that turns your image into a coloring sheet. Simply choose your background, press a button, and watch it print for you to take home and color OR step over to a coloring table and use Crayola Experience’s colors to color on site. 

Color Playground :: This 2-story playground is the perfect stop for anyone needing to get their wiggles out. 

Toddler Town :: Located next to the Color Playground, it’s a spot for little ones (ages 2-5) to explore colors on a peg board and maze. Note: Expect this area to be fairly crowded on busy weekends. 

Scribble Square :: Another quick spot to take a break and allow your kids to “color outside the lines”. Crayola provides sidewalk chalk to allow kids to color on all the fun features inside Scribble Square. Spaces can be cleaned off at the end of each day and allow kids to start fresh each day — so arrive at opening when possible!

For older ones (ages 5 & up), my favorite attractions were the You Design, Color Magic, Adventure Lab, & Melt & Mold. These attractions involve some technology and dive deeper into more creative processes. If your child loves to explore and can work somewhat independently, I think they’ll really enjoy these. 

Adventure Lab :: Using a magic tablet, kids can work their way through the lab solving puzzles with the help of Crayola friends. Each activity might involve matching like objects to one-another, finding the mix of colors, decorating a digital photo or removing unwanted items from a digital photo. There are no prizes if you solve the challenge, just the recognition that “you did it!” 

Color Magic :: If your child doesn’t mind taking the time to color, they can use their coloring sheet and make it come to life using a virtual control. This one takes a little time, but can also be a cool experience in teaching their child that art can be brought to life! 

You Design :: A bigger version of Color Magic. Color dresses and fashion accessories or cars and have them come to life on a large projector screen. 

Melt & Mold :: A personal favorite!  Crayola has taken their smaller Melt & Mold Factory toy and turned it into a large attraction. Add your favorite Crayola crayon and watch the machine turn it into a fun keepsake like a ring or animal toy. 

2) Bring a few extra bucks for some additional perks. 

General Admission into Crayola Experience Plano is $20.99 per person at the door. (2 and under are FREE.) This includes admission into the Experience and 2 tokens in your goodie bag. If you pay online, you can save $2 and skip the ticket line. 

Once inside, there are a few items you’ll need your tokens for. And if what you’re given at the door isn’t enough, additional tokens are $0.50 each. 

One token is needed per crayon to use Wrap It Up! (personalized crayon makers). One color may be good enough OR you may want to walk away with an entire box. 

One token is also needed at the Modeling Madness vending machines. These vending machines dispense Model Magic color packs to use at the tables. Again, one color may be sufficient, but there are over 10 colors to choose from. 

And of course, the Crayola Experience has Cafe Crayola, Crayola Store, Sweet Spot, and Trading Post; all optional shops, premium craft stations, and snack stations that require purchases. If you don’t want to spend anything beyond your admission, be sure to keep your child (and YOU) away from these areas — as the homemade fudge on display can be tempting!

3) Expect to spend anywhere from 2 – 4 hours at Crayola Experience Plano. 

Your childrens’ ages will drastically change your experience. The younger your children, the more likely you are to breeze past many of the attractions as their attention span may not last as long. Older children could spend anywhere from 5-15 minutes at each attraction. 

Of course, on more crowded days, the times spent in each attraction could vary by how long you have to wait to start participating. 

4) Expect to help your child through many of the attractions.

Technology is a GREAT thing, but if parents aren’t prepared it can be frustrating. Come prepared to help your children navigate their way through the Crayola Experience. As we’ve mentioned, many of the attractions include tablets, devices, printing, or manipulating objects. While older kids may have less trouble, we even found some adults who had to ask Crayola employees for help — whether it was working the Wrap It Up machines OR getting instructions on how to use Rainbow Rain. 

Come prepared to be interactive with your children and if you have a few moments to sit down while your children play, enjoy those moments of downtime. 

5) Yes, they host birthday parties! 

Currently, there are 2 party options: 1) Razzmatazz ($254.00) – which includes 1 hour in a private party room and admission for the birthday child and up to 15 guests + 3 pitchers of beverages and other party extras (party napkins, plates, cups, and silverware & a special gift for the birthday child) OR 2) Mauvelous ($294.00) which includes all of Razzmatazz plus 3 whole pizzas. 

You can find date availability, Add-On’s, and information on how to book here. 

General Information:

Other things you may want to know before you go!

• The Crayola Experience Plano is located INSIDE The Shops at Willow Bend. I recommend parking on level one of parking garage F. There are large signs now displayed on the parking garage and entrances into The Shops at Willow Bend that will guide you in the right direction. 
• Re-Entry is allowed. If you want to go and explore the rest of the mall or eat at the food court, be sure to get your hand stamped before you leave!
• Want to visit more than once? Go ahead and get an annual pass! General Admission into Crayola Experience Plano is $20.99 per person at the door. (2 and under are FREE.) If you pay online, you can save $2 and skip the ticket line OR you can get an annual pass for only $30.99 and come all year long as often as you like. Right now, you can also save when you purchase family packs of 3 (save $9.97) or family packs of 4 (save $19.96) when you use the codes provided on their website.

The Crayola Experience Plano is definitely a place you’ll want to experience at least once with your family — especially if you live in the area. Even better, if you’re just a fan of crayons, leave the kids at home, go with girlfriends and have some fun adult coloring!

Let us know your thoughts about the Crayola Experience Plano in the comments below!

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