As a new mom in the area, I love exploring places with my 13-month-old, but sometimes it’s hard to know what will be successful. One day, we popped into the Fit For Fun Center (FFFC) in downtown Wilmington to try it out. It always amazes me what gems we have in our community! I loved it but, even more, so did my child.

The Fit for Fun Center is a parent-child interactive facility designed to promote learning and creativity in children ages 5 and under. Operated by the City of Wilmington, the facility offers age-appropriate activities, programs, and equipment, including a fully-fenced outdoor playground.

At only $5 per child/per session, it fit our family budget.

Upon entering the lobby, we were greeted by a super friendly staff who informed me that the Center has been in existence for 18 years!

“I am honored to say that as of October 1, I’m the new Director of the City of Wilmington’s Fit For Fun Center,” states Victoria Carrai. “My passions for preschool programming and parks and recreation collided when I started leading the Little Explorers preschool nature programs at Halyburton Park and I found that I wanted to devote my career to this age group who are full of fun and learning at every step.”

“I love seeing so many smiling faces and being a part of helping to grow relationships with the families who come here. I’d love the chance to get to meet you and welcome you to the Center so I invite you to come check us out!”

Surrounded with so many options to choose from, my child and I began in the large, main room. This room features slides, tunnels, playhouses, a ball pool and various toys to ride on. My daughter was immediately taken with the ball pool filled with happy children to play with. The mini-Thomas the Tank Engine was also a hit. She could climb on, press a button and ride herself around the mini track.

My daughter followed a group of children into the small toys room with a play kitchen, construction table, dress-up station, train table, books and other fun small toys to play with. The mini-puppet theater elicited many laughs from my daughter as I put on a show behind the curtain for her to watch.

We then moved outside to explore the fully fenced outdoor playground with a large, padded area. There were so many outdoor gym activities for my daughter to choose from. It was a beautiful Wilmington fall morning and the chance to be outside was appreciated. We went down the slide together and took turns on the seesaw.

The FFFC also features an art room complete with paint and glue projects laid out for little hands to create with. There is also homemade play dough and a water table that proved to be a big hit for both mother and daughter!

This is such an amazing place to bring your child. The best part is that children under six months of age play for free! At so many points during our visit, I reverted to childhood myself and had just as much fun playing as my daughter.

Most space in the FFFC is padded – perfect for beginning walkers. Ever since visiting last week, my daughter has gotten so much stronger and less wobbly on her legs.

I felt a real sense of community and the camaraderie of the other Moms (and grandparents too!) I even made a new mom friend during our visit, and we all know how precious those relationships are to new parents.

We left after our wonderful experience. I felt like I had an amazing morning of mother/daughter personal time.

When planning your visit, please note that the center is open Monday through Friday for walk-in play sessions from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. but they close from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. for cleaning.

On Saturdays, the center is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Lights snacks are allowed only at the designated tables.

While there I noticed flyers for so many fun upcoming events that I’ve already added to our family calendar. Also, be sure to check out the Events Calendar here on Cape Fear Family Magazine frequently for updates.

Want more information on Fit For Fun Center?

www.fitforfuncenter.com 
302 S 10^th Street
Wilmington, NC.

For special events, the admission fee increases to $6 per child. Multi-visit passes are available for $35 per 10 sessions or $20 for 5 sessions. Adults and children under six months of age play for free. Children ages 10 years and older are permitted free of charge as parent helpers and must assist with the younger child.