ALONG COMES MARY

Since 2019, the Dr. Seuss Experience has been touring throughout the USA and Canada bringing the author’s beloved characters to life through a unique pop-up experience. Their current stop for the holidays? Santa Monica. Although I’ve always been a casual Dr. Seuss fan, Mabel adores his characters. The Grinch plays year-round at our house and as of late she’s been all about the Lorax. Imagine how excited she was when I told her we were invited to visit the Dr. Seuss Experience.

The experience is a two-floor exhibit at Santa Monica Place. Just a stone’s throw from the Third Street Promenade. It looked a bit familiar as this is where we also got to visit World of Barbie over the summer. Similar to entering Barbie’s world, a large gift shop greeted us upon entering. Once we passed the entrance we made our way through colorful mazes with beloved Seuss quotes on the walls.

The Dr. Seuss Experience in Santa Monica

Inside the next room, Mabel got very excited as there was a line to meet the one and only, Cat in the Hat. This was one of the elements that drew me most to the Dr. Seuss Experience. I had envisioned that several characters would be on hand for meet and greets. Unfortunately, we were only able to get a photo with the Cat in the Hat. Familiar faces like the Grinch, Lorax, Thing One, and Thing Two alternate throughout the day. It’s a bit of “luck of the draw” who visitors will get to see. Had we been able to meet the Grinch, her favorite, I know it would have made a great picture on our holiday card.

Nevertheless, she was thrilled to meet the Cat in the Hat. Also in this section is a carnival aspect with a circular spin ride (which was. alas, not operating) and games. If luck is in your favor and you win one of the games (similar to Whack-a-Mole and Ski Ball), a Seuss attendant gives you a token to use in a claw machine to claim a prize.

Exploring the World of Seuss

We next entered the world of the Lorax. Since the movie has been on repeat for us, Mabel was in awe. There were beautiful multi-colored trees, swings, and famous quotes. Ideal for photo ops. Upstairs we soon got to see works of art by Dr. Seuss himself. It was interesting to see early sketches and works of what would become famous stories like the Grinch and Green Eggs and Ham.

We enjoyed running through the colorful fields inspired by Horton Hears a Who and soon entered the world of Whoville and the green man himself, the Grinch. An artfully curated living room gives vibes to the Bah Humbug’s dwellings. The best part here was seeing all of the young visitors dressed up as him or in adorable attire inspired by his grinch-y-ness.

For the art geeks, I loved that actual works by Dr. Seuss are available for purchase. Art curators are ready to assist should anyone be interested in taking work home.

All visitors aged one and up will need a ticket for the Dr. Seuss Experience. Personally? I think that’s a bit steep. Even Disneyland lets those under three enter without priced admission. Weekday tickets for adults start at $31 and $26 for kids under 13. Weekend prices are $37 for adults and $32 for children.

The experience is certainly fun for those who love Dr. Seuss. Definitely go in with flexibility as far as which characters you’ll see and what activities you’ll get to do. It will be in town through January. Learn more HERE.