When cabin fever sets in this winter and the kids are bouncing off the walls, add some color to the day with a trip to The Crayola FACTORY in Easton, Pa.

This is the perfect place for families to spend some creative time together. Where else can you draw on walls and not get in trouble for it?

The Crayola FACTORY is a family hands-on discovery center that not only provides live demonstrations on how Crayola crayons and markers are made but also has more than a dozen hands-on art activities, enabling guests to create mementos of their visit.

In January 2003, The Crayola FACTORY went through a $1.5 million redesign, adding two Animation Stations, a manufacturing theatre and new exhibits to give visitors an improved experience.

The highlight of the trip is the Manufacturing Theatre where friendly guides show visitors how a Crayola crayon is molded, labeled and packed with an assembly line demonstration.

Every room in The Crayola FACTORY is filled with wall-to-wall fun. Kids of all ages will find something creative to do.  Kids ages 5 and under will enjoy the Color Park with fun activities that include a ball play area and a discovery garden. There is also a Storybook Corner, Magic Mirrors, and a Chalk Walk, where kids can draw on a slate floor. At the Cool Moves station, children can dance with their silhouettes to music.

Kids ages 5 and up will enjoy the Crayola Meltdown, an area where visitors can paint with different colors of melted Crayola crayon wax. At the Easton Press and Bindery, children can make their own stationery or assemble a book. The sky is the limit for creative drawing at the Crayola Carousel, which has hundreds of crayons. At the Super Sculptures exhibit, families can work together with Crayola Model Magic clay to mold a 3-D colorful sculpture.

Each visitor is given three tokens upon admission, which are redeemable for markers or a small box of crayons. They can also be used to purchase the Crayola Model  Magic clay at Super Sculptures.

Adults will enjoy the history of Crayola products, from Smith & Binney’s White Chalk Crayon in 1902 to today’s mess-free Color Wonder products. Remember blue gray, maize, lemon yellow, raw umber, green blue and orange red? They were the first crayons to be retired in 1990.  You will see the newest colors as well as the 100 billionth Crayola crayon molded by Mister Rogers in February 1996.

It’s amazing that even the signs of the times affected Crayola crayon colors through the years. In 1958, Prussian blue was the first Crayola crayon to be renamed midnight blue after teachers prompted the change. In 1962, the company renamed the flesh crayon to peach, recognizing that not everyone’s skin color is the same. In 1999, Indian red became chestnut.

A bonus to the trip is the National Canal Museum, located on the second and third floors of The Crayola FACTORY. Visitors can discover America’s canal heritage by taking a journey back to the early 1800s and experiencing what the world was like before railroads, highways and airplanes. Children will love the interactive, hands-on exhibits that include taking a boat up a mountain waterway using canals and locks.

Conveniently, there is a McDonald’s attached to the factory as well as a Crayola store next door.

For information, visit www.

crayola.com/factory or call 866-875-5263. 

Admission prices

Adults and children (ages 3–64): $9.50

Seniors (ages 65+): $9.00

Infants (2 and under): Free

Military: $8.50

Parking is available at the municipal parking garage. On-street, metered parking is also available.

Hours: Check the website.

The Crayola FACTORY at Two Rivers Landing is located at 30 Centre Square, Easton, Pa. 18042.

For information, call 866-875-5263

or visit www.crayola.com/factory.