Have you ever wanted to be a part of that world? Well, at the toy boutique shop, CAMP, you have that chance! CAMP is open to everyone 7 days of the week. It’s a fun little toy boutique that includes a princess makeover station and a slime making bar. Even when there’s not an open exhibit at the store there’s still plenty of fun to be had!
There are a few CAMP stores around the United States, but the one we went to was in Atlanta, Georgia. Each store has their own surprise world hidden somewhere in the shop, and this one happened to be our daughter’s favorite movie, The Little Mermaid. While the shop is free to enter, you do have to purchase a ticket to explore the hidden rooms, and the tickets can be bought on their website or in person. When you arrive for your timeslot, you meet with a guide who takes you through a secret passage. Ours happened to be behind a toy shelf located in the middle of the store. Once you walk inside you are immersed in a whole new world (wrong Disney movie line, but you get the point). You truly feel like you’re under water. In the bubbles of the walls, you can see clips from the live action movie.
You can hear familiar music playing as you turn the corner to see all of the sets from your favorite scenes like Ariel’s grotto, Ursala’s lair, the sunken shipwreck and of course the rowboat scene from everyone’s favorite song “Kiss the Girl”!
Each set is so well done it almost feels like you’ve stepped into the movie. I came for my daughter but I’m not gonna lie, the 4-year-old version of me was squealing on the inside. Almost all of the sets are designed for kids to play and climb on. There are plenty of slides to go down and tunnels to crawl through. Every few minutes there is a show at the rowboat set where you can sing and dance along to your favorite songs from the movie. It was one of my favorite experiences with my daughter that she’ll never remember, but I will never forget!
The exhibits change from store to store and believe me if I could visit them all, I absolutely would. For now, I am looking forward to seeing which exhibit comes next year.