Last weekend we went to The 104 and had such a fun day. I thought I would share some pictures in case anyone wants to visit. The 104 is a public art center and it is really a special place. I would describe it as a MOMA meets a small carnival. It is located in the northern part of Paris and when you first walk in you see a large carousel. It is the most beautiful carousel I’ve ever seen. It is made up of giant metal bugs. I know it sounds funny but it is really unbelievably cool. Whoever is riding can control how the animal moves different parts of its body. The pictures don’t do it justice. Not only was it beautifully designed but we rode on it and it was really fun.

The next building had art installations that change all the time. But they were different than anything I’d seen because they were installations that you experience, for example they had a conveyor belt where everyone takes off their shoes and lays down on and gets carried across the room. Or some of the other exhibits they had were one where you sit down on a chair in a big plastic room and for 30 seconds air blows a bunch of balls around and you just sit there and have that experience until its the next person’s turn. Another was a giant maze made out of cardboard.

The whole space was beautifully designed (see the chain link fence that looks like lace.) And I liked it because they had things that appealed to every age. There were lots of kid friendly activities but there were also things just for adults like regular art installations and a nice wine bar. Besides all that there is a really great thrift store in the back (which is how I found it after some readers suggested it.) Why don’t more thrift stores have a giant kid friendly art center attached to them? Brilliant!

This is a great place to visit if you are in Paris with kids or if it is bad weather. We loved it and will definitely be back soon.