Moomah Creative Arts Cafe - A Perfect Place for Family Fun

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Moomah Cafe – Location & Contact Details

Moomah is conveniently located in the Tribeca area of lower Manhattan in New York City.

Address: 161 Hudson Street New York NY 10013
Phone Number: 212 226 0345
Website: http://moomah.com/
Email: us@moomah.com

Moomah Cafe – Hours

Monday – Saturday: 8.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m.
Sunday: Closed

What is Moomah?

Moomah calls itself a “creative arts cafe”. Now what exactly does it mean? We know “creative arts” and we know “cafe”, but what’s a “creative arts cafe”? It is a place that combines creativity and a cafe!

The Moomah Cafe

On the first look, Moomah looks like a regular cafe serving coffee drinks, fresh juices, smoothies (we were told their smoothies have been voted the best in NYC, and I agree – more on that later), and more.

However, when you look closely, you realize that it is much more than just a cafe.

On the walls of a regular cafe, you would see some paintings or pictures. But at Moomah, you see art projects and paintings created by kids! You would also find many art kits for sale as well – Moomah calls these “do-it-together” art kits.

Go further down, and you see a space that is separated from the cafe – and this is where the real magic of Moomah begins… This is the space where workshops for kids are conducted, birthday parties are celebrated, and more!

Colors to Unleash Your Child's Creativity

It is an area filled with arts and crafts supplies – colors, brushes, stickers, glitter, gem stones, scissors, colored paper, and a lot more. One look at the tables, and you immediately know that a LOT of kids have had a LOT of fun here!

For kids interesting in reading, there are a ton of books too.

Just behind this area is the famous funky forest where kids can really have a ball growing and nurturing a virtual forest!

Moomah’s Interesting Beginnings

So how did this cafe come into being? How did an idea of combining a cafe with kids’ workshops & projects come up?

A Great Place for Kids and Adults Alike

It all started when the owner of Moomah – Tracey Stewart – was looking for places in New York City where she could take her own kids. She soon realized that the kid-friendly places were not very grown-up friendly!

She wanted a place where her children could have fun, but at the same time, she wanted it to be fun for adults too. When she could not find a place like that, she created one herself!

Kind of neat, eh?

Interesting fact 1: Tracey ran the place for 3 years, and had to decide to wind down the operations due to the overheads. But as soon as the word spread about Moomah closing, the community reacted – Tracey got numerous petitions from schools and parents in the area urging her to continue the operations. And she gave in – that’s why we can still go to Moomah today and enjoy with our kids!

Interesting fact 2: Tracey also runs an online magazine, called DIT Magazine. It is a magazine that aim to make parenting fun – it offers suggestions for activities, parenting advice from experts, art projects, and more.

Moomah Creative Arts Cafe – The Workshops

Rachel - The Force Behind the Workshops

At the heart of Moomah are the art workshops that have been designed for children of all ages. They provide a great opportunity to kids to unleash their creativity, mingle with other kids, and make new friends!

There workshops are guided by Rachel, and awesome person I got to meet during our visit to Moomah.

Kids under the age of 4 years need to be accompanied by an adult, whereas kids over 4 can take part in these workshops on their own.

The kids also get to spend time in the funky forest (you can see the details below) as a part of these workshops.

Some Examples of Workshops Conducted at Moomah Cafe

Here is a list of some of the workshops conducted at Moomah, so that you can get an idea about the creativity of this place:

Decorate a Pot, Plant a Flower: Kids can decorate a pot and plant a flower. You receive a clay pot to decorate with paint and a lovely spring flower.
Design a Tote Bag or T-shirt: You receive a tee or tote bag! Stencils, fabric paint and markers provided to create your own unique style.
Sculpture: You receive model magic, paint, brush, glue and a figurine to create your own sculptural masterpiece.
Some Projects from the Past

Paint a Bird House & Make a Cozy Nest: You paint a wooden birdhouse with non-toxic paint then fill a straw nest with moss and roving wool for your newly adopted (fake) bird (nest and bird included!).
Mixed Media Collage & Frame: You receive a 12″ x 12″ art board and mixed media for collage to make a framable work of art. At the end of the workshop, you are given a 14.5” square frame for your new piece of art.
Shredder Art: You receive art paper, stencils and glue. After filling the silhouette shape with big gobs of glue, you cover the shape with mounds of shredder paper. One shake reveals a 3D masterpiece!

Workshop Schedule

These workshops are conducted on Thursdays and Saturdays. However, the Saturday workshops are not available during the summer months. Moomah is soon starting the workshops on Tuesdays as well.

Each workshop lasts approximately for an hour, and they are conducted multiple times a day (normally at 10.00 a.m. and 3.30 p.m.). For more details, schedule and online reservations, please visit Moomah’s workshops page.

Insider Tip: If you are keen on your child participating in one of the workshops, it is better to reserve a spot in advance. It guarantees your spot, and can be easily done online. If you must walk in, try to go to the morning workshops – they are generally less crowded.

The Famous Funky Forest

This is something your kids are sure to enjoy! It is an interactive art installation, where kids can grow and nourish a life-size virtual forest. Talk about “cool”!

The Funky Forest Room

Children can grow trees, divert the water from a stream to keep the forest healthy, and more – seeing first-hand how their actions directly affect the entire forest ecosystem.

The forest is inhabited not just by trees, but also by many different life forms. These creatures appear and disappear depending on the health of the forest, and also go through a metamorphosis as the seasons change!

Here is what Moomah has to say about the Funky Forest: “Funky Forest is a highly collaborative environment designed to support, not direct your child’s attention. It is an open and dynamic system, providing an opportunity for play and experimentation”.

Here is a short video that would give you a good idea about the forest – no amount of description can do justice to this interactive play area!

Do-It-Together (DIT) Kits

Do It Together Kits for Sale at Moomah

Moomah also offers do-it-together art kits – these provide opportunities to parents and children to spend quality, relaxing time together.

Plus, you have a keepsake you’ll want to hold on to forever when the project is done!

These kits are available at the cafe, and also online.

The Cafe

Awesome Capuccino

Although Moomah is a cafe, I like to believe that the cafe part is quite secondary to the area dedicated to kids’ activities!

But that doesn’t mean they don’t treat the food well – you can enjoy some great bagels, coffees, cookies, brownies, juices, smoothies, noshes, etc. at the cafe. They also have an ton of Gluten-free options.

You can see their complete menu here.

My Experience at Moomah

Painting a Picture Frame

I visited the Moomah Cafe with my wife and 2.5 years old son. We met Rachel, who told us about the background of the cafe and its various offerings. Then we visited the workshop area – the workshop of the day was focused on painting and decorating a photo-frame.

My son took a couple of minutes to soak-in the place, and was visibly excited once he realized he would get to paint & decorate a photo frame all by himself!

Rachel gave my son a wood frame, a blank palette and a couple of brushes, and explained what he could do. He took all the colors that he wanted to play with, and got to work!

Once he was done with painting and repainting and repainting the frame, he started decorating it with stars and gemstones. The end result was quite fabulous, and the look on my son’s face was priceless! You can see the picture below:

The End Result - The Completed Photo Frame

Once the workshop was over, we spent some time in the funky forest – and it was awesome! My son enjoyed the whole experience – especially the watering-the-trees part. Although I would say that an older kid – 4+ years – would definitely enjoy it much more.

By the time we were out of the funky forest, we were hungry, and decided to try something from the cafe. We had bagels with creme cheese and cappuccinos – and they were really good.

Growing The Funky Forest

Rachel had mentioned that their smoothies were voted the best in NYC, so we had to try one! She recommended the “Almond Butter Lover” – it has almond butter, dates, banana, and more. We went with her recommendation – and I am glad we did!

Overall, we were really happy with out visit to the Moomah Cafe – we could spend some fun-filled, quality time together as a family, and we got to taste some great food! What more can you ask for on a lazy Saturday afternoon?