FlorenceMom.com Blogs

Update! Local Motive Brewing Company moved out of Downtown Florence. Their new location is next to Naturally Outdoors Area at 2519 W. Palmetto Street, Florence, South Carolina 29501.

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August 3, 2017 (Old post from when they were still located in downtown Florence)

I had my first visit at the new Local Motive Brewing in Downtown Florence last week and I was pretty impressed! It felt urban like many other brewery restaurants that I've been to before. They had flights of 4 for just $7! That is a steal! The flights that I had were 2 IPA's, a light beer and a new peach one and I have to say that these brewers know what they are doing! They also had high chairs so kids are allowed! Their food is also well done! The Royale with Cheese is a burger that's very tasty! I also ordered The Yard Bird Philly and I wasn't as impressed. It is still good but I would prefer the burger instead. For my 3 year old, I ordered the chicken bites with fries under the "Half Pint" list. Be sure to ask for fries to be unseasoned if you like them plain! 

Here are pictures from my visit below: 

Picture of inside the Local Brewing Company

My four flights. $7 for all 4 and I definitely shared with my husband!

Yard Bird Philly

Chicken Bites and unseasoned fries 

We can't wait to come back to Local Motive Brewing again to try their new brews! What a gem in Florence!

I have been calling a handful of childcare/daycare prices/rates for my 1 year old since May 2017. I think the rates are safe to apply for any child between the ages of 3 months - before kindergarten (between 4 or 5 years old). This is for full day care. To save you some trouble, here are my findings. 

Central United Methodist Church Preschool - Central United Methodist Preschool's regular program is from 9AM - Noon and you can extend the care to 2:30pm as part of their lunch brunch program and until 4:30PM for another additional cost. Please call them to double check if anything has changed. Their program gets full very quickly! This is maybe not the best place for full time day care if you work beyond 4pm. 

La Petite Academy - Their all day childcare is from 6AM - 6PM with breakfast, morning snack, lunch, and afternoon snack included. This is a chain and they are located all over the US. They follow a great preschool structure that's appropriate by age and the chain itself has been around for decades. They also provide an after school program for kids in elementary school. They are located in West Florence. Address: 3501 Pine Needles Rd, Florence, SC 29501 Tel: (843) 662-9808. 

South Florence Baptist Daycare - Their all day care is from 6:30am - 6pm. It is for ages 6 weeks old - 4 years old. They have individual classrooms for each age level and offer the A-Beka Christian Curriculum. They provide a hot breakfast, lunch, and snacks – all included in your child’s tuition cost. They also use separate age-specific fenced playgrounds.

Charlie Brown Day Care - Number: (843) 665-1226. They are the closest to FDTC (about 10 min) in the group of daycares that I researched. Address: 1800 Gregg Ave., Florence, SC 29501. 

Sunshine House - Address: 2009 Second Loop Rd., Florence, SC 29501. Meals and snacks are all included. 

First Presbyterian Church Child Development Center - From 7am - 6pm year round, the child development center provides all day care. Mid-morning snacks, lunches and afternoon snacks are included. It is for ages 6 weeks - 4k. Address: 700 Park Ave., Florence, SC 29501

Immanuel Baptist Church Child Care - Their full time care is from 7am - 6pm. Address: 306 Cherokee Rd., Florence, SC 29501 Tele: (843) 665-9004

I will update this page with more details as I continue my search for the right daycare for my child. I hope this is helpful! Note that prices may have increased since I've called these places so I omitted the prices.

(Update: Currently, they are not hosting birthday parties anymore. This is an old review.)

There is a new Tae Kwon Do Center in town and they are offering an awesome birthday package for kids parties!

You can host a 2 hour birthday party at Master J. Kim's U.S. Tae Kwon Do Center a really reasonable price! For up to 15 participating kids, the special birthday boy or girl and the guests get to enjoy fun games, bounce house and activity, pizza & drink, birthday cake, fun martial arts lesson and board breaking! This is all inclusive and hosted at Master J Kim's U.S. Tae Kwon Do center!


(This is how the private party room looks like and pizza, drinks and cake are enjoyed halfway through the party. This is all inclusive!) 


We got to personally enjoy this party earlier this afternoon and it was the most fun party we had at a kids party! Within 2 hours, the kids got to participate in games, learn a bit about Tae Kwon Do, play in their in-house bounce houses, enjoy pizza, drinks and cake and end with a board breaking exercise! Every kids gets to participate and they all had a great time! 

Located at 1657 W. Palmetto St., Florence, SC 29501, it is located in the same shopping center as Kimbrell's furniture. All activities of Master J. Kim's U.S. Tae Kwon Do Center take place indoors so rain or shine, the kids will enjoy a very fun and interactive birthday party! Call 843-468-5113 for questions about scheduling your kid's next birthday party. 

See my top suggestions for Kid's Birthday Parties in Florence, South Carolina

The kids play area just opened 5 days ago at the Magnolia Mall and we gave it a try today! We love that it is located at the food court because that makes it easier to grab a snack or lunch before the kids play. It is sort of hidden but it's located on the farthest left side of the food court, right next to the Japanese/hibachi part. (This is one of 3 slides there.)

The whole kids play area is sea-themed with 3 slides and a few other sea creatures like this whale, that the little ones can climb on. Shoes are not allowed so the kids will need to remove their shoes. There are shoe storage areas underneath the cushioned benches. Food and drinks are not allowed inside. However, there are some seating with stools right outside where you can get a great view of your kiddos playing. I think the sign said you must also be 42 inches or smaller to play. 

Other tips: 

• Hand sanitizers are not provided so make sure you bring some of your own or some wipes. 
• If you have a double stroller and don't have any other adult helping you, park at the Dick's Sporting Goods store entrance. They have automatic wide double doors and that is especially helpful when you have your hands full. Dick's Sporting Goods is located directly across from the food court. Also, there is not a lot of traffic from this particular side of the parking lot because this is on the backside of the mall so you don't have to worry about too many crazy cars driving around as the kids cross the way to the entrance. 
• Buy food and drinks before you let the kids play. That way, you don't have to worry about dragging them out mid-way and you can start chowing down immediately after they start playing.
• You are always welcome to bring a packed lunch from home. No rules against that.
• Use the restrooms that are next to Justice, just 10 yards down the way. They are bigger with usually less wait. The women's restroom on this side has a diaper change station too. The ones next to Chic Fil A are always busy, even though they said they are "family" restrooms. 

2024 Update: Google reports that The Little Gym in Florence is now closed.

I took my 9 month old baby to a trial class for his age group at the Little Gym in Florence 2 days ago. I was thoroughly impressed and I was glad there were 7 other babies there that he could interact with while we were there. He learned to climb over obstacles with my help, some gymnastics and had some baby social time. The instructor was very knowledgeable and friendly. It seems pricey for 45 minutes but you really only need 45 minutes of active gym time for these kids and that is what this class supplied. It's well worth it. My son was super pooped by the end of the class. What was even more impressive was he bravely climbed on our sofa successfully by himself later that night for the first time! 

If your baby or kid is not in a daycare or preschool, I really suggest you try a trial to see if this class is for you! The trial is free. 

What I am really looking forward to utilizing is their Parents' Survival Nights/Outings where they will watch kids for an evening for 3 hours for a really good rate. They always schedule these on a Friday or Saturday. Importantly, your kid will need to be potty-independent. To see a more detail entry about The Little Gym of Florence, go to: http://www.florencemom.com/florence-mom-blogs/little-gym-in-florence-sc-promotes-early-physical-developmental-skills-for-babies-toddlers-preschoolers-and-grade-school-kids