Children’s museums are something I always try to add to our travel itinerary. While the 12-year-old has pretty much outgrown these types of places, the 5-year-old is still loving them, and the opportunity to explore so many different ones is definitely appreciated.
Honestly, we pretty much always have a good time visiting children’s museums. That said, many are pretty dated and similar from one to the next. If you’re looking to avoid the lackluster spots, this is the list for you. Below, I have listed the best children’s museums we have visited as well as few that are on our bucket list.
Children’s Museum Houston
Houston, TX
A favorite of a great many traveling families, the Children’s Museum of Houston is one we have visited multiple times over the years because my kids love it so much. This place features climbing structures, an inventor’s workshop, an outdoor water play area, and a whole lot more.
The favorite part? The amazing kid-sized town that actually uses currency, which kids must “earn” by taking on a “career.” I’ve seen some incredible imaginative play go down in this section.
City Museum
St. Louis, MO
I’m not sure if the City Museum officially qualifies as a children’s museum alone; it’s sort of a children’s museum meets art installation meets playground, and it’s incredible.
The museum houses an enormous number of themed climbing structures, slides, and other places to run, spin, climb, and move. Sometimes tunnels will take you from one room to another—completely unexpectedly—making every visit an adventure, and there are both indoor and outdoor areas, meaning you can enjoy the museum any time of year.
In addition to the play structures, there are also places to create and admire art. We find these areas are good for a bit of a rest.
Magic House
St. Louis, MO
Yes, I am including another St. Louis museum. I 100% believe the Magic House deserves a place on this list. I actually visited this museum as a kid, and it made such an impression on me that I went out of my way to take my own kids there. Just as I suspected, they adored it.
Like the Houston museum, this museum features a cute little kid-sized town that is definitely a hit. Kids can make and sell pizza, be a news reporter, work on a construction site, and more.
The museum also offers water play, sand play, science projects, climbing structures, and more!
Bay Area Discovery Museum
San Francisco, CA
We first visited the Bay Area Discovery Museum when our son was quite small, and he loved it so much that we made sure to visit again when we visited San Francisco years later.
This museum is interesting because it is housed in several different buildings. I really liked this because it helped the little ones stay focused on a single activity rather than running around and feeling overwhelmed.
Favorite areas included the super cool—almost magical—natural outdoor play area, along with the art studio that offered lots of messy painting activities. The “How Things Work” section was neat too, as was the mud kitchen.
Children of Gettysburg 1863
Gettysburg, PA
I really liked the Children of Gettysburg 1863 museum because it was so different from other museums. It focused on the battle of Gettysburg from a kid’s point of view and offered engaging exhibits to help young visitors follow the stories of the children who were there.
We were able to follow the stories of a few different historical characters and there were lots of hands-on activities to keep everyone happy and having a good time as they learned. This was an excellent addition to our time in Gettysburg, especially for our youngest who wouldn’t have gotten much learning out of our visit otherwise.
Strong Museum of Play
Rochester, NY
This is another one that maybe doesn’t quite fit into the “children’s museum” box, but with a name like Museum of Play, I felt like it could take a place on this list.
As you might imagine, the museum features tons of options for playing. From video games to puzzles to imaginative play areas, there is something for every person in your family to enjoy.
On top of that, this museum houses tons of exhibits about toys and the history of play, meaning even adults can learn a thing or two as they explore the place. This is definitely one that stands out and is worth a visit.
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
Indianapolis, IN
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis has been declared the best children’s museum in the US by many, and has therefore been on my bucket list for quite some time. Unfortunately, the one time we found ourselves in the area, we simply did not have a chance to make it to the museum.
Dinosphere is one of the favorite exhibits in this massive children’s museum. Playscape looks amazing for the youngest kids, and ScienceWorks looks right up my older son’s alley.
Honorable Mention
Obviously, these are far from the only great children’s museums in the United States. For one thing, I haven’t seen them all. For another thing, there are some really great ones that we have seen that almost made it on my list.
Who knows? You might find you enjoy those museums more than we did, and they might make it onto your list of the best children’s museums. I guess you’ll just have to go and find out!
Here are the museums I’d put onto the “honorable mentions” list:
- Glazer Children’s Museum — Tampa, FL
- The Thinkery — Austin, TX
- DoSeum — San Antonio, TX
- Discovery Cube — Los Angeles, CA
- Marbles Kids Museum — Raleigh, NC
- Please Touch Museum — Philadelphia, PA
Saving on Children’s Museum Visits
One unfortunate thing about children’s museums? The cost of admission can add up fast. Fortunately, we rarely pay full price to visit one of these museums.
There are a few ways to save:
- Invest in an ASTC reciprocal membership, which gets you into some children’s museums free of charge.
- Grab an ACM reciprocal membership, which gives you half-off admission at a huge number of children’s museums.
- Look for free or discounted days, which a lot of children’s museums offer on a weekly or monthly basis.
- See if you can check out museum passes from the local library.
As you can see, there are a number of fantastic children’s museums to explore with your kids. Looking for even more fun? Be sure to check out the best science museums in the country, the top zoos in the US, some must-see playgrounds, and the best living history museums around.