Kidcity Children's Museum is a children's museum that opened in Middletown, Connecticut in September 1998. It was founded by Jennifer Alexander. She originally founded Kidcity as a homegrown non-profit organization in 1994 in attempt to make Middletown a more desirable place for families with young children. The circa 1835 historic Camp-Sterns House was donated by St. Sebastian's Church after the building retired from a 70-year career as their convent. The City of Middletown donated a portion of a public parking lot as a new site for the house. In March 1997, the old house moved 400 feet down Washington Street. Extensive renovations were done to the house and permanent hands-on exhibits were created by local artist Ted Esselstyn. The museum opened to the public the following year. The museum doubled in size in 2003 when a new addition was put on. My family and I have visited Kidcity a number of times since my wife and I began having children. We've been to a lot of children's museums over the years, but we think that Kidcity is easily the best one in Connecticut. Not only do our two sons have a lot of fun, but also my wife and me! Our most recent visit was this past August. There are so many different rooms and exhibits for children to engage in pretend play. Some of the rooms include The Ship, The Farm, Main Street, Video Theater, Space Age Roadtrip, and The Cornfield. There's even the Toddler Sea Caves on the basement level that our younger son enjoyed exploring. We usually end up staying for at least two hours, but I'm sure that our two boys could be engaged there for much longer. If you're looking for a fun indoor activity for families with young children, then head to Kidcity! read more

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This is a great spot for kids 0 to 7 years old. There is now food to purchase on site, but you can bring your own snacks and eat in the designated area. Lots on tactile activities to entrance and educate young minds. My particular favorite rooms are the Neptune theater and the fish/sea/pirate ship. You can spend a good 2 hours with kids there. read more

Kidcity Children's Museum - Pneumatic tubes and airflow = fun - Children's Museums Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

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Best children's museum we've ever been to, hands down! They have wonderful interactive exhibits that have kept my kid engaged on each of our visits. They also go above and beyond--kiddo had an accident and I realized that we didn't have a change on hand, but there was a stash of supplies in the bathroom that included extra pants! What a lifesaver. Excellent and friendly staff as well. read more

KidCity is a museum for young children ages 1 to 7. It's located inside a historic house built around 1835; it was called the Camp-Sterns house and it was used as a covent for 70 years by St. Sebastian Church. The church donated it to be used as this museum. Before going, a reservation is required; making reservations was easy on their website. There was a metered parking lot behind the museum; when we went on a Wednesday, it was $1 per hour. Checking in was easy. There is a room where you can eat and drink, since you can't do that inside the exhibits; there is also a coat room and gift shop. Each room had a theme and kids are encouraged to pretend play. There are three floors and the room themes are: 1. Fishery 2. Space aged road trip 3. Middleshire 4. La Piazza 5. Rollerducks 6. Toddler Sea Caves: for children 2 years and younger. 7. Main St. 8. Farm They have artists that created these exhibits. The attention to detail was amazing; from the steam coming out of the sinks, the fake fire and sounds from the stoves, and the fire pit at the Middleshire, to name a few. The artwork was very intricate and well thought out. I give major props to the artists! We visited for my son's birthday and they gave him a free T-shirt, that's so awesome. The customer service was great. There were plenty of restrooms with changing tables. My family and I were there for a couple of hours and the kids loved it. I highly recommend a visit if you have young children! It's definitely up there with one of my favorite children museums thus far. Also, it's in a great locations with tons of restaurants nearby. read more

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This was the most fun place for my 2 & 3yr olds! The imagination someone had to build this place is just the absolute coolest, every room was so much fun & the activities in each room were so neat. Everything was clean, nothing was too stuffy, sitting areas for parents in every corner, it was all around a great day! we can't wait to come back. read more

Kidcity Children's Museum - The castle room - Children's Museums Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

Imagination emporium! My granddaughter loved all the activity filled rooms. One moment she is driving a Vespa through the streets of Italy and the next; making balls float atop ceramic pigs! read more

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Had an incredible time at Kidcity Children's Museum!! Our daughter loved it so much we had to drag her out of there because she was so tired but delirious with excitement to keep exploring Kidcity! Each area of Kidcity is well thought out and has plenty of interaction. I was amazed at just how many rooms and areas to the city there were. My one suggestion would be to add more to the aquatic section made for infants and toddlers under 2. I know being under 2 is just breaching the major desirable exploration age but there really isn't that much to do in this section. Our toddler loved the slide in the aquatics section! We will definitely be back next time we are in the area. Thank you for having us! read more

Kidcity Children's Museum - Visiting the bank! - Children's Museums Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

What a fun affordable place to visit with littles! My son had a blast during our visit. I grew up in the area and frequented this museum as a child. It really has changed! They have a lot of new rooms and plenty of space for toddlers to roam. Note the castle area does have a lot of stairs! I definitely got a workout in chasing after my 3 year old. The price is fair compared to other museums or play areas. My only complaint is a large section of the museum was closed due to a water leak. This was disappointing as I wanted to visit the pirate ship with my son. Hopefully the next time we are in town it will be open. read more

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Grandchildren had a load of fun. It's convenient and interactive. We have gone many times.

If I could give more than 5 stars for this place I would give it as many as possible. We brought our 15 month old here on a rainy day and couldn't believe how great it was. First, make your reservations online through their website. Especially if coming on a weekend when it would be busier. Also, plan to pay for parking in the rear at $1 per hour (cards accepted) so it's not bad. Leave food and drinks in the available storage cubbies for snack time in designated eating/drinking areas. These measures are taken to keep the place clean and I'll tell you it was very clean in every single play area. They have friendly staff going around all day wiping down everything! That impressed us quite a lot and made us feel better about our little one touching everything. The rooms are all amazing, each with their own theme. The amount of detail and artistic work that has been put into these rooms is truly something to behold. Every little detail of the rooms has been designed with children in mind and not only that, they are designed with appropriate age group recommendations based on the different styles of play different age groups have. There is an amazing toddler room in the lower level with and under the sea theme that is just perfect for crawlers and new walkers to explore with no kids over 2 allowed so you don't worry about your little one getting trampled on by bigger kids. Lots to touch, climb, and crawl through there and it is beautifully decorated. The main floor has some amazing interactive stations themed in space, family road tripping, kitchen cooking, pirate sailing, farm house, a cool punch buggy, and super market. All themes for kids a bit older than mine but none the less my toddler loves exploring all the areas and interacting with everything. This place has so much to offer in terms of interactivity, social play with other kids of similar ages, and eye appealing rooms with such creative ideas. There is an room themed after and Italian piazza with a cafe and the smell of fresh ground coffee and a fountain that shoots little silk hankies when you put them into one of the various hidden vacuum tubes that's are creatively placed like in a coffee cup, a flower, or a fish mouth. It's just so fun to watch it go in and come flying out of the fountain and seeing the kids trying to catch them and figure out which fish it will come out of. Even the adults were getting in on the action. I can't stress enough just how fantastic KidCity is for children. The max age here is 7 years though so be aware of that rule. Also, it's definitely worth mentioning that they have elevators and are wheelchair accessible to all levels with enough space for wheelchairs to be able to move about the facility without missing out on the fun. If you're in the area and looking for a fun place to bring the kiddos, this is absolutely worth every penny of the $12/person admission and $1/hour parking. There are no snacks available here for sale so be sure to pack snacks or lunch if you intend on staying through your child's eating time and they have a nice area to sit and enjoy your meal away from the action where your little one won't be too distracted by all that is going on. Now, I can honestly say that I have never been impressed by any bathrooms but this place has to be given its due regard. All bathrooms are clean and well kept. Wheelchair accessible throughout. Step stools for the kids. Child size toilet seats that come down right over the adult size. They even have extra supplies in the bathrooms for free if you so need including diapers, wipes, ziplock bags and extra pants in case there's an accident all so your little one can keep on playing without feeling embarrassed or needing to leave! When I say this place is absolutely 100% dedicated to kids play I mean it. My little one ran, laughing and smiling for three hours straight until we had to head out and he was so tired out from all the excitement and play he immediately fell asleep in the car before we even pulled out of the parking lot. We had so much fun having so much to play with together with him that we can't wait to come back. It's a two hour drive for us but we are already planning out return for the sole purpose of coming back here with him. It's that great! read more

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Took my niece here and she had a great time! It was her second time as her parents already took her once before about a month ago. Each room has a different theme. My favorite is the room that looks like Rome and you put the scarves in different spots around the room for them to be sucked up and shot out of the fountain, so fun! My niece loves the blocks room, but she was happy and having fun the entire day. My second favorite was like a medieval room, I personally had fun with the catapults. Also, since my niece is under two we were allowed in the "craw-space," that is decorated to look like the sea and was honestly so beautiful. They also had an emergency kit in the bathroom which is very accommodating and thoughtful. This is just an overall great way to spend the day with a child you love! read more

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This is so much more than a children's museum! Everything is so well thought out, organized and keeps your kids thinking! Very impressed! Is a must do! Our 3 year old played here for nearly 3 hours. read more

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We love this place! We went for the first time right right before the pandemic and loved it so much that we got a membership. When it reopened not only did they give us back the time we lost on our membership they added an extra couple of months for good will! There are so many unique rooms with a multitude of activities for the children. My kids like the fishery on the first floor and what we call the Game of Thrones room or the Bergen Castle (Trolls) on the second floor. There is a STEM theme through most rooms and we are here for it!!! read more

Kidcity Children's Museum - In the lodge room. - Children's Museums Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

This place is truly amazing, my son loved it and had so much fun. Everything is super clean and well organized, the staff is extremely friendly as well. read more

Kidcity Children's Museum - Children's Museums Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

Take your kids here! Clean, stimulating, but not overstimulating. Friendly staff. Lots to explore. Brought my son here for his birthday when he turned 4 and frequently asks to go back. Def worth the drive. Every room is a different experience. Loved going on a weekday. It was not crowded at all. read more

Unbelievably cool! Our three year old was in heaven and totally engaged in loooooong play engagement. There was fun stuff to do around every corner and lots of opportunities for cooperative play, so we made a lot of friends! This museum is definitely experiential- the learning occurs by exploring and figuring out where tunnels lead, how different conveyor belts work, etc. Not a digital screen to be seen, extremely clean and well maintained, and incredibly inexpensive. So nice to have a place geared toward young kids where they can reach everything and not be plowed over by bigger kids. We are truly blown away! We came through as a stopping point on a road trip, but love it so much we'll be making the 90 min drive again just to come here. Totally awesome experience! read more

Great for toddlers and young kids. My little guy is always entertained for hours with the different activities. It is affordable and worth it on each level of the museum. Everything is hands on and fun for the littles! read more

Kid City is a wonderful museum with lots to do and many spectacular spaces for kids of all ages. We have been bringing our now 2.5 year old for over a year and he has an absolute blast moving from space to space and taking part in all of the imaginative activities along the way. There are several different themed rooms to choose from. Everything from a fishery to a restaurant and market to a farm to a play space that is "under the sea" themed (that space kindly reserved for the babies and young toddlers only). Tickets can be hard to get. Especially during the summer. Make sure you are logging onto their website the day prior to your trip at 3PM sharp to lock in your opportunity to visit the next day. They limit the number of folks allowed in, so kids are not stepping all over one another. Staff has always been welcoming and kind during our visits, as well. There are considerations and expectations to follow, which are all realistic and you have them explained before you enter the museum. Highly recommend for a creative and fun experience for children. read more

Kidcity Children's Museum - Fishery - Children's Museums Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

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Hands down best children's museum for kids 7 and under .....I say 7 because maybe 8 year olds wouldn't appreciate it as much . So much pretend play , great rooms , and clean ! I do love that it's not over crowded and you just make reservation online . Today was my second time back within 2 months . My 3 & 5 year old didn't want to leave . I will definitely be going back next month read more

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Amazing place. Brought our 4 year old and he loved it! Very affordable and he could have spent the entire day here. read more

Kidcity Children's Museum - Children's Museums Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

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Such an amazing place for little people. Took my son there for the first time and amount of interactive things for little people is just the best. read more

FUN!! Engaging for kids AND their parents!! Clean... be sure to check out Dr Norstrums Hand cleansing invention when you come in Plenty of clean family bathrooms. Plan at LEAST 2 hours, because the kids won't want to leave!! read more

Hours of entertainment here easily! A real pleasant surprise how vast and awesome the exhibits here are! Never seen anything as epic as Middleshire in a museum like this read more

This place was amazing! What a fantastic place to take your kids! Totally worth the drive! It was so creative and imaginative for them. Such a fantastic place for creative play. My two boys got to play pirates, cooks, mailmen, farmer and so much more! My two boys had the best time! read more

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Fantastic staff and great hands on exhibits! You can even leave for lunch( they have a map of the downtown and will offer suggestions if you ask) and then COME BACk! Such a great time and plenty of toys for all to share and still have fun! The castle was the best!! read more

This is a wonderful place to take your kids and/or grandkids. Every area is a great interactive area that keeps the child's attention. Reservations have to be made which works out well. Once you have a reservation you can stay as long as you want. Plenty of clean and kid friendly bathrooms which was a real plus. read more

I highly recommend this place if you need something to do with your little one. I brought my 15 month old and she had a blast. There were so many things for her to do and different areas to explore. They even have the basement restricted for kiddos under 2. We look forward to going back! We also felt very safe while there during COVID-19 (super clean, limited amount of people allowed inside, and required masks over 2 years old). If you go, you have to reserve a spot due to restrictions. read more

Why did I wait so long to check this place out? I don't know who had more fun here. If I was just a few inches shorter...nothing could have stopped me! This is an amazing place for youngsters to learn and explore. My son is three, so we could easily bring him here seven times a week and he would never get tired of going. Every room has hands on activities for kids of all ages. There's even an area downstairs that is for children two and under. This was the only area that we didn't explore. For Middletown residents, the Russell Library offers a one day pass to check out Kidcity at no charge. I have been told that other libraries offer similar passes, so check your local library before heading over. There is a pay to park, public lot behind the building. These meters accept change and credit cards. Definitely considering the membership. For $150 per year, unlimited access and discounts on your child's birthday party. read more

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I love the fact that you need to make a reservation! Due to that it, keeps the number of people to a manageable amount. It seemed like every time I turned a corner there was another room for my grandson to play in. read more

Took my two-year-old here and he had an absolute blast. With not much to do in the cold weather this is a perfect place to bring your kids. There's so much to do and for them to interact with plus it was very clean and the staff was very nice. It costs $12 a person and you kill at least two hours time whilr you're in there and can stay as long as you want ..would recommend this place. read more

Honestly, this place is better than Disney! It has endless themed rooms for ages 2-9 (in my opinion) and it is clean and great for imagination! Each room has STEM mechanical manipulatives for children to explore. The bathrooms and snack areas are clean and super convenient. I have been coming here for years and feel so lucky to live within driving distance to Kidcity! read more

Highly recommended for toddlers & young children. We went on a beautiful day so it was not crowded at all and our son was able to explore at his own pace. There is a decent amount of parking behind the building which you pay for and you enter through. On the main level there is a small seating area to enjoy a packed snack and/or lunch which you can bring in. They have a small toddler area on the lower level for crawlers with many different areas for exploration. They are very family friendly which is evident with having family focused bathrooms which is a huge plus for parents. Overall highly recommended but on a rainy or snowy day I can see it getting very crowded which might be difficult for little ones. read more

This place is great! The artwork on the walls is amazing and they have an entire replica mini medieval village! My 4 year old son had a blast going through all the different areas. He loves "stores" and they have a really great kiddie "grocery store" area complete with bagels made out of fabric & stuffing. A lot of care and love is put into this place. My personal favorite that we stopped in for a bit was the little reading nook. This was our 2nd time stopping here on our way from RI to PA (visiting family). Highly recommend it if you are in the area with young children! read more

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We love Kidcity! Great place for my 3.5 year old and 18mo old. They both enjoy each room and activity despite being different ages. We love how creative and hands on each room is. We recommend this place to anyone visiting with kiddos. no strollers allowed so if you have a young baby bring a carrier you can wear. read more

A cute place for children under 7. I would consider this place more of an open play than a museum. They have 2 floors with 4 different themes of play which is cute, also a basement for 2 & under which we didn't see since my kiddo is over 2. Plenty of open and clean bathrooms nearby each area. I think the place can use some signs to point out the different play areas and which way to go, they have a map but signs would also be helpful not to open doors that are for employees only or run into a dead end. Front staff was very friendly and nice. Informed us if we go out to eat somewhere just to let them know so they can expect us back and not charge us double. Price wasn't bad for the fun the kids have. read more

Brought my 8 y/o nephew here today. Website says for kids ages 1-7 but he thoroughly enjoyed the exhibits. He loved anything science based so he was quickly engaged with many of the activities. There are 6+ rooms on three different floors with ample room for kids to move around freely and interact with one another. Cliff notes: $10/pp. metered parking. Family restrooms. A snack and coat area. Really helpful and kind staff. Overall, a good experience. Check your local library, they may have passes and you can save yourself a few bucks. read more

We took our son here the day before he turned a year old, and had a great time. Most of the museum is geared towards kids a tad older, but there were still some cute things babies could enjoy, including the bottom floor in which kids under 2 can crawl around. Now that he's getting older and is a walker, I'd love to take him back! The parking situation was okay when we were there on a week day, but I imagine it gets a little tight during peak times (same goes for the museum itself). read more

This place is WICKED AWESOME!!! If you want your kid to have an amazing childhood bring them here. Last I went I think prices were $10-$15 bucks. Very fun. (Secret tip: Hidden mermaid room in basement!) read more

Not gonna lie, I am not sure who was more impressed - me or my toddler (1.5 years old). We had so much fun here we got a membership at the end of our first visit (days pass goes towards the membership). It is $10 per person over 1 years old otherwise. We've already gone twice more. Parking was free on Sunday, and a dollar per hour on all other days. It is a great location, close to plenty of restaurants to catch lunch or dinner to make a special day out of it. Overall the place is beautifully designed with much artistry and skill. Since my son is under 2 he was able to go in the toddler room. It was a blast! It was nice meeting so many other families with younger kids in a smaller space too. My son also loved the other areas like the medieval village with all the corn and carrots to "grow", or the space/future room with the balls and the pigs, or putting the fish on the conveyor belt, or the main street, and could have spent forever playing "tea time" in the lake lodge. I can imagine kids up to at least 6 years old enjoying this place. We can't wait to make more use of our membership! They're also super thoughtful with extra diapers and clothes in the bathrooms. read more

One Saturday morning we decided to take a road trip from Boston to Conneticut to visit my husband's nieces. We knew we wanted to take them out somewhere fun and they could let out some energy. Not having any kids of our own ant not being from CT we were clueless where to take them. Along with that it was going to be a gloomy rainy day... so the park was out of tghe question and we refused to go to a Chuckie Cheese. On the way to Hartford I did a quick search on yelp for fun kids activities and KidCity popped up. I immediatly called for hours and admission and they were open Saturdays til 5pm. PERFECT!!! The admission was only $8 per child. Not Bad!! A place like KidCity in Boston would definitly be more than $10. We rounded up the girls and drove from Hartford to Middletown. 20 minute drive and we were there. Parking is metered in the lot but they do have a few free 2 hour spots if you're lucky to grab one. KidCity is big but you don't feel like you will lose your child. It had many different rooms and if you move together to each room you will be able to keep an eye on him or her. There is so much for them to touch and play with. They will be entertained for hours. Each room is a different theme. There was a farm room with farm animals on the walls and tunnels they can climb through. Theater room to play dress up or have a puppet show. Fish factory where you can grab a basket and collect fish and put onto a conveyer belt and watch it go. There were seesaws, chalkboards, books for reading, blocks to build, a pretend restaurant where the kids can serve you. So much to do. One thing I loved was in case you forgot a diaper or wipes, the bathroom had an emergency kit for all your bathroom necessities. Accidents do happen. There isn't a cafe or restaurant on premises incase your child does get hungry, I do suggest bringing a lunch or snack with you. There are places to eat around the area to go somewhere afterwards. KidCity was the perfect alternative than maybe a chuckie cheese and don't be fooled by the museum in the title. You and your child will not be bored, it's more of a hands-on museum with lots of fun activities. read more

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