This place was mostly good. It is small and well-contained, so it is hard to lose anyone there. The website reccommends ages 2 to 10 but ideally, I would not say it is for anyone over 7. The animals were nice to look at. My granddaughter wanted to hold one of the rabbits, but they were not brought out that day. The staff brought out one animal for the morning session, and one for the afternoon, but what they bring out is random. They one handling the animals seemed into the children, but other than that, none were out on the floor to interact with the childen. My granddaughter had fun, but it got old after a couple of hours. read more

An amazing fun place for children and adults , they have live entertainment and lots of fun activities for kids . The place is decorated like a little town and they even have a small stage for indoor events . I love the fact that they also rescue and care for animals . The staff is incredibly warm and helpful :) Definitely worth a visit . read more

It's a good place for young children, although some seem to like it more than others. Adults may not find a whole to of interest, but they probably aren't coming here by themselves. Animals and other things to look at, and some hands-on activities. read more

Decided an impromptu visit to Lutz on a rainy Wednesday morning, and I'm so glad we did. I knew absolutely nothing about this place before stepping foot into the building. My mom, who happens to be a preschool teacher, saw a student of hers wearing a shirt from here and suggested we bring my two year old. The place is so cute. There's a little play town for kids to run around, dress up, and interact with each other, as well as an area with about 15 or so different animals. The worker behind the desk was sweet and interacted nicely with my daughter. However there was an older woman there with such a sour look on her face who seemed less than thrilled to be there. We stayed away. Honestly the only reason why my review is 4 stars and not 5 is because of how expensive their little "gift shop" is. Because it's weeks later and nearly 1am while I write this review I don't remember the exact prices for things, but I do remember thinking how a toddler shirt should not be anywhere near that expensive for a place. read more

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My 23 month old son loves this museum. On our first visit we ended up buying a pass because he liked it so much. Everything is geared towards children, so parents beware of the heights of exhibits when accompanying your children. The animal exhibits are awesome and they do hands on time with certain animals during the day. I love that this is a small place because I feel more comfortable allowing my toddler to explore in the space with me being on the sidelines vs the larger kids museums. The staff are very friendly too! read more

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Decided to do something more local with the Littles on this Above 90 degree day and thought this would be a pretty good stop. Lutz is a very small Museum basically just 3 rooms. When you first walk through the doors the main area of attraction is to your left It a mini version of Manchester's old Main Street and has a two story village of Shops with a post office, store, school and it is very interactive so it's better if there are a bunch of kids for your littles to play with. They also have a little barn like area with a full sized cow, a puppet area with tons of puppets to put on a show and a small nature are with a turtle and a snake. Off that room is a Shadow play room where you can make your Shadow show on the wall by pushing a button. That room is closed of though if something is going on in the classroom so check the schedule. They also have a room filled with wildlife which is near the family and women's restroom. They have anything from Chickens, Fish, Turtles, Rabbits, Skinks, Chinchillas, Ferrits, Snakes and Lizards. You might be a little bored but if your kid is anywhere from 2 years old to about 8 they'll be in heaven. So, take your lumps of sugar and let your kids have a blast. read more

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I had been hearing good things about this place and was excited to finally check it out. I was surprised by how small it is - it's a very tiny space, yet a fun environment for kids to spend a bulk of the day playing. It's inexpensive, and while there didn't seem to be too much to do from my perspective, my son had a great time playing there. There's also a back room with various animals like birds, bunnies, etc. which is pretty neat. read more

Fun museum with live animals (owls, bunnies, chinchillas, snakes, birds, fish, reptiles). Also has rooms that resemble an old-time store, classroom and post office. They also have a bunch of hand puppets and dress up outfits for kids, and they have a room that can be rented for parties. read more

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This place is a bit far for us (based in North Haven) but we decided to make the trip for the sake of trying something new, and because our Kidcity membership gets a reciprocal discount here for half price admission. It was super crowded for a random Tuesday, but my daughter didn't seem to mind. There are three main rooms: the main play area, set up like a town with various playrooms, lofts, a puppet theater, etc, a multi-purpose room with a stage, which was open but had nothing in it to do (used for classes I guess?), and the animal room with many live birds, snakes, small mammals for viewing. I also spied an outdoor play area out back on our way out, but the weather wasn't good enough for us to explore. Note: an earlier review someone posted complained that the "nature center" only had one turtle in it. The small "hut" in the main room labeled nature center does indeed have one turtle in it, but to see ALL the animals what you're looking for is the "animal room" in the back past the girls bathroom. This is understandably confusing and I don't know why they have that little area in the main room when people would be looking specifically for a "nature center" for the animals. There was a surprising amount to keep busy with in the main room, including play food/kitchen spaces, puppets, mailboxes with mail/packages to deliver, toy animals, etc. Still, it's just the one room. There was also the "shadow" room off of it, which was actually just the part of the stage behind the curtain with one of those set-ups where you flash a light and your shadow stays on the wall for a few seconds. I actually love those and remember it fondly from the one at the NY Hall of Science as a kid, BUT it doesn't work here. It's not dark enough. They have a piece of felt up as a curtain in the doorway but lots of light spills around it and ruins the effect. So...points for effort, kind of? The animal room was a hit, and much quieter than the rest of the place. I suspect other people were unaware of it like that other reviewer. I don't know anything about the care of the animals, so I can't comment on that. I have to comment on the fact that they have a "gift shop", ie a bunch of toys out enticingly where kids can grab them, right in the corridor where you walk through to get to the bathrooms and animal room. I know most places have some kind of shop these days but usually they can be carefully avoided. This seemed specifically designed to cause kids to beg for stuff. This was actually why we left after only 45 minutes - once my kid spotted the goods she was interested in nothing else. This should be a space for imaginative play - not every place needs to be a toy store! On the plus side, unlike most children's "museums" this one actually has some displays of artifacts - mostly various kitchen utensils and household items, labeled and dated. I particularly liked the 1940s girl scout handbook. Overall, at our half-price rate (so $7 total for me and kid), it's probably worthwhile if you're local or in the area for another reason. Full price of $7/person is too high, in my option, especially since they charge for adults as well as the kids. For only a dollar or two more per person, go to Kidcity in Middletown and get much more bang for your buck. read more

Lutz Children's Museum - snake in the animal room - Children's Museums Near Me - Manchester, Connecticut

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Found this treasure on a Groupon while eating at a local pizza place. Not familiar with the area I decided to visit when I read the positive reviews. I'm glad I did. Or should I say I'm glad my daughter did. This place is a dedicated to imaginative play. They have literally built a a town with many locations to visit. Drop off your package at the Post Office, pick up what you need at Marlow's, get an education at South School or just become a farmer at the barn. My daughter has engulfed herself more than I think I've seen before. She was setting up a dinner in the 2nd floor house from food she got from the Farmers Market. She then asked me to climb aboard as we drove on the trolly to New Mexico. Thank god I didn't forget my phone . This hasn't been the biggest museum i've been too but its been the most elaborately detailed. Down to each painted detail. If distracting your child for a couple hours is something you seek, look no further. If your kid gets bored of imaginative play, bring them to the live creature section to see owls, lizards and bunnies. Several of the animals can be pet and the staff does a good job cleaning/maintaining the tanks/terraniums. Located not too far from the Glastonbury golf course, its a fun time your kids wont forget. read more

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incredible time for my grandchildren 8 and 4 wonderful atmosphere and experience from the many store set ups to the live animals read more

This is a cute little museum that is not very far from my house. It has a nature center with lots of animals in it. They took some of the animals out and let the kids pet them. My son really enjoyed that. There is an old "town" with an upstairs that the kids can go in and play in. My daughter really enjoyed dressing up in the costumes. There is an old fashioned trolley thing that the kids can sit in. Also there is a room you can rent for birthday parties. It is a pretty small place and I think it's more focused on younger children and toddlers, but my 8 year old had fun too. read more

Walking in to the Lutz is like walking through a portal into my childhood, waves of nostalgia crash over me. If you grew up in Manchester chances are you been to the Lutz, although its alot smaller than I remember it. Also it has a little more wear and tear then I remember, hence the 3 stars. Don't get me wrong its a great little museum, with alot of local history, and for $7 dollars a person its reasonably priced. Its mainly for smaller children (mine are 2 and 4) and despite its size its easy to kill 2 hours here. I could see older kids getting bored quickly however. The real reason I'm giving 3 stars is that the safety of the place is a little bit in question. Despite my protests my children insist of running from exhibit to exhibit and with the many floor elevation changes the risk of tripping (3 times for my daughter) is very present. Also the low ceilings in some of the exhibits will result in many a bumped noggin (twice for me) for adults. Overall the Lutz is a solid day trip option, as long as your trip isn't to far. If the weather is Ehhh, and you want to tire those little shorties out, put this place into your parenting playbook 6/10 read more

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A cute stop for a short bit, but I honestly preferred their playground behind the parking lot to the museum itself. The museum is very small and offers nowhere for parents, babies or toddlers to be while preschoolers and kinders to play. My 9 & 11 year olds also played while we were there but, were really MUCH too big for it. It was really only good for the 3 year old. It was VERY hot and the museum did not have air conditioning so just sitting inside the museum was quite uncomfortable. The breeze outside was considerably cooler. Small cups of coffee are offered for a dollar each but, there are no other refreshments, not even a water fountain for the kids. If we lived nearby, I could see visiting again for a brief stop on a yucky day but, it's not worth much of a drive again. read more

Love this place! I came as a kid and I just visited with my little one. Staff is friendly and it's a super clean environment which isn't easy with so many kids running around I'm sure. At 7$ a head it was a bargain for a few hours of fun for my son. read more

Came here on a Saturday for an outside event, but we were able to look around the museum. I came with a friend who volunteers here, so he showed me around. We first went into the zoo part, where they house all sorts of animals ranging from fish to snakes to giant rabbits (seriously huge!!) They have paintings and artwork all over the hallways of the museum done by children. So cute! They have different rooms dedicated to a certain theme like farming, or house living. In the farm room, they had a simulation udder you could milk. Well, technically it was just water haha. The museum also has this "shadow room" where you stand against a wall and you can take a picture of your silhouette on the wall. Fun ipod commercial parodies ensued. There's also a gift shop where you can buy all sorts of cute trinkets and souvenirs. Even though I'm not a child, I had sooo much fun exploring the museum. Seems like a great place to take your child. read more

sure 3 stars. pluses: the kids enjoyed their time in this quaint (ie: small as can be) 'museum' in manchester. lots of free space to roam around and touch stuff and be a kid (that does sound like a commercial for a pizza place, it isnt!) annual pass for the family under 100 bucks, also allows for entry into some of hartfords other cultural venues (dont even ask me, i cant even think of one) some animals in the 'zoo' for looking! look! theyre all scared of the screaming kids and are hiding until closing!! well, not that big ass bunny in there, no hiding him. the crowd is everything from guns and roses stage crew to wanna be j crew and all in between, oh, and us 1%'ers! minuses: i need a tub of purel after that, so will your kids. ew, sweetie, dont put that in your mouth, ugh, oh well, kids will be kids. that zoo you heard all about? dont look at the mice carcasses the owls havent digested yet. its only one floor, two rooms, the pride of farming history isnt too deep me thinks. read more

I think "museum" is really a misnomer for this place. I think it'd be more accurate to call it a play place. The Lutz is basically a big room with centers for pretend play: there's a school, a store, a farm, and a house. It's all set up to resemble the 1940's (I guess that's where the museum part comes in). There is seating for adults and free wifi! My son is 3 and really enjoys coming here to play. It would be a good place to meet up with friends. There is an animal section that totally smells like urine when you go in there. The animals are all pretty random- i.e. a chicken and a gecko (not in the same cage though). My son thought one animal was a cat, which would almost make sense that they'd be displaying a cat. The cages seem pretty small, I wish the animals got to go outside. My only real complaint is that twice I've seen kids throwing toys off the second floor and almost hitting people with them. Someone could get seriously hurt by this. Parents obviously need to watch their own kids and others need to step in if the parents don't see it. I've seen some people there real hesitant to tell other peoples' kids what to do (even in safety situations). I really think the staff should step in and firmly tell kids not to do this or put up a screen or something so this can't happen. read more

As the other reviews said it is very small, only a one story building with a few rooms. It is $6 per person unless under 1 years old. But for the price my 4 year old loves it.... We just decided to become members to save us the $ and now we go whenever she wants and she needs to burn off some energy in a safe enviroment that isn't the mall playground, a super crowded bounce facility or a perfect day for being outside. For her it must seem bigger than for me, but she loves looking at the animals and playing in the child sized town. If it's your first time and you can, I would certainly go on a weekday. the weekends can be chaos with the birthday parties and lots of patrons trying to find something for their kids to do. Overall great place to get my kid out of the house/backyard for the same price as the other possibilities for a 2-6 yr old!!! read more

My kids, ages 5 and 7 had a good time here, but I wasn't all that impressed. It is more geared for younger kids and the place isn't all that big. The animal room was really impressive for a small museum though, with owls, an iguana, a lizard, a ferret, and more. My daughter really liked putting on a show on the stage, although it wasn't specifically set-up for anything. The main room was simple, but did seem to engage the kids fairly well. read more

I'm glad the admission is only $7 because that is really exactly what you're paying for. Honestly, I was not impressed...one small interactive room and one animal room. For 2 bucks more we can go to Kid City and do so so much more, and the drive for us is about the same. My daughter had fun, which is really all that matters, however, I think there should be more going I here than there is. read more

It's been years since I've been here with my other child, probably almost 10 years. Nothing has changed. I recall it being a more fun experience for my son. I was a little skeeved out and felt like I needed to hand sanitize after I touched anything. I didn't want to know why the stuffed animals were wet after I touched it. Tried playing tic tac toe which is my daughter's favorite game. Loved the big table to play on but, the sticky game pieces made it tough to get through. It's a small place so we only lasted about an HR and that included the indecisive shopping in their gift shop section. The animals were the best part. Cute little nook with a range of animals. The pigeon looked terribly sad in his cramped cage though. It was really great to see the employees walking around randomly with animals that you could touch and learn about. Maybe, not wearing pajamas would be a bit better next time. I'm giving 2 stars because my daughter did enjoy herself. I'm glad I got a Groupon for this though and likely will not be back. It has great potential and the pow wow of moms sitting in the center of everything while their kids ran all over seemed to really enjoy this place so maybe you might too! read more

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Pro: Very cute and nice intimate space for a birthday party Con: Very very small that i expected and distance for me. read more

I came here with my four year old niece and she had a blast. Since it is a museum for young children they are able to interact with and touch the many of the artifacts in the exhibits. She loved the "Main Street" exhibit with the 1940's era general store. She was also very excited to meet and pet a turtle that was taken out for the guests. Overall, we had a great day together at the museum. We will definitely be back! read more

Overall I will say since I got a Groupon to visit the museum it was okay ( 1 star) The front desk was super friendly (2 stars) but that's where the perks of the place ended. I had not realized it was so small and only one floor. I have to be honest my son loves any Adventure I take him on so he seemed happy after our visit but I was disappointed and will certainly not be revisiting. read more

This is a great place for younger kids. There are several themed areas that children can explore. There are lots of things to climb in and on. There is also a animal room with various live animals. It's definitely a small museum, but a great way to spend an hour or two. read more

I'd like to address the last review. The Lutz Museum might feel like an indoor play place at first glance, but you have to understand that the museum caters to mostly 2-6 year-olds (I've rarely seen children older than 8 at the museum), and so it is mostly about first experiences. I've brought my godson tons of times, and he always has a look of wonder in his eyes when they take out an animal and let him touch it (which they do at various times throughout the day). I've also been there when they've held free 10-15 min art projects for everyone in the museum, and it's not just about gluing or coloring, but they really try to teach the children about art history and make real connections for them. The staff seems really knowledgeable, and to get the total experience of the museum, you have to sign up for some of their hour-long classes. They have science classes, art classes, and I've even seen some yoga and music classes in their newsletter. I took my godson to a few of these and they are extremely educational and fun... not to mention inexpensive. The animals really do set this museum apart, though. It is my understanding that most of the animals were at one time injured or rescued from homes in which they were unwanted, so it makes sense that there would be a strange variety. For instance, one of our favorites is the screech owl whose head is upside-down after being hit by a car. Still, it prances around in its house at the museum as if nothing was wrong, and it seems they take really good care of him. For those of you that have animals you know that live animals smell, and there is really no way to keep that amount of animals in one room without some stench. But it is really worth it to see the famous groundhog and the giant rabbit and all the adorable lizards and chinchillas. Truly a great place for a very young child to learn and grow through play. read more

My absolutely love this place. Our only real complaint is that it is tiny and parking can be a wait on a busy day. That said, it's a clean well-maintained place that the kids go crazy in. It's so cute to watch them play in the little mini-town, delivering mail, teaching class, dressing by up as farm animals, and ringing the bell. They even have a section with live animals. Great place that we visit 2-3 times a year at least. read more

Recently attended this museum with my niece Sophia. I have never been and only heard of this museum through family members. Even though it is smaller than expected, It fully satisfied myself and my niece. The exhibits gravitate towards younger kids, which is great. The staff is very helpful, and the place is very clean. Will be attending again! read more

Nice small children's museum with some real history. The animal room is very cool and gives children a variety of animals. Warning! If you are afraid of snakes (I'm terrified!!!) they have two snakes in the play area and more in the animal area. read more

This museum is best for locals within 20 min drive with kids under 5. It's a small place for small kids. Rarely crowded its a great retreat. While it has less to do than other larger children's museums, the fact that there is easy acces, parking, and very limited crowds makes this perfect place for a toddler to play and learn. This museum is not a destination in and of itself, but for what it is, it's a very special place. read more

This museum is perfect for children ages 1-about 7 or 8 I'd say. There is a hands on play area where the kids can learn about old downtown Manchester. There are lots of activities scattered all around this area, such as: books, puzzles, chalkboard, 'mail-room', tic-tac-toe board, kitchen area, dress up, 'milking' a mechanic cow, a small nature center with a few displays the kids can learn from, and much more. The museum has live animals scattered around as well. The second main room is dedicated to live animals. Children have the chance to look at, read about, and interact with the animals in this room. Staff members also allow visitors to pet and get a real hands on interaction with some animals throughout the day as well. There are also areas to rest and eat a snack during your visit too. It is a very small museum, but it is great for the youngsters and families for a small day visit. It is also a non-profit museum that is truly dedicated to giving back to the community and teaching the public about animals and the environment. read more

Luckily my nieces were young enough to not realize how unimpressive this place is. In short, two rooms, one which had long tables and a stage (nothing to do in there the day we visited) and the other had essentially themed playhouses. The 'nature center' was about the size of a small bathroom and had ONE turtle in it. The farm had a plastic like cow, some dirty costumes in a box and a loft. Personally I don't think adults should have to pay for admission. There was nothing for an adult to do in this place. Also- there was only one staff member working at the front desk who just said 'have a good time' and gave no direction or guidebooks or anything. 'Museum' is a stretch - it's more of a play house than anything. The kids were free to play at will in the play house like structures but there was nothing overly Interactive and no technology involved except for a button that started a model train. All in all, a significant disappointment and I'm just thankful I got this on a Groupon because I would have been very upset if I had paid full price for such a misleading purchase. read more

The Lutz Children's Museum is a warm and welcoming learning environment. The staff is helpful and attentive, the animal room is clean and engaging, and the "main street" exhibit is cute and full of places for kids to explore. The Lutz gets better every time I am here. read more

Came here with family and had a great time! Fun atmosphere, great educational programs, and my family loved the animal room. Overall, a great time. read more

This Museum is an excellent place to bring your young kids. Easily the best family friendly museum in the state! The kids had a great time.

I recently brought my 5 year old niece to the Lutz on a rainy Wednesday afternoon. I was very impressed and she had a wonderful time! The staff was knowledgeable and friendly, and I felt comfortable letting my niece explore and play on her own as everything was very safe. Her favorite part was the animal room, which houses and protects quite a few different animals, some of which have disabilities that won't allow them to live on their own in the wild, including an adorable three legged turtle. As an animal lover, it is always great to see organizations housing and educating about nature and animals! One of the staff members even brought out a giant bunny for the kids to pet and learn about. The main exhibit was the 1940's Main Street in Manchester replica that includes a little apartment just like one from the 40's, a market, and a farm room complete with a fake milkable cow. It was refreshing to see kids playing and learning hands on instead of sitting at home watching TV. I am seriously considering getting a membership to the Lutz! read more