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    Marbles Kids Museum

    4.5 (303 reviews)
    Open 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
    Updated 2 weeks ago

    Marbles Kids Museum Photos

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    Jordan C.

    In town for the State Fair, we had a few free days in Raleigh. With some free time, we decided to take the kids to Marbles. Both our younger middle schooler and kindergartener were happy with the visit. Both found fun things and although the younger ones have a little bit more available the older kids can still find a lot to entertain them. We went on a Friday afternoon so the crowds were very light which I'm sure helped the experience being so awesome for us. Both kids favorite experiences were the painting area and the sports sections.

    Hours and entrances
    Jennifer H.

    Marbles Kids Museum in a Nutshell: A vibrant wonderland for little ones (toddlers to 3rd grade)! Downstairs = epic play kitchen, splash zone, pirate ship, submarine, & chill low-sensory room. Upstairs = sports galore, artsy fun, and even animated art! Crowd favorite? The exploding piggy bank in the money zone--pure kid joy!

    Fred S.

    Marbles is a large kids museum in downtown Raleigh with a truly massive variety of activities for kids. Some of the top attractions were an electrical exhibit area, musical instruments, water tables, and sports equipment. There are activities for kids from 1 to about 10. We spent nearly two hours playing and marbles and still didn't get to every attraction. It is the biggest and probably best kids museum I've seen. The price for two adults and a kid was under 40$ and they have some discounts available for first responders etc. if you're in the area with kids this is a must do in Raleigh.

    April R.

    I took all 4 grandkids, ages 10-months to 17. All 4 of them had a great time. There is so much to do and for such a wide age-range.

    Marbles Kids Museum
    Steph T.

    Came here on a weekday with my five year old niece and she had a blasty blast! We were visiting from out of town and wanted to give her some time to run around. This place was great for that! She could run and play and touch everything! Just what she needed. Very interactive playgrounds and spaces. My only complaint was that the A/C was broken in the Moneypalooza room and it was so hot my group had to rotate turns staying with my niece and breathing fresh cool air outside the door.

    Holly K.

    Updating my review as Marbles has continued to remain awesome as my soon gets older. First off it is very affordable to visit for the day, especially compared to some other spots in the area. I still love all the variety you could go on a Saturday and go back on Sunday and do completely different things. The new updated water play area is a great addition. My son still loves spending time at the train table (although kids keep accidentally stealing trains), our next biggest hit is the electricity room upstairs. The lego wall is a big hit as is their painting wall. The technology in their travel drawing room still impresses me everytime too. When the weather cooperates the garden in the back is great as is the front music/sand area. We go on the weekend and either try for street parking or park in the city deck right across the street.

    Falan E.

    Marbles 21 Adult event review: I appreciated the Wizarding Wizzard event for what it offered. There were plenty of adult version games to participate in or just be a spectator on the sidelines. A nice change of pace for something different. I can honestly say I had the most fun playing DIY Beer Pong. You will not be disappointed in the experience and games. My only suggestion is to eat your dinner before you leave home. The Marbles21 event doesn't cater to good food options. As a museum (primarily a kid's domain) transformed to cater to adults for the event. The food options weren't great. There was an excessive amount of junk food which is to be expected for this type of space/event. Marbles should invest in insulated coverage for the pizza until ready to serve. The staff was selling cold slices of pizza. Food should not be sitting out for over two hours because it's subject to bacteria growth after that. I do feel bringing in outside food should be allowed. There wasn't any real cocktails. There were low-calorie beer/spritzer options and wine. Overall, this was a good time and it met my expectations for what I paid to receive on this visit. The experience aligned.

    Aimee N.

    This is a really fun place to bring the kids! It is very, very big and very clean! They have so many things to do including outside and inside things. The staff are very nice and I was really impressed with how many different items they have. Each room is a different theme and it kept me busy as an adult!

    Elexis D.

    Definitely a cool children's museum to visit. Lots of stuff to do with you preschool & Elementary age kids. Two floors of fun! The only thing that disappointed me was my 12 year old still loves children's museums and most of the activities were directed towards younger kids. We go to children's museums all over the area and this is the only one we've been to that doesn't.

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    1 year ago

    Great place to take kids of all ages it's even fun for adults. It's best to buy tickets online for a quick check in.

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    2 years ago

    We always have fun visiting here. They continually update the place and keep it clean.

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    3 years ago

    Excellent spot for the kids and the kids at heart. Lots of learning opportunities. So glad this was on the list of places to go.

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    Ask the Community - Marbles Kids Museum

    Would a twelve year old boy be too old to enjoy Marbles?

    I think a lot of it is geared towards younger children, but there are quite a few activities that a 12 year old would like. There is a huge lego wall, a wood shop building station, you can build and race cars down a track, as well as some sports… Read more

    Are there age limits per exhibit/room?

    Only areas reserved for toddlers

    Is it free on monday?

    Marbles charges admission every day of the week. On mondays, marbles does not allow groups such as school groups to come.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Review Highlights - Marbles Kids Museum

    My kids (3 and 5 yo) wanted to stay a lot longer, particularly in the KidGrid, Moneypalooza, Ideaworks and Power2Play.

    Mentioned in 10 reviews

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    Exterior of the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, focused on the SECU Daily Planet, with the NEC to the left and NRC to the right.
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    Summary: 4.0 - Free and art go hand-in-hand here. If you like both, NC MoA is worth your time…read more Free admission to the NCMA to see art and history is a gift. If one doesn't mind the West Building (although new, it felt old to me), the different galleries containing historical art pieces (new and old, and very old) organized by continents are educational and surprisingly full of variety. The East Building (original one) hosts both permanent and limited-time collections. I've enjoyed a car exhibit, but my favorite limited-time exhibit featured Academy Award winner Ruth E. Carter's costumes for the movies "Black Panther", "Selma", "Amistad", and others. Her showcase exhibit was well worth the price of admission. A huge museum park provides miles of trails and places for picnics. If one plans accordingly, a series of trails connects all the way from the museum to downtown Raleigh! MISC Opened in 1956. Has pieces that originate from about 5,000 years ago (but thankfully it doesn't take that long to go through the museum). The museum is accessibility-friendly. A museum store and café are onsite. Tours are available. Outdoor concerts are on hiatus at the time of this review for "facility improvements." Be sure to check the museum's website for updates.

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    The Randleigh Dairy Heritage Museum is just up the road from Howling Cow Creamery. Its hours are…read morelimited, so check before trying to visit. Tours of the campus and facilities are offered. I've taken both the walking tour and the tram tour. The museum honors William Rand Kenan, Jr. He was a UNC-Chapel Hill graduate and a North Carolina resident. He had a passion for dairy farming. So how did these cows end up at NC State and not UNC-Chapel Hill? In Kenan's will, he left his dairy farm, 78 Jersey cows, and an agriculture education endowment to the University of North Carolina System. The university system chose NC State as it had the College of Agriculture, pastures, and animal husbandry programs and students who could handle the cows. So NC State owned these cows and the farm in Lockport, NY and needed to transport them to Raleigh. Thankfully, the endowment was $2 million. This fund allowed for their care and dairy research. The museum came about in 2016 and officially opened in 2018. From the outside, it looks like a dairy barn. Inside, it is a hands-on museum with many storyboards as well. You can hear how cows "moo" in other parts of the world. You can learn how food moves through a cow's digestive track. You can try churning some butter. You can learn about Kenan and the cows, too. On this tour, I opted for the 30-minute tram tour, where you can see the cows from a distance, the new arrivals, the fields where their food is grown, and the milking bar from the tram. It gave a good overview without needing the biohazard gear. Corn, Hay and Sorghum Fields grow their food. There is a grain mill on site. Animal nutrition students ensure that the cows have a scientifically formulated diet with vitamins and nutrients so they remain healthy and produce the ultra-rich milk that makes the ice cream so good. The butterfat is used for the Howling Cow ice cream, the milk is distributed for on campus dining and markets, and the surplus goes to the state hospitals and prisons. Howling Cow Creamery opened in 2020 and made this agritourism possible. Kenan's legacy is in every bite of Howling Cow ice cream. If you get an opportunity to check out this mostly-student-run operation, I highly recommend it.

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    Marbles Kids Museum - childrensmuseums - Updated June 2026

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