Have a 18month old that just loves this place. Great place for even older kids to play on the indoor play equipment. My son could live at the water table. Place is always clean, staff is always welcoming and bathrooms are always clean. We will be back many more times can't rate this place high enough on family fun. read more

Muncie Children's Museum - Water table fun! - Children's Museums Near Me - Muncie, Indiana

Just barely three stars, and only three stars because my children seemed to enjoy our visit. Like someone else said, this children's museum has seen better days, and those days were probably about 20 years ago. Everything is very old, dingy and dated. There are literally computer printouts taped to the walls as decorations. Many of the exhibits have broken and dirty objects in them, like torn upholstery on the chairs, dirty play food, torn carpet. Now, there is some art that is laminated, but those are peeling off the walls and placed on the wall all crooked. All these things make the museum feel so neglected. We got there on a weekday right when it opened, and the staff was still vacuuming while the children were running around and playing. Really? You can't do this before you open? Children were running around and jumping over the vacuum cord. Then, when I went to the gift shop to buy some food, the same dumb vacuum was placed right in front of the door so that I had to walk around it. Each of these things are not very big, but it's little things like this that show lack of attention to detail and bad customer service. The restroom is extremely old, and the handicap stall that I visited did not have a working lock. The toilet seat was literally disintegrating. The whole museum is not very well ventilated, and I kept smelling kid farts everywhere I went. (FYI: Kids fart a lot.) This museum is two stories, but when we visited, the exhibits upstairs were blocked off and no one could use them. Our visit was contained to the downstairs portion. I came with low expectations, but this was ridiculous and disappointing. Well, disappointing to me. My kids had fun, which is the whole point of visiting a children's museum, right? Nevertheless, I most likely won't be back unless the children beg me, which probably won't happen because there are many other places to play that are not in a state of disrepair. read more

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The water table is awesome! And the pretend play areas. The staff was very friendly.

We came for a relaxing visit with our grand daughter and enjoyed our time. The building is tucked in with other buildings so it's a bit confusing to find. I'm not sure how long it has been in service but all exhibits were in good repair. The team here was very friendly and helpful. The exhibits are all hands on. Lots of emphasis on play and trying things to learn. Not much instruction on how to do things. Definitely no TVs or other electronics to take you away from doing hands on/body engaging things. We really liked the giant slide. The small turtle exhibits were interesting as well for a 3 year old. Playing house and kitchen and food was also appealing. A piano that you bang the keys on is always interesting as well. Give this place a try if you are in Muncie and looking for something different to do. read more

I really wanted to love this museum. There is great space and infrastructure, but it just fails in the details. Volunteers and a few hundred dollars could change this museum from meh to really fun and educational. For example, there is a pretend veterinarian office that I was excited for as we climbed the steps. What was in this well built cozy space? There were a few stuffed animals, a couple posters and a few laminated cards with X-ray photos. It was like someone had this awesome idea, built a great structure for it and then walked away. So disappointing. How do you make this existing area a place for kids to want to play and learn? Add a scale to weigh the animals, a couple stethoscopes, toy syringes for shots, a couple lab coats, a few bandages to wrap up broken animal bones and a microscope with animals related slides. The hard and expensive work has already been done, it just needs to be finished. This is just one example of what needs to happen in nearly every area of the museum. The under 5 year old area had some really nicely built areas including a tree house, boat, market, etc. Such fun ideas and the structures were in good shape. However, it's the details that made it fall flat. There were just a handful of duplo blocks for building - not enough for more than one kid, puzzles that were missing pieces, toy mailboxes with nothing to put in them, etc. Elsewhere in the museum these examples continue. There is a nice stage area for kids to put on a show but there are no costumes or props. Magnetic fishing seems really fun but the magnets are just frustrating and too hard for kids to handle. The piano has signage that says to look for the "blue" keys yet none of the keys are blue. There was a really nice outdoor space that was just wasted. There was a neat tree house to climb but nothing to do other than spin one steering wheel at the top. Nice tables provided a place to sit but there wasn't anything outside that captured a child's attention long enough to warrant sitting. Maybe the area is used for special events or summer camps? My nearly 3 year old and I spent 2 hours at the museum which was enough time for him to do everything he was wanted and revisit favorite areas. Again, I really wanted to love this little museum. Some TLC, elbow grease and a few hundred dollars could make a huge impact. read more

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Well I haven't been to the Muncie Childern's Museum since well I was a kid myself back in the early 80's so I rember the old place and have been spoiled living in Indianapolis with our Children's museum. But all in all the new location is pretty nice. I liked the outdoor space a lot it was imaginative, and leveraged local themes in its design. The play area was not open though as the turtles were breeding in that area. Inside my two kids 5 and 10 both found plenty to entertain and learn about for around 2 1/2 hours. They both had a great time. Sometimes it is funny but my daughter couldn't get enough of the seemingly simple Ant Crawl area right up front. While my son loved seeing the full size big rig that is in back. They even have a whole tiny village with stores, a school, a doctors office to play in. They have a pretty nice play area inside to climb on and a decent sized slide that both my kids enjoyed. And a neat feature that we all liked was the huge and very elaborate model railroad that is built inside. In the back there is a special area for kids under 5 to play and my daughter was still young enough to play here but it will definitely appeal to those with the young toddlers. There is a small water play table that is nice, not as elaborate as the Indy museum but similar in a smaller scale. In the upper level there is a PBS kids lab but the stations that were working were all in use. The only complaint here is that some of the stations were out of order. Also the whole fire safety area was not open either I am not sure if they are redoing that area. Overall for the price which is a reasonable $6 per person. They also offer a free day which I happend to luckily be visiting on the 3rd Sunday of each month. However, it will be extremely busy but wasn't too bad. Also a unique feature is they have quite a few different animals/insects/reptiles/ and turtles on display to see. read more

In the two weeks since I wrote my initial review of Muncie Children's Museum, a 1-star review indicating my concerns about being refused admission and an overall, unwritten policy denying admission to adults without a child, I have been called a variety of names in written response with most coming in via other forms of social media - names such as "perv," "creep," "libtard," and a handful of others. In fact, I've even received one threat of physical harm. I guess those Muncie folks take their children's museum seriously, eh? The truth is that after two weeks of receiving mostly negative feedback and nary a comment at all from the actual organization, I was starting to wonder if it was all worth it. Then, yesterday I received a message from a former employee of the museum who actually responded respectfully and made some recommendations about how I could effectively address my concerns and whom I should actually contact to do so. She expressed her own concerns about an adult being in the museum, which I certainly understand, and she also seemed to doubt that I was actually "refused" admission (I was!). However, I really appreciated her respectful tone and I felt like she was listening. I followed up by e-mail with the contact she'd given me and by this afternoon had received a written response that addressed my concerns, explained their position, but also listened to one recommendation I had, in particular, that would honor their practices while addressing my concerns. I explained my reason for visiting and the situation I was in during my visit to Muncie that led to my attempt to check out the museum. Part of my reasoning was to, in essence, offer the possibility that there are legitimate reasons an adult may wish to visit. In the response I received, I learned that the museum accepted my recommendation that a statement be added to the website offering a process through which adults could visit with advance notice. The website offers a direct contact person and a clear, concise policy that takes away the guess work. Had this policy been on the website prior to my attempted visit, I certainly would have followed it as it's used by other children's museums. While I'd never had this experience in Indiana, I was aware of one other museum that had a similar concern/policy and I found it to be a reasonable, fair compromise. I was extremely impressed that the museum implemented it all quickly and, in fact, it had been added to their website even before I received a response. While I certainly will always speak up when an admission policy or other business practices seems unfair, I will also always respect the need of a business to protect those they serve. The door was left open that I would be able to visit in the future, with advanced notice, and I appreciated the tremendous clarity and commitment of the organization in communicating with me and in developing this solution. read more

We came here last year before my granddaughter could walk, and things were rather dirty and worn out but we tried to have a good time. Here it is a year later and I decided to take my granddaughter back now that she can walk. We had a busload of kids right before us and they were just leaving when we got there. The entire place was in disarray and so many things are worn out, dirty, broken, and the employees were just sitting in the office. Not trying to pick up after the chaos of the school bus. My granddaughter didn't know the difference and still had a good time, but I feel like we both need to go take a bath now. Someone should have at least been walking around with a cleaning bottle cleaning up the toys because clearly people are going to put stuff in their mouth. Even the little cracker boxes and the Pop-Tart boxes in the kitchen are all torn apart. How hard would it be to get a new empty Pop-Tart box? Or empty cracker box. Maybe it's a question of funding and it doesn't have much to go on? But things need to be spruced up, painted, and thoroughly cleaned. read more

The children's museum is a really cool place and the kid that my wife and I brought really loves this place. But I feel that this place needs a lot of TLC...everything seems really dusty, the floors are dirty. Half of the trains seem like they don't work and many other displays seem very worn down or broke. Don't get me wrong, I will come back, but I wish they would invest some time in cleaning and refreshing this place. read more

The museum was great. My children, ages 3 and 6 had a fantastic time and are eager to return. We were there for a few hours and they did not want to leave. Like many museums and attractions there are broken exhibits and items in need of repair, but with the price of admission, what is available for viewing and experiencing is more than sufficient. We completed the coloring activity listed on the webpage and the museum honored my children's request to receive their free sand-art, which they were able to make themselves! At the end of the day my children had a fantastic time and we look forward to visiting again. Thank you muncie children's museum! read more

I love the museum for little ones. A lot of people have complained about the lack of items in various areas but if you look around you will find that kids have taken them to another area and left them. I have taken my grandchildren and now my great grandchildren and they don't seem to care. It's all in how you perceive the place that the kids do as well. One person complained of the lack of books. Again look in other areas but also donate some books. Books gets destroyed by so many kids playing with them. They have great programs at various times of the year. And it is one place you feel safe letting your kids run. You can virtually see almost everyone if one runs off. The kids don't care if it is a little dated if they can have fun. The staff is great and helpful. I'm actually taking my great grandson again today so I expect a lot of laughs watching him run around. read more

I'm not sure what happened in two months, but the whole place looks like it's in need of some serious attention. The train tables are missing all but three little magnetic train cars, the "grocery store" is "lit" with Christmas lights (it's about as bright as a movie theater before previews in there), and the downstairs portion of the play house looks like a crackhouse, with ripped furniture and nude baby dolls strewn everywhere. The upstairs of the house is roped off. Perhaps it's been condemned. The semi truck has a mattress in the sleeper cab looks like it was borrowed from the crackhouse. The xylophone attached to the music stand is missing about 25% of its bars. They still have displays up from Christmas, and the gift shop is almost completely barren. I get that this is a children's museum and the exhibits are meant to be experienced and played with, but everything looks so... sad. My son doesn't know the difference - he's happy playing with the blocks and slides and pressing the buttons to make the train go - but I kind of wonder if this little museum isn't struggling beyond repair. read more

Although somewhat small, it offer plenty for kids to entertain themselves with. They have done some remodeling since the last time we came and a new exhibit was being featured. They have a small area for toddlers that has age appropriate activities. If you are looking for a few hours away from the house, I would suggest bringing in to burn off some steam! read more

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This place needs help. The attractions are broken or missing things, some to the point of being dangerous. It feels like someone stopped caring a long time ago about this place. That's sad because it has potential. read more

Muncie has a population of like 40,000 or so. So don't come with super high expectations. Entrance is 6.00 a person and understand what you are paying for.... and open play space. The museum is actually a zone for children to play in and if I still lived in Muncie I would probably have a member ship because my kid loved it. There's animals through out the museum and some of them are touchable. Turtles, tortoises, snakes, birds a rabbit and alligator all live here. There an itty bitty water table, an ant farm kids can climb in, semi truck, a tot spot for 5 and under, fossil dig area, a make believe clinic, school, marsh store, living room, theater etc. There's a beautiful outside space that has a tree fort and several water features. As one yelper kvetched there's garfield stuff here. Well, yeah Jim Davis is from Fairmount like 35 miles away. What are they gonna have a feature on Ball Glass who packed up and left in the 90's ? Or a piece about Ball State Univ? What I will say is that the Garfield piece is somewhat interesting because they showed how some plush garfields are made.....OVERSEAS. There are pictures showing a sad factory with workers in protective gear, spray painting stripes on orange fabric cats and stuffing them with plush.... I guess I was surprised by the candidness of the shots. I felt bad looking at the pics because I realized the women and men toil over these garfields for very little money, and if they have to use protective gear then there are aspect of that job that aren't safe, like inhalation of paint and fiber stuffing. ----I think too much. Anywho..... will your kids really learn something? Nah. Will they have fun playing and scooting around this space? Yea. I think the age cap is probably 11 or 12. Its entertaining enough for 2-3 hours. My only miffs are that they have things there that the kids Can and Can't climb on. If its a space for kids they will scale anything. They had caution tape around the semi cause it's missing seats, well that ain't good enough because my kid followed several others up there. Then they are working on a barn piece with a stair well. There wasn't a sign saying under construction, and the only way I found that out is a lil girl tried to go up there and this old man stopped her. You really have to block off work zones in any space where kids are, like throw up some netting and trip wires, something! read more

I went today all together there were five kids & three adults. I didn't even know this place existed until this year. It's in Muncie so is it big? Nope! Did that stop the show? Nope! Admission is $6. & we got in for $3 a piece because of a special they were running. In Indianapolis the cost is $11.50 for kids, & $16.50 for adults. It's not extremely big, honestly maybe as big as your local grocery store or so. There is a water exhibit for the kids to play with. A lot of Garfield stuff, & a couple different interaction areas. They had a semi that the kids could get in the front of. A tractor they could sit on. A Marsh grocery store, a kitchen to cook in, a mock dentist office, as well a mock barn. They also had a few animals, a baby alligator, a couple parakeets, bunny rabbit, snake & tarantula are a few off the top of my head. The gift shop had more than one thing under a dollar, which is rare to find now a days. Did I feel like I was in the Smithsonian nope not at all, but could the kids run around & play by themselves without us hovering over them out of fear? Yes Would I go again yep! read more

A nice little gem in Muncie for kids. The staff was very friendly and helpful during our visit. It was nice and quiet. In fact, it was just our family and two other families there. The price is very reasonable. My 3 year old was engaged and had fun. We spent about two hours here. I would say that it does need some updating but for the price, it was a fun little afternoon. read more

Muncie Children's Museum - Children's Museums Near Me - Muncie, Indiana

Our 4 year old loved it. I was not thrilled because they had snakes I do NOT do snakes... Caged or not lol! If I realized before I paid to get in I would not of went in. Felt kind of empty there are nice parts but wish there was a bit more to it. Waited a long time for a staff member to take our payment too. We stood at counter for nearly 10 minutes waiting to be greeted. My daughter loved it and after all what can I expect from Muncie. read more

The new toddler play area is awesome. My 18 month old loved it. He's not quite old enough to play on much else yet, but I still love taking him. Definitely worth it. read more

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/18/1851876.html This stat states that there are 70,000 people, a bit more than 40,000 -not sure if that total includes when Ball State is in session. The museum is small, but so is the funding. They offer free Saturdays every third one of the month, which is awesome for low-income families that would love a safe place for there children to play/explore. They also offer space for parties. They allow field trips to come through and give a program about fire safety, which is what the upstairs is for -the demonstration for the children. The tot spot was just finished late last year and was beautifully designed by BSU students. At xmas time, they give out free presents on the free Saturaday...Awesome...They also host the health fair too for community awareness. One can be crass about going there, but I think it's great. No, it is not big like the Indy museum, but they don't have the Indy museum's budget either...The building also houses the convention center as well. read more