We loved the Please Touch Museum. This is a place we would drive to from New York as destination in of itself. It's perfectly age-appropriate for a toddler, and they have reciprocity with other ACM museums, like the one we have a membership to. The museum is gigantic, and it nearly call is toddler friendly. My kid loved the fake cars, the maze, and of course, the water play area. I will say, that my son is probably going to age out of it when he turns four, so be aware of that if your kid is on the older side read more

I'm probably not the target audience for this museum considering I am, in fact, an adult and not a six-year-old, so take this review with that disclaimer in mind. I came as part of a 52 Firsts event, which was lovely. We were given wristbands and got a special tour that included access to the large Centennial Exhibition model downstairs. That was actually one of my favorite parts of the visit. The model recreates the 1876 Centennial Exposition that once occupied Fairmount Park and gives you a fascinating look at what Philadelphia looked like when it hosted the first World's Fair in the United States. The level of detail is impressive, and it's one of those exhibits where you keep noticing new things the longer you look. Our guide was knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and clearly passionate about the history. As for the museum itself, it absolutely delivers on its name. This is a place designed for children to touch, climb, explore, sing, build, and generally burn through every ounce of energy they have. If you're a parent looking for somewhere to tire your kids out, I can definitely see the appeal. That said, it is loud. Very loud. There are interactive activities everywhere, constant movement, and lots of sensory stimulation. I noticed a few overwhelmed kids having meltdowns in quieter corners while others were having the time of their lives singing and participating in group activities. Kids who thrive on interaction and hands-on play will probably love it. Kids with sensory sensitivities may have a tougher time. The building itself is stunning. Memorial Hall is worth seeing even before you step inside. The architecture is gorgeous, and the replica Statue of Liberty arm is such a fun and unexpected piece of history to encounter. The entire space feels grand in a way that contrasts nicely with all the children's activities happening inside. One minor downside was that some of the floors were pretty sticky. Then again, thousands of children are running through here touching everything and spilling things, so I can't say I was particularly shocked. My shoes occasionally sticking to the floor bothered me more than it would bother the average child. Overall, I'm glad I finally visited since seeing all of Philadelphia's museums has been on my bucket list for years. While I probably wouldn't return on my own as an adult without children, I'm happy I got the chance to experience it. And honestly, that Centennial Exhibition model downstairs alone was worth seeing for anyone interested in Philadelphia history. read more

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I came here on a weekday, so it was not crowded at all. My daughter is 5 now and I would say she was on the edge of being a little too old for the touch museum. I think this place is best for 2-4 year olds. They have a lot of hands on play areas - ice cream maker, a giant pretend supermarket and the place is huge. Also, there is plenty of seating for family members, which is key. (Compared to franklin institute, which had extremely sparse seating.) I also appreciate that you can buy a one time unlimited ticket to the carousel for $5 plus service fee of 75 cents. They also have some classroom activities that you can sign up for. I really liked the pH testing class they had that day. read more

What a delight the Please Touch Museum was for my family! We visited on the recommendation of my brother- and sister-in-law, who we were visiting in Philly. I admit that I thought this might entertain the crazy masses of children among us for maybe 30 minutes, but we ended up staying for a couple of hours -- and probably could have stayed longer if not for nap times. This beautiful building has different spaces that kiddos can interact with -- from mini towns and shopping areas, water tables and a giant "Alice in Wonderland" area. It also boasts a fun carousel, which was worth the extra cost. The Please Touch Museum also has a great food court, which came in handy. Even for adults, it was hard not to want to play with everything as well. I wish I had something like this when I was a kid! The tickets are a little on the steep side at $24 for anyone over 1, but in terms of time spent, this was worth the price. read more

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We love this place, there is something for every kind of kid - for the high energy kids who need to climb and run (like mine), for those that are still crawling, for the kids with different sensory needs (I thought it would be too overwhelming), the kids who love fantasy and whimsy, for the kids who want quiet time with a cute book in a corner. There is something for the future engineers, artists, mechanics, astronauts, bakers, etc etc etc. It's impossible to see everything in one day so it doesn't get boring even after multiple trips and as your child grows their perspective changes. the membership basically pays for itself after 2 trips (love that free parking, unlimited carousel rides and discounted cafe and gift shop items with membership). Since it's indoors, it's a wonderful rainy or cold day activity, a place to just let kids be kids. We also love that many of the "exhibits" are reflective of real life - how cute are the septa bus, trolley and the supermarket? There are mini workshops on the lowest level (make sure to check what ages they are appropriate for). Usually I expect cafes in these types of places to be ridiculously overpriced but I think the prices here were quite fair. I also love how clean everything is, it is HARD to keep things clean since kids are basically petri dishes - my son and I have tried out several indoor play spaces and there are a few where he got so reliably sick after a visit that we just stopped going, The Please Touch Museum is not one of them. My only complaint is that I wish there were more bathrooms - us potty training parents are suffering. But otherwise, I'm happy to renew my membership AND I love gifting memberships to my other parent friends so we can have chill play dates together. read more

Please Touch Museum - Museums Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

All I can remember of our visit here was watching kids hang from the ceilings. Ok, not really, but I needed to look up not to feel overwhelmed. I came on a very hot summer day at around 11am on a free weekend. Ok, I was not set up for success, but almost immediately, we were all overwhelmed. Even getting to the bathroom felt like a battle. At a place like this, one is always in a tacit battle with parents who are not paying attention and those who are paying a bit too much attention. The dynamic felt a little pushy. It was hard to get into any specific part to interact with without feeling some competition. The grocery store is obviously one of the best attractions, but when they're refilling the area, the tension is palpable. Honestly, we were all excited to get out of there. read more

Please Touch Museum - I looked up to see if there were kids hanging from the ceiling - but there were some cool celestial decor - Museums Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Checked out this museum and it did not disappoint! The unlimited $5 carousel rides are a neat option. I like the café and there are plenty of options for kids and adults alike. We actually found parking right outside, which was maybe a stroke of luck but that saved us 18 bucks which was nice. Some of the exhibits seemed a little older, possibly outdated maybe need a little upkeep but in general there was a lot of fun things for 3, 4, 5 year-olds. My 3 year old loved the water exhibits and they offered vests for the kids to stay dry! I'm not sure I'd bring an older kids here but that's a pretty good age group. read more

Please Touch Museum - Play area - Museums Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

SO MUCH FUN! Best children museum out there. It is definitely a must visit if you have kids anywhere from toddler age to 9ish 10. It is NOT overrated. It is HUGE. Multiple levels with many hands on fun, crafts workshops, and shows to see. There's just so much to do! There's even a carousal for unlimited rides for just a few dollars per child. We spent a good 3-4 hours at the museum and still felt like we could stay longer... except we had to leave because they were closing. LOL. I would love to come back if we ever come back to Philly... hopefully soon while the kids are still young enough to enjoy it. My boys were ages 5 and 7 when we visit earlier this year. They had an absolute blast. read more

While the museum was pricey, it was so worth it! We brought my 2 year old and we all had the best time. She loveddd the grocery store. The little carts and belt to scan your items with the credit cards was so cute! She also loved the water area and the Septa bus. It was fun to explore everything and I appreciate there were so many lights and sounds for little ones to press and learn from. I appreciate we could bring food or snacks in, but we ate lunch in the food court. The food was pretty basic so I wish we had brought our own but I appreciate they had pouches, hummus, etc in the grab and go section. I hear it can get very busy, but we came right when they opened on a Sunday. It was also a nice weather day, so I think a lot of people went to the zoo instead so we got lucky. read more

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It doesn't get much better than this for a children's museum! We spent all day here (minus about an hour-we arrived about an hour after opening), and could've easily come back the next day and spent another day here. A couple of tips: *check out the schedule for the creative arts studio and makers space. If you want to sign up, hang around that area because it fills up quickly and registration is only available an hour or so before. *the food and family exhibit has specific times it closes for cleaning. * plan to follow the end of day parade-so much fun! * unlimited carousel is so worth it to purchase There is just so much to explore here! Water play area is awesome too! Both my 3 year old and 6 year old did not want to leave. Coming from another city, we stayed overnight prior to our visit and I'd highly recommend doing that so you can get an early start. If we were local we'd absolutely have a membership! read more

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This is an EXCELLENT place to take your toddler. Children's are able to touch everything, play with foam, water, cars, play food, play grocery shopping, and so much more. They also have a carousel for kids to ride with or without their parents. They have a cafeteria with kids friendly food and a gift shop with souvenirs. read more

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I decided to visit the museum during one of their free days. I took the 38 bus from the Amtrak station to Please touch me museum. As a lot service got discontinued for septa on 8/24/2025, a lot of the septa bus schedules and routes got messed. I was able to find the correct 38 stop to the Please touch me museum. It was a 30 minute ride and too me a few steps to the museum. Since it was free, museum was packed. Experience was not that enjoyable because kids were everywhere and all the adults were sitting on the available seats. The grocery station downstairs was a mess because there was not enough carts for everyone. It was good to get a preview of the museum. I will definitely come back when it is less packed. read more

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What a great space for a poorly maintained museum. We stopped in with my four year old on a road trip to DC as it broke up the drive nicely and it was such a disappointment. It was so expensive for such a poorly maintained museum. Many exhibits were dirty, in disrepair, or just plain missing pieces. The parts that could be great like the vet clinic and grocery store were in such disrepair. The art area looked neat but was unfortunately closed when we stopped in read more

We went here during one of the free admission during the summer time. It was a very big museum located in a big grassy field . We were able to explore all the areas. It was kind of chaotic since it was free so we had to wait for our turn. It was still a good museum for the kids. You can basically spend a whole day here. There is also story time if you time it correctly. The Alice in wonderland maze was pretty cool. They are have an eating area if you want to buy food. A big merry go round inside, additional pay for this one. read more

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Must visit if you have young children! We were in Philly for the weekend from New York. We visit museums often in the tri-state area. The Please Touch museum was amazing and our favorite so far! Tons of different sensory areas to keep them engaged and having fun. The place is huge, it never felt overly crowded. The water sensory stations and supermarket area were my kids' favorites. I have three under six and they all had an amazing time. I would definitely return. The food was reasonably priced as well unlike other museums. Five stars!! read more

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The Please Touch Museum is a children's museum that opened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in October 1976. It was founded by Montessori educator Portia Sperr. The museum's mission is to create a space where children can explore the world through play and learn through curiosity. It began as a small operation with 25 children at a time, staffed entirely by volunteers, and was initially located at the Academy of Natural Sciences. The museum moved to a larger location two years later. By 1983, it had to another location on 21st Street near the Franklin Institute. In 2005, the museum received an 80-year lease to operate at Memorial Hall: a much larger location with room for more exhibits. The museum officially opened at Memorial Hall in October 2008. My family and I recently visited the Please Touch Museum while we were on a short trip to Philadelphia. Since my wife and I became parents, we are always on the lookout for good children's museums. The Please Touch Museum may just be the best one we've ever visited! There were so many different areas for our two young sons to explore: Roadside Attractions, the Rocket Room, the Storytime Cabin, Wonderland, Nature's Pond, the Imagination Playground, Food and Family, the Fairytale Garden, Adventure Camp, and much more. We definitely think our sons' favorite exhibit was River Adventures, which focuses on water play. They spent so much time here. In addition to all of the great exhibits, the museum is also home to a historic circa-1908 Woodside Park Dentzel Carousel which we loved riding on. We spent about 3 hours at the museum, but our sons probably could have spent the entire day there and not have been bored. We highly recommend the Please Touch Museum to families with young children! We hope to return in the future! read more

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We spent 2 hours running, playing, climbing and enjoying the museum. My 5 year old wanted to stay for hours more! The carousel is great. There's a little cafe and lots of seating to relax. This is a pricey adventure. We paid $65 for admittance, parking and carousel rides. But there are passes you can get and it's worth the price! It's a gorgeous building and a great learning experience and environment! Only drawback, not enough art materials in the XOXO exhibit but maybe there was a busy week w/lots of visitors. read more

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So I kinda want to give this place a 4.5 but we can't do halves so 5 it is. My wife bought the family a 1 year family membership here and she goes all the time! Otherwise tickets are 22 pp 1+. The building is gorgeous and does not fit the tenant. This is a historic landmark that feels like it should host the gugenheim or that caliber of museums, but it's a children's museum. I will say that the exhibits are very well maintained, and staff is super attentive! My gripe is that the inside needs work, a new paint job, and more tlc than they can probably afford. It's a gigantic building that fits them, but doesn't fit 5 year Olds lol! They have 2 floors of exhibits and kids are running the show here! You could spend 2 whole days here and you'd probably see everything lol! They have a few rotating exhibits. They have a massive kitchen/ grocery store downstairs that kids love! Staff close it every hour or so to restock everything they kids move lol! They have a café that is pretty reasonable for museum standards! They have a few family meal options, chicken nuggets, fries, pizza, pretzels, and a few special items. Pre made Salads and sammiches as well. Fruit, but it might be wax hahhahah! Just kidding, all kids love eating pears and bananas right? Staff is pretty solid, I wish they'd do a better job keeping bigger kids out of smaller kids sections, but it's 2025, and if you try to do that, the parents might sue... so... oh well! All in all a nice museum for kids. 12 and under would have a blast here! Something for all ages from 2 -12! If you live nearby and need something to do, come here. read more

This place is a toddler's dream. My son had fun every moment we were here. If I lived in Philadelphia, I would totally get a membership. My son's favorite sections were the car area on the first floor and the grocery shop in the bottom floor. They have so many sections and I feel like the kids could get hours out of each section. I am back home now and I wish my city had a place like this and especially a full blown play grocery, bakery, pizza shop, and restaurant like this place. My son would want to go daily. read more

I've been to (I think it's) six different children's museums spread across as many states in the past year (and really a bit less). They tend to have similar things, and they all make tradeoffs about how much to emphasize different aspects where part of the calculation is zero sum, so it's hard to rank them, but I think any parent familiar with children's museums would conclude that the Please Touch Museum is doing a great job. None of the usual children's museum staple sections are below average. The grocery store area might be the best I've seen. The water table area is tied for best. I've seen one solidly better "auto mechanic" space, but theirs compared just fine to any others besides that. There are a few things they do especially well: 1) Their Alice in Wonderland themed space on their basement level is unique, I haven't seen such a creatively designed space anywhere else, and it manages to both be a fun play space for kids and even toddlers while having some concepts that can keep the parents amused. 2) They incorporate a lot of Philly themes into their stuff in ways that are fun for locals and also fun for visitors from elsewhere who can take pictures of their kid with Philly visuals to remind them of their visit when they look through their photo albums. 3) Some of their side exhibits could be very educational, and while my not yet two year-old probably won't remember, for example, the financial lessons of their PNC-sponsored section on banking, he could have fun there, and as someone who has spent a lot of time thinking about how to teach little kids about money and who has volunteered to teach kids about those sorts of things, I think they did a great job presenting information in a way that will make sense for kids a little older. 4) We were there for closing time, and they do a brilliant little parade with instruments, and dances, etc., to help get the little ones moving towards the exit. It makes the end of the visit so smooth. No crying about leaving! The Please Touch Museum is lots of fun for little ones. read more

The biggest problem with The Please Touch Museum is the same thing that's wrong with a lot of places; TOO MANY DAMN PEOPLE. This place is called the "Please *TOUCH* Museum," so its kind of understood that everything is going to be touched....the problem is, is that everything is touched. Almost everything here that moves or turns or is meant to be TOUCHED is in some manner of disrepair. Things broken, things just moved and manipulated so many times that they no longer function properly, things missing, things FILTHY. Its to be expected, but it's still annoying. "Lets learn about space! Touch this button to hear a snippet about the stars....oh wait...that button doesn't work. Nevermind, here, lets build a car using these magnetic parts....oh wait, they all fall down because the magnets are broken or missing....ok ok, lets actuate these levers to show you how tides and current work in rivers......what? The levers don't work? Alright, lets go shopping in the play supermarket and cook in the play kitch.....what do you mean ALL of the groceries and play food are gone? Ok, how about the Drs Off......what? Even the xrays? ALL the xrays!? Ugh." NOTHING works correctly because little hellions, let loose to their own absolute feral whims have taken over. And almost invariably, it is some kid, way too big to be partaking doing most of the damage. I think the CONCEPT is fantastic. And there are some cool things inside the museum to do and see. But, Hell is other people, and the other people have absolutely destroyed this place. Parents treat it like a daycare/playground instead of an interactive LEARNING experience. "Here....go run around and tear up someone ELSE'S shit for a while, while I sit here on my phone." On our latest trip, we made the mistake of going on a day that it was free admission.....dear lord. It was like Lord Of The Flies inside. Maybe if you can go EARLY, on a weekday during the school year, or sometime where you have a CHANCE of getting there before it gets turned upside down, you'll have an ok time. That said though, once you've seen it once, you've pretty much seen it all. They DO switch up certain exhibits, but not enough to justify coming back again and again. read more

From water tables, mini grocery markets, Alice in wonderland mazes to a carousel and mini vehicles to sit in, the please touch museum has a lot of variety. They have hand sanitizer stations all around to help maintain cleanliness and smocks for the water table area. There are also several areas exclusively reserved for toddlers, which I appreciated, though no one to enforce it so some kids were a lot older than intended. Overall, loved the experience and will go back again! read more

Great Carousel ride and 3 baby areas for small children to play. Come during the week so that your child will have room to play and imagine. read more

Please Touch Museum - Traveling Exhibit - Museums Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Got a yearly membership for my grandchildren ... ONE visit ... hand foot and mouth disease. The water play area has visible algae growing and MANY broken features and this theme runs throughout. The chairs in the Alice in Wonderland tea party setup REEKED of body odor. FOR WHAT THEY ARE CHARGING ALL MEMBERS DESERVE CLEANER SPACES AND PLAY FEATURES THAT OPERATE CORRECTLY!!! DO BETTER. read more

Very educational and fun for kids. Traveled all the way from NYC and my son loved it. Didn't want to leave. He especially loved the carousel, Would def return again. read more

I haven't been here since I was a kid so I wasn't sure what to expect. It far exceeded my expectations in every way. There were so many great little details. There was so much to do, it's easy to spend a whole day here. We came on a Saturday and it does get crowded so it's best to come when it opens. They had a water area so you might want a change of clothes if your child gets really wet. We loved the carousel! $5 for unlimited rides is amazing. Everything was really clean and well organized. Parking was easy and check in went smoothly. read more

Please Touch Museum - Museums Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Overall: Awesome place to spend a good chunk of the day with kids. We loved the variety of exhibits and my 2.5 year old had a blast. There were tons of vehicles, water play, instruments, interactive art classrooms, tie dye classes, an extensive play market with tons of play food, a kitchen, Alice in Wonderland, and an India exhibit which was super cool. The employees did a great job keeping things organized and set up to promote play on the busy Saturday that we were there. I felt like it was one of the cleaner children's museums we've been to. Parking was easy. read more

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Pros - so many fun spaces for kids to roam around in! Our 4 year old and 2 year old can be entertained here for a looooong time - easy parking (lot available- free for members) - stroller friendly - you can bring your own snacks!! But for those who forget snacks, they have a cafe too! - offer seasonal events and workshops in the museum (eg. build a snow globe, nye ball drop) - the Giant marketplace is so fun and realistic for the kids - the massive vehicle section is my son's favorite, so much to explore - unlimited carousel rides!!! Cons - it can get pretty crowded and hectic on the weekend, especially rainy days! This place is amazing! There's something for every kid to explore :) read more

So far the family has had two visits to this wonderful children's museum and my little one loves it. Lots of wonderful areas to explore for little ones and interesting exhibits. There are a couple areas that I think could be more interactive or expanded but overall it's a great place. read more

This place was the best for a toddler to go and play. Highly recommend if in the area. So Much fun and great things to do that will keep your child occupied. read more

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Came here with a 9, 6 and 2 yrs old children. All seemed to have had a great time. Bought the $5 unlimited carousel offer. Went on it 4x which isn't a bad deal. Thought the 9 yr old would have been too old for it but they had a baseball exhibition which he loved. Look out for times activities - we got on the waitlist for DIY plushies which was quite fun. Overall it was a fun day. If I lived in Philly I would definitely buy an annual pass. 3 adults and 3 kids were $135 plus carousel passes @ $5 per child. read more

Please Touch Museum - Museums Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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I felt like a big kid in this place. I went on a Saturday afternoon with my family comprising of 4 children under age 8 and they had a ball! There was so much to do and to explore. I even hit my walking goal on my apple watch lol. There's something for everyone, including sensory areas for children with autism and toddler areas. This is a perfect place for a family outing and to celebrate birthdays. read more

This is probably one of the best experiences for children that I've ever come across. There are many exhibits that really tap into what kids are into from a sensory POV. The variety of experiences were rather impressive and this place can easily occupy a good chunk of the day for the kids and parents alike. My kids especially enjoyed the water exhibits on the main floor. The one thing to keep in mind is this place gets insane crowded rather quickly. It gets extremely packed inside and the parking lot fills up very fast as well. If you're someone who gets squeamish due to huge crowds in tight spaces, this place might freak you out. The parking you can get around with some street parking that you might have to do a slight walk to get to the museum .. but in terms of the indoor crowds, you'll have to simply deal. I would say despite the insanity and sometimes crazy decibel levels, it's still worth bringing the little ones here as I'm pretty sure they will be really into the fun experiences the second they walk in. read more

Please Touch Museum - Super crowded (but fun) - Museums Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Love this place. Took a weekend trip to Philly and the kids had so much fun here. There's a giant play supermarket made for toddler size and my kids were running all over the place pretending to do some shopping. This is a place that really sparks creativity and imagination. They have arts and crafts setups, giant building blocks. My kids approved. Better than all the children museums we have in NYC read more

I love this place! My family and I always have fun here, there are so many activities and events. A little bit of science with history and art. The best part is your kid can touch everything lol. This place is very neat and very clean for the amount of traffic it has. The staff is friendly and the food great. I highly recommend this place for a day trip. read more

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A fun place to take your little ones. Lots of fun exhibitions they can touch. It is a little wild on the weekend, so if you can go at the end of the weekdays that might be better. The food cage was shockingly good. The samosas were on point. I definitely plan on taking my little man back. read more

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This place is AMAZING for kids. I came here with my 2 girlfriends and our 6 kids ranging from 1-7 years old. We stayed from 10am to 330pm and the kids weren't even bored. I was able to find street parking when I arrived as they opened at 10 with no problem. We paid the extra $5 for the carousel which is definitely worth it. It's a nice perk that you're also able to bring your own food but they do have a cafe if you want to buy some food for the kids. They have so many different areas to peak each kids interest. We spent a lot of time in the supermarket area with all the different little "house" areas. However, we tried each section of this museum. It is a great place for kids' play and imagination. I highly recommend to parents to stay the day. read more

I am an educator, so my expectations were about learning through explorations. I was VERY DISSAPPOINTED. Many of the exhibits were poorly designed, and many of the pieces to the various activities were broken or scattered around the museum. Directions on using he earthquake exhibit, for example, were frustrating, - finally figure out it was because the exhibit was broken. Many older children were unsuperised, so this was a hazard to toddlers. There were no personnel around to ask questions, assist with the exhibits, or to monitor what was going on with unruly children. The cost of $51 for one adult and one toddler, was excessive for what we experienced. I don't understand why the museum is in such poor shape. This museum, evidentially, is being mismanaged. For all the money that the place makes, the state of the exhibits have not been updated or maitenanced for a while. Not to mention, that many exhibits have been insufficiently designed for exploration and discovery. The staff, are unprofessional, uninformed, and poorly trained. read more

A fun way to learn, especially when water is involved. Kids loved putting on the rain coats. Take your children, have lunch, ride the carousel A day they'll never forget. read more

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This place went beyond what I expected and was definitely worth the drive from NYC. It's very spacious with plenty of activities for kids, friendly staff, and a clean environment. We spent hours there and still didn't manage to see everything. My 2-year-old can't stop talking about the Supermarket section and keeps asking when we can return. Highly recommend this place if you have little ones. read more