It's easily one of the best children's museums, especially for toddlers and slightly older. They have a wide array of activities, including the fake bus of course, and a cool fake shopping area. I've never seen such a clean and well maintained children's museum. The staff is constantly putting things back - they're like waiters at a high end restaurant. Go. read more

Stepping Stones Museum For Children - Children's Museums Near Me - Norwalk, Connecticut

So I haven't been to many children's museums yet but this one came highly recommended by some friends. I really enjoyed all the play stations here, this is definitely geared towards little ones around 3-5 years old. They have a tiny tot area where they have soft play area for babies and infants. Then they have an older area with miniature town, slide and other science stem activities. They also have a kitchens are, a music area, a play stage where they have story time. The water play area looks fun for older kids. They have a mechanical dinosaur inside. I hear in the summer they have bubble stations and outdoor fun foam play blocks. Looking forward to coming back. read more

This is my 2 year old's favorite place. He loves balls and water and they have a ton of them here. It's science-y and educational while being fun. It's a great place to learn. I think it's tough not to share gems here. There is no way the staff can keep this place 100% sterile with so many surfaces. If you're germaphobic, stay away. First time we came, there was a puppet show but the second time it was a workshop. Had I known I would have left earlier. The signs should be clearer. Overall a great time. It makes me happy seeing my son so happy here. read more

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Incredible. We spent the entire day here. Pro tip, bring a change of clothes, there is a really fun water area

Even though it's called a museum, it is a full activity based location. Kids get to play and interact in all the section like playing with optics, X-ray and lights, digging fossil, dancing with laser images, shooting balls with water pressure. There's an outdoor area as well where they can play with foam structures and liquid bubbles. I liked that all items were working fine and well maintained. Waterproof aprons were kept available in water play area. At times associates were doing on the spot activities like coloring CDs, showing science experiments with color. They have a large cafe with decent food options. Restrooms are clean and kids friendly. Excellent place for any kid to spend few hours. read more

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5 star museum, 2 star food/cafe $20 for kids or adults at normal prices. What a steal compared to laying $20-30 for a kids play place that has no science aspect of it. The water zone area was our kids favorite. Amazing uses of lighting to teach kids about color mixing, glow in the dark and sensory experiences. More of this. The room at the end with the video projectors on the wall and floor and moving lights on the wall were so cool. You can easily spend 4+ hours here and it is possible to do it all in one day. Free parking too. Sadly the cafe in house (run by another company) is awful and was a complete mess the day we were there. Over 50 minutes to get food that came out cold and undercooked. Like a literal health risk. No clear manager or head person to run or expedite the food. Thankfully they did refund the items that were bad. In short bring your own food and eat it there. read more

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Our son loved this museum! The exhibits were clean..staff were super friendly...plenty of space and wasn't overcrowded. Highly recommend Stepping Stones! read more

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We used to come here a lot and we havnt been in a while and with all the new updates there is less for the kids to do. Interact wise.. there is no more sand or whatever it was in the foil area. The dinosaur machine playground that they used to be able to play on no longer there. All of the cool science things that they they used to be able to look at or draw or all gone and now replaced with houses that don't do anything. The new cooking and doctor areas are cool but could have been made smaller to keep more of the other interactive things for them to play with. Sadly probably our last trip, not as much fun for the price anymore. read more

We were invited here for the children's sweetheart ball in 2025. Cost was $18pp. I believe the online price was $12. I had fun!! Apart from what the museum offers, There were muppets walking around, crown making section, photo booth, a man making love potions, a section to read, and a 30 minutes dance party with costume character. It was such a blast!!! About 40 minutes from the Bronx was well worth it. read more

As Yogi Berra once said, "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded." This is a 5-star museum that turns into a wild 1-star zoo when at capacity. The problem is that hours were reduced and member-only mornings eliminated. I bought a membership with the promise of member mornings. Bait and switch. Too bad, this place used to be special. read more

We love Stepping Stones!!! Great place for kids to play and discover. So much to do, we keep going back. The Energy Lab is a perennial favorite. Definitely recommend. read more

Plenty for the kids to do. Lots of staff around if needed. Bathrooms were clean. Play spaces were also pretty clean, considering the amount of kids and traffic. Dino exhibit and water works were highlights of the day. read more

Stepping Stones Museum For Children - Gone fishing! - Children's Museums Near Me - Norwalk, Connecticut

Kid was injured, not much interest from the manager. Tiny! So so tiny. My 3 going on 4 year old was through this in 30 minutes, though we managed to stretch it out to an hour. Almost non-existent food options, limited activities, just one floor to explore. The clear highlight was the gift shop. Five stars there, got some fantastic gift options to save for later, priced at retail or slightly below. Biggest issue was the dress up section by the animatronic dinosaur. These were tie on options for wings and tails, and one kid was just swinging these at the interactive screen wildly. The strings whipped around and got my kid in the eye. Another kid was also hurt. Speaking to the manager, he mentioned it's happened before, they usually have people in the area, but we're short staffed. After hearing that, it became clear there weren't really any staff on the floor to speak of. read more

Lots of fun! Clean and organized ! Parents were respectful (no drama ahaha) Overall set up was superb and staff were A+! read more

We had a great time with our son who is 14 months old...only thing that I was not satisfied with, was the service and food quality. They were clearly low on staff and it took almost an hour to get 2 wraps...which I ended up taking a bite of and throwing it out, it was literally all wrap and no filling. From what I saw when the food was being made, they may need to be trained better too. Next time I will definitely bring my own food, other than that, we had a fun time! read more

Kids enjoy this place. Sometimes they have nice interactive activities going on which changes things up. The kids love that best. The outdoors is nice but only good for warm weather. The cafeteria is pretty big and there's also tables outside to eat. You can either buy or bring your own food which is a plus. It can become pricey when feeding more than 1. read more

We have an annual pass to Everwonder in Newtown, but had something to do near Norwalk so made a day out of it with a stop here. My kids (10 and almost 2) both loved it. We spent about an hour and a half, but could have spent more there. read more

Perhaps this museum was once more intact, but as for my visit this past weekend with my niece, it left a lot to be desired. The center seems to be aged without proper upkeep. Many of the interactive exhibits are worn out. There is a play table to refract lasers, but the targets are worn off the sides and there is only one circle worth of reflecting mirrors. This needs to be repaired. The indoor water play area doesn't supply enough dry smocks for kids to participate. The area with the reading and dollhouses aren't maintained well. There were barely any furnishings or dolls for the houses. The music area had a few toy instruments that weren't functional. The dress up area with the mirrors didn't have any costumes. The outdoor play area wasn't supplied with bubbles that actually worked. Numerous kids tried the activity with the hoola hoop ring to surround themselves in a bubble- but it was too watery. Same with the bubble table. The foam life size blocks weren't clean and they seemed to be low on parts like wheels. If needs a refresh and some investment. Make sure that all the activity areas have enough supplies and toys- and make sure the bubbles actually form: The museum has potential if the neglected areas are addressed. read more

Took my 16 month old here. I think it's a great place for kids, but a tad pricey for the size of the place. Staff was great, facility was very clean. Was a little chilly out (maybe low 60's)and inside was probably 80's. All I could think about was the germs being spread and how over dressed me and my child were . However, when it got to the point where we couldn't take the heat anymore they did have an outdoor area... just wish there was more to play with in the outdoor area. read more

Visit Date: May 24, 2019 I swear we are going to end up taking our kid to every children's museum in the entire country. We stopped here for a mid-drive break on our way to NH. This museum was pretty nice. Had the standard stuff, a water space, a play place outside, a really awesome construction play area, a great cafe to get a cup of coffee that I appreciated. It's not a very big museum but I don't think children's museums are that big in general after being in a few. My favorite still has to be the one in Providence, Rhode Island. read more

Stepping Stones Museum For Children - My son spinning an emotional wheel - Children's Museums Near Me - Norwalk, Connecticut

Coming here I don't think we'll top this place for awhile with any other museum. The water room omg my son had the time of his life. Seriously he was living his best life while here. Move onto the dinosaur room and we literally had to take him out crying as the place was closing. Only bad thing was honestly having to leave lol. He fought getting into car seat, he did not wanna leave this place. I think he would've moved in if he could. I promised him we'll come back one day when we visit the area again :P read more

Such a sweet children's museum. Both of my kids enjoy it and find things that they love. The dinosaur area is a big hit and both of them love the fossil dig. Look forward to going again. read more

Angie Rose I attended the museum this week with a family member who needs several accommodations for serious medical conditions. Every staff member I talked to was INCREDIBLY helpful, from the people I made phone arrangements with ahead of time, to the security guard who helped me with the back door as a last-minute exit strategy. The department heads I spoke with made sure that the customer service desk had my name, and they communicated my family's needs to their employees so that I didn't have to do so myself. I was seriously impressed! Thank you, everyone, for the stress-free experience!! read more

They did a great outdoor play experience for young kids this summer. Thanks Stepping Stones. It's a wonderful museum for young kids but word of caution - and this comes from a doctor I know and not during the pandemic. Keep your kid's hands away from the water. I know-- that's part of the fun. And even when pandemic is over- have them wear a mask. There have been illnesses linked to droplets from the water exhibits in past years. I don't want to scare people away.. just want to warn what a doctor had told me about the water play, along with other parents. ' read more

I'm a nanny (and have been for a couple of other families) and have always taken the children here. This is a fun, inviting, and creative museum where children can play, explore, and learn in a positive and exciting environment. The museum gets very busy in the summer but if you come around "nap time," you should have a near empty place (at least, I've had luck with that). The shop is pretty cool, too. I've personally bought myself an Einstein bobble head. read more

Stepping Stones Museum For Children - Where kids...can be kids? - Children's Museums Near Me - Norwalk, Connecticut

It's a great museum, but is it worth paying $45 so my partner and I can take our 14 month old? No. It's very overpriced. Adults should not be priced the same as children over the age of 12 months. They don't even have a student discount. Under 12 months, they are free, but after that, they are $15 each, just like adults. Memberships are pricey, but would probably be worth it if you have a lot of kids or if you come here every couple of weeks. We are just on vacation here, so it was more than we wanted to spend, but our daughter had a good time, so that's priceless. read more

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Stepping Stones This was our first visit here. The gps directions took us to thebback of the museum. You actually have to enter and park via Matthews Park. This is a small but really nice children's museum. We went with two children, 6 and 8 in November. I was a little leery based on some other reviews that this would not be age appropriate for our kids. The day we went they had two sessions of kids Zumba. We went to both and they were the same. It would have been nice if they switched the routine up a little but it was still fun. There is a large section with experiments and things to make and bring home. Examples include making a boomerang (super simple and it works!), making a straw/paper rocket, making a paper football, throwing playing cards at a target, funhouse mirrors, pulling a table cloth from a table and not dropping the bowls,making paper airplanes. There is a board on the wall where you can move slats to make different configurations for a ball to roll down. Thy also have an "energy lab". NOTE- this is water based. They do have "lab coats" when you enter. I highly suggest using one if you don't want your child soaking wet. There are a lot of fun stations here that involve lightweight balls and water. Kids loved it and would stay there all day if we let them. There is a pumping station, writing on the slate walls with water on paintbrushes and a climbing structure. They also have a pretend and play section. It has a construction zone, large light bright, large maze, music section, etc. My kids didn't last long in this section, a few minutes at each area only. It appears they have something outside that was closed when we went, possibly a splash pad. The cafe is nice with a lot of options. Chicken nuggets and and tenders were a little different but ok taste wise. A lot of kid friendly options. My son actually had cereal! Bathrooms were plentiful and CLEAN! A huge plus in my book. Overall, nice and clean museum. We spent approximately four hours here including the time in the cafe. read more

Drove over an hour from Long Island to come here with my kids after reading all the good reviews on Yelp about this place. I really had high hopes for this museum bc all the museums I took my kids to in NY were all pretty fun and decent. However, this museum was truly disappointing and expensive for what it offers ($60 for the 4 of us). They state that their museum is good for children ten and under but I feel that it's more for six and under. My kids who are almost 4 and 8 did not find their attractions to be amusing. The place is relatively small and gets pretty crowded so it's hard to enjoy the attractions. The whole museum consists of a small water play area (energy lab), which my kids did enjoy for a bit, tot town for toddlers up to 36 months, a building/construction with tools area, soft blocks, crafting, dancing/singing room, some hands on activities, reading area, the exhibit about feelings/express yourself area, my son loved the color coaster; he literally stood there for 20+ minutes, an outdoor play area plus a small cafe and a gift shop. There was also a 45 min crafting activity that my son wanted to do but he wasn't allowed in after it started and when it ended, they said that activity is over for the day. Overall, the concept of this museum is great for toddlers but the exhibits was lacking and most of it aren't that interesting. Also, the play equipment was filthy and needed to be replaced or cleaned. Most of the workers were sitting down, slacking, or not doing what they were supposed to. Definitely did not have a memorable experience here. read more

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We visited the newly renovated Stepping Stones today. They did a great job with the designs and exhibit choices. I love that my 2 year olds could explore and interact with the whole place and not just the under 3yo area. The tables were all at a height that they could reach. The exhibits are also spaced out affording each table to be less distracted by surrounding tables. The water lab was awesome, and the lights exhibit was also really neat. A great place to learn! My only negative was the cafe/food service. The younger gentlemen who took and prepared my order was great. But there was an older man walking around the front of the kitchen without his mask on. While walking around the front area behind the desk, in front of customers, without gloves, he grabbed a chicken nugget right off the pan and ate it. I suppose this means the nuggets are "finger licking good" but this was off putting especially during COVID. Other than that we had a great experience and applaud the designers for innovating this experience for the kids! read more

I had my sons birthday at the museum. They did a craft, the room is large and they have all the tables and chairs , a large projector of you want to play a movie , they do play music that is kid friendly .. the kids love that they can run around and play and then the museum Makes an announcement for the party to come back to the room for cake/ food ... they offer you a helper to set up and she stays for the entire party.. you need to set up your decorations and such but they clean up .. I think it was an easy place to have a party ... read more

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Such a fun place for kids! My only regret is not bringing my 14m old here sooner - I thought there would be nothing for him to do. I was wrong - there's a separate little play room for pre-walkers. Now I know. At 14m, my son can do most things here. There's so much to do! We've been here twice and haven't finished everything, yet. He has the biggest smile on his face when he's here. All of the kids and parents here have been very nice. When parents see kids waiting, they encourage their kids to let the next kid have their turn. I'm sure not all parents will be nice, but overall that's what we've seen. In other places, my son was shoved out of the way by older kids and that hasn't been the case here. The only thing about this place that makes me a little nervous, particularly in the post-COVID world, is that it's easy for kids to get sick. I don't imagine they sanitize everything and the volume of kids makes spreading diseases easy. If you have a non-immunocompromised child, then it's no different than daycare or school. I hope people avoid taking their sick kids here, but it's always a risk. read more

It's always a bit of a struggle to find fun things to do with our lil one in colder weather, so we were quite pleased to hear about Stepping Stones Museum. Actually, it's more like one of those corporate play centers with a heavy scientific lean than a museum. But grammar aside, Stepping Stones is simply a place where you little one can run amok during inclement weather while learning about how the world works, honing motor skills, making new pals, and getting in some good exercise. Stepping Stones has a great variety of play areas for kids. For example, there's the "Energy Lab" which has a huge water circulator that kids can throw plastic balls in order to observe the power of water; "Build It" which is a mini construction site where kids can simulate putting up a structure (in a hard hat and reflective work vest no less), and "Tot Town" which has all sorts of small scale play areas for those under 2, and an even smaller area for kids just taking their first steps. Some tips for potential visitors. I would advise bringing your own food if you plan to have lunch because the cafe there has really poor options. It's mostly french fries, chicken fingers, and hot dogs, though they did have a great selection of fresh fruit. Also, they don't allow strollers in the museum, so you should bring a baby carrier for little ones if you don't want to schlep them around in your arms all day. Finally, admission is $15 per adult/kid over 1, so it can be pretty pricy for a family with a few kids. However, they offer a $155 (I think) membership for the year. That can be a nice economical option if you plan to go a few times. read more

We loved Stepping Stones. We knew we were taking a risk bringing an 11 month old there, but this establishment had plenty to entertain her and help her develop! They have areas to climb, crawl, neat lessons about energy (maybe those went over her head but mom and dad really enjoyed it and, hey, watching plastic balls go flying occupies an 11 month old too), and a really neat giant "lite brite" if you remember those from your childhood. For older children are some lessons about expressing feelings, meeting animals, safety, and as I mentioned earlier - some fantastic lessons involving energy in its many forms. I would go back in a heartbeat as it really was fun for mom, dad and parents - and I would go so far to say I recommend wearing activewear so you can really engage with your child. read more

Stepping Stones Museum For Children - Giant "lite brite." - Children's Museums Near Me - Norwalk, Connecticut

Fun, safe environment. Friendly staff. Perfect for winter weather. Very cute gift shop. We will definitely return.

Such a great experience every time we go! Enjoyable for babies-elementary since there's something for everyone! Conveniently, there's a self-serve coat-check with cubbies for bags, as well as stroller parking. It can get crowded on weekends and holidays, but that's mainly in the "Tot" and water areas. Be sure to explore the other exhibits and maximize your experience. I suggest bringing an extra shirt if your kids like water play, as they'll get wet. There are smocks available, but better safe than sorry. Families can easily spend 3+ hours here so plan on eating there. Food is available for purchase, but you can save a bundle bringing your own lunch/snacks. The membership packages are also a good deal and they offer teacher-discounts. read more

Let me start off by saying this place is great for the winter! If you have an active child and you want to keep them busy busy the membership and go whenever you can. You can let your child run free. Everything is fairly new too and keeps them very busy. It's great for fine motor skill. They do have an infant area as well. My son loved the dinosaur and the peg board! My son is about 1.5 and it was great for him I think when he is two he'll really understand and love it. The water area is a little wild especially if you kid likes to splash lol. BRING A CHANGE OF CLOTHES...for that reason. There is 3 full, different room areas if fun activities. I'd say the only downside is there seems to be no limit at all of kids and no sanitation of stuff. But in bit complaining but other people may. The membership price just makes sense especially to keep my little guys busy in winter months. Either go early or on the later side. They are open 8-5. read more

This place is very clean and cute and I give them props for trying but for $15 a person over 1 I expected a little more. Not a lot more but a little more. It starts off great at the tot area which if the entire place was like the tot area then it would be a five star! This is a good two hour killer maybe if you have two kids. The staff is nice and we sat in on an animal stretch show with this very enthusiastic guy which was a lot of fun but the rest of the staff was kinda blah. read more

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My children and I loved it, great experience clean full of learning expositions for the kids, out door in door very exiting great for families to bring their little curious ones, recommended any time read more

One of Connecticut's gems. if you have little ones around, take them here for a visit. You will be sure to return again and again. The museum is always offering new exhibits and they have some pretty cool stuff that keeps the kids entertained. The museum is easy to get to right off I-95 and offer plenty of free parking. There is a historic mansion & museum in the park that is open in the summer and the landscaped grounds have nice walking paths. The museum even rents out its space for private parties. read more

Amazing place! Great for kids of all ages. My just turned 1 year old could do something in every room. Can't wait to go back!