Great family-friendly museum with tons of hands-on learning! We had such a great time at the Terre Haute Children's Museum! My kids are 2 and 3, and we easily spent about 2.5-3 hours exploring. There was SO much to do that we actually ended up spending most of our Terre Haute day here instead of making it to the other places I had planned. What I loved most was that the exhibits weren't just fun -- they encouraged kids to learn through play. There were opportunities to pretend to be construction workers, veterinarians and farmers, dig for dinosaur bones, explore engineering and physics, learn about seasons, and so much more. My kids especially loved the construction area, sand table, water play, pretend-play areas, Amazing Airways and the giant bubble you can actually stand inside! They also have a two-story treehouse, toddler area, Fit Gym, Fresh & Fit Market/Kitchen, and their new Wonders of the Wabash water exhibit. There are three floors, so there was plenty to explore. I also really appreciated that there were activities for different ages, although some features -- like the ropes course -- have height requirements. My kids weren't tall enough for that yet. Admission is very reasonable at $9 for ages 2+, with children under 2 free. They're also part of the Access Pass Program and offer Toddler Tuesdays. If you're visiting Terre Haute with kids, I would definitely put this on your list! We could have easily spent even longer here. read more

Great 3-story children's museum. It has a lot of quality interactive fun exhibits. Some need maintenance or updates but overall it was a great time. We especially loved the construction section. It had great hands on tasks dedicated to the trades- electrical, plumbing, tile laying, painting, wall framing, and brick laying. It was really cool. There is a nice farming section. A really big water table. Also a large tree house climbing structure and for the bigger kids a harnessed rope course. It was easy to spend 2 hours here. Great resource for the Terre Haute area. read more

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We stopped here after Indianapolis children's museum day 2. It was worth the hour drive to see this unique museum with rope challenge. It is an hour drive from Indianapolis and recognize ASTC reciprocal membership. Plus it has a great science store with cool toys for kids. There are 3 levels inside and plenty of activities to enjoy. My son and I tried the ropes challenge before 3:30pm which is last slot before closing. We wore harness and attached lanyard attached to above track. It is probably a little more advanced for him but he did just fine. Afterwards, we checked out the large water table and special exhibit on butterflies with sand table. There is street parking which is free and they remind you not to park in lot owned by hotel. read more

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My son enjoys going here. Especially the top floor with the splash area. Workers were very friendly. read more

Terre Haute Children's Museum - Milking a cow - Children's Museums Near Me - Terre Haute, Indiana

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What a pleasant surprise! I wasn't sure what I expected but my expectations were exceeded! Right from the entry were educational items that just grabbed our attention! Once we entered, and looked at the map that was provided we entered the 1st level of the three. It was so much fun, rock climbing, tiptoeing on beams, coloring etc. We went to the 3rd which was my kids favorite! The veterinarian office, which had mock x-rays I was impressed! We could have been there all day! The butterfly area was super cool, butterfly costumes and see the different stages a butterfly! Oh and live bees! The 2nd floor was fun too! The farm area where there was a mock cow, store, and toddler play structure! I could go on and on, I'm probably missing tons of items but it was worth the price! Very affordable! Also, worth mentioning was how clean the museum was, staff and volunteers were ensuring organization and cleanliness were kept up! Highly recommend! read more

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An excellent place to take your kids. There is plenty to do and plenty to see. Admission prices are reasonable and you can easily spend an entire day here. read more

I like this museum. I like to spray small children with the cow udder replica thing. once I built a slide with the blue building blocks and almost got kicked out because it was huge and people were climbing on it and falling off and getting hurt. read more

Ten stars! I love this little children's museum. I say little, but it's just because it looks very small from the outside. But outward appearances are deceiving, because this museum is a huge amount of fun. They have managed to put a lot of exhibits and fun play spaces in this building. There are three stories in this children's museum, and each level has a different theme and different things to explore. The first level is the cafe, the entrance to the tree house (yes, there is a climbable tree house here!), dinosaurs, building blocks, a climbing structure for little kids, and this really fun air exhibit where you can balance a ball on a puff of air! The second level is the pretend kitchen, pretend grocery store, the toddler play area, go carts, bubble station, water station, and farm area where you can ride in a tractor and milk a cow. There is also an area where you can shoot soft balls fro air cannons. The third level is the weather exhibits, as well as other scientific exhibits. There's also a camera and stage where you can pretend to be on the news. On each level, you could probably spend at least 30 minutes to an hour just playing and exploring everything that's available. I also love that there is something for every age, from young toddlers to teens. The people who work here are super friendly and helpful, too. Also, there's free wifi! read more

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Terre Haute Children's Museum is a great place to spend an afternoon. Was there for a children's birthday party - 2 hours of unlimited play and a private room where we had some snacks and able to sit down for a bit. It's 3 stories with a variety of engineering activities, hands on play, and a pretty cool rope course (unfortunately my kids were too small for that). I really liked the grocery area (my kids love playing with play food and kitchen set) and LEGOs. I liked that each floor had a bathroom, which is very convenient for parents. Unfortunately not a lot of places to sit for the parents as their kids play, other than the first floor which has a number of tables and chairs. Definitely don't think it's the Indianapolis Children's Museum, so don't visit with that in mind. It's a lot smaller, so you can definitely be there for an hour or so and see/do everything. But it's also only $8 admission. read more

Terre Haute Children's Museum - Children's Museums Near Me - Terre Haute, Indiana

The Terre Haute Children's Museum is a fun place for the young and young at heart. I went on a Tuesday afternoon when most kids were in school, so I expected the place to be rather low on energy. Oddly enough, I ended up interacting with the exhibits myself....and I had a blast! The museum is located on the corner of Wabash and 7th, so I grabbed some street parking (2 hours free). Upon entering the lobby, I noticed the "Cloud Rings" machine. The large black fountain is filled with dry ice. When I touched the ring, the fog rose more rapidly. I could control the height and size of the "cloud" by how I touched the ring. I checked in and looked around the first floor. Honestly, the view wasn't that spectacular. Lots of empty space and a T-Rex wearing a cap and scarf were all that I saw other than the gift shop. But, since I had already paid, I thought it worth exploring. As I walked along the east hallway, I realized the reason for the open space. There was a series of tubes that I could drop a ball or scarf into and let the air pressure send the object flying through the tubes. All too quickly, the ball would fly overhead clear across the walkway. There are also some valves to control the flow of air. It was pretty fun to see how the objects would zip through. Around the corner to the west was a Lunar Arm. Here, I got to run the controls and tried picking up objects and moving them. My mind kept telling me this should be easy....but it was pretty exacting, so it took a bit longer than I would like to admit to put the objects back in place. Towards the back of the building, there was a Dino Dig where kids can pretend to dig for fossils. Rising above the Dino Dig was an indoor tree house activity center. The other side of the Tree House had the stairs to reach the second floor. The first thing I encountered was a Water Works area. Here I could manipulate the water flow and use a large corkscrew device to lift the floating plastic balls to the next area of the exhibit. Beyond that was a Clabber Girl race car and the next fun exhibit, the Bubble Ring! There was a ring of soapy water with a hula hoop ring floating in it. Four ropes were tied to the ring and when I pulled a center rope, the smaller ropes lifted the hoop so that it stayed level and created a giant soap bubble cylinder. Each lift creates only a single cylinder instead of multiple bubbles. Still, it was pretty amazing seeing a soap shape this huge! The longer the ring remains elevated, the more the middle area starts collapsing towards becoming an hour glass shape. Then pop! Fortunately, they have hand towels to dry off with and a mat for wiping feet. The rest of the second floor had some things for toddlers and the Ag-citing exhibit where kids can pretend to be driving a vehicle, like a jeep or a combine. On the third floor, there is a critter corner where snakes, and lizards, and bugs are on the move. There is also a giant mural about flying that runs the length of the building. There are some exhibits about energy and a mock TV station. I got to make my own Tornado on one machine and then create a Water Vortex that was even more dynamic. The mock TV station wasn't being used at the time, but I could see that it had a green screen so that a kid could pretend to do the weather. At the back of the third floor there were some health related exhibits. I thought the Body Viewer, a simulated X-ray machine was very clever and quickly responsive to the movement of a sliding panel. Overall, I found the museum had things to do for activities as well as some quiet areas for reading and relaxing. Not every exhibit was designed for all ages, but a child should be able to find things of interest to while away an afternoon. My only concern is that the website doesn't make any mention of upcoming exhibits, so I wonder how long that children would be satisfied returning if there isn't something new to explore periodically. Review #226 read more

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It's hard to complain about the Terre Haute Children's Museum's admission fee of $8 for everyone aged 2 and up considering the ungodly prices charged by the vastly superior but also vastly overpriced Indianapolis Children's Museum. After all, isn't a children's museum supposed to actually be accessible to the children? Indeed, it's likely to be smaller children who will most appreciate Terre Haute's downtown, three-story children's museum, a rather delightful mishmash of exhibits, interactive displays, live creatures, play areas and more. Originally opened in 1988 in the basement of Central Christian Church, Terre Haute Children's Museum has doubled in size and seems to have a strong focus on science related exhibits and has, in fact, received National Science Foundation funding. The building is pretty wheelchair friendly with automatic front doors (though one did not work on the day I visited). The building has a roomy elevator that could easily accommodate a power wheelchair. The exhibits on each floor tend to flow from one to the other and yet there's plenty of room for a wheelchair in most cases. Exhibits range from a water area to a flip-flop music area to an area related to agriculture to a weather related exhibit to an area with small, live animals and more. The staff persons I met were super friendly, though I did find the volunteers to be surprisingly introverted for a place dedicated to serving children. If there was a down side to the museum, it was that multiple exhibits I attempted, mostly smaller ones, were in various stages of disrepair. Even a week later, I can think of three exhibits that I attempted to use that didn't work at all. While I'm sure they were eventually repaired, between that and what felt like a general state of dirtiness, the Terre Haute Children's Museum just didn't feel like it was putting its best foot forward. While I'm an adult who was visiting without children, it also somewhat surprised me that even arriving with barely an hour left before closing that I found myself able to leave and feel like I'd experienced everything before closing. The Terre Haute Children's Museum offers lower cost community days, for example there's one sponsored by the nearby Indiana State University on April 14th that will reduce admission to $2. Of course, museum memberships are also available. I'm glad I visited the Terre Haute Children's Museum, though I doubt it's a place I'll feel the need to visit again. The museum is a decent value for families and, once again, smaller children will most likely appreciate it the most. However, it's definitely not a destination museum and despite the outrageous prices in Indy this is certainly not an equal alternative. read more

The Children's Museum of Terre Haute offers a wonderful resource for the children of the city. The location is filled with fun science based toys and structures for kids to explore. I'm glad that we have a museum like this to help inspire youth to love science. They offer different events and activities for visitors. This is a great attraction to keep kids busy during the summer! Additionally, they offer their space as a venue for different events. One night when my roommates and I were downtown, a wedding party could be seen having a great time inside the museum. We actually asked them what the event was for and they explained that they booked the museum for their reception. read more

Nice facility, but will not return after witnessing a staff member yell at children for quietly playing with a hands-on exhibit. Other staff members informed us that was normal behavior for that person. Someone should clue her in she is not working at the Smithsonian....then fire her. read more

It just gets better! It's hard to remember the THCMuseum's humble beginnings when you look at its marvelous new home. And you have to see all the new exhibits. read more

Terre Haute Children's Museum - Children's Museums Near Me - Terre Haute, Indiana

This was a great place to take the kids on a hot day. So many things for them to do. Three stories of exhibits kept us occupied for the day.

I had a great meal. The pancakes were excellent. When I was first seated they offered me a drink. They were very attentive the whole time we were there. I highly recommend read more

Our two year old really enjoyed playing on the tractors but it felt like there could've been more things to do. It was more like a playground than a learning center. All in all it is a neat place, my son did enjoy. I'm sure we will return! read more

For Terre Haute, this is a wonderful place for kids. I really enjoyed it as much as my kids did. I think it's probably more interesting for younger children than older ones, but as I have younger children it worked out very well for me. The gated section for toddlers is really nice, and the honeycomb-looking sort of cat-scratcher-house-thing with different colored glass panes facing the street was a lot of fun for my daughter. My son enjoyed the playhouse and my friend's son really enjoyed the fake garden area. All the children enjoyed the water area, and the tree-house with the air guns that shoot out golf ball-sized nerf-balls. I personally enjoyed the flip-flop music area. There are a few negatives: 1. They don't really repair their broken exhibits/pieces (at least in a timely manner), and it would be nice to see them in action. 2. They don't enforce or ask parents to watch their children. There are parents who sit and play with their phones while their children run around like little terrors, knocking things and other children over. I wish the museum would take a firmer stance, put up a sign, ask parents to control their children or leave; something. Besides that, it's still a fun place in Terre Haute. read more

An excellent place for kids. Very interactive with a sufficient amount of educational written and video material that you can tell yourself it's all in the interest of cognitive development. Our three year old liked the separate, large toddler area, while the hundreds of second graders on a field trip all seemed to be having a great time with the larger exhibits on three floors. The admission price is more than fair, especially considering what it costs to go to the (much larger) Indianapolis Children's Museum. read more

One year old and three year old had a great time. I would highly recommend this place for young children.

We took our 2 yr old there this Spring and he had a blast! Very nice setup with a variety of stations for different ages!

Our whole family loves the Terre Haute children's museum! It has saved my sanity many icy cold, rainy, and sweltering days! Highly recommend going and if you live close, I would recommend investing in a membership! read more

It's a neat place that the kids enjoyed. Wish it had a little more but still a nice place to have fun!

I am an ATSC member and with that membership, this museum was included as free admission. Even if it wasn't, I would say this was well worth the price to check out. My 3 year old had a blast and I'm sure as she gets older she could find even more to do if we lived in the area. We come from metro-NYC and have paved most of the east coast for its children's museums and facilities and this was definitely a good one, worth the visit! read more

Since they renovated they have stuff for kids of all ages, my two year old loves this place. They really managed to fit a lot of fun and educational stuff inside - I even found myself fascinated by several of the exhibits. read more

Not worth it spend more go to indi, felt unsafe and everything was wobbly wont bring daughter back

Overpriced and under quality. Nothing unique and when you take kids the charge the adults escorting the children full price. The displays and exhibits were not of high quality or maintained well. You would probably due better buying some educational games and taking your kids to the park. read more

I am giving a 2 star review to the ropes challenge course staff. On the day we went, 1 staff member had a bad attitude and was overheard complaining about being assigned the ropes course. She was gruff and had no patience with the kids. She threw some kids off the course and stared down the parent like she was challenging the parent to say anything to her. read more

My children love coming here especially in the winter months. There are plenty of different activities. It is more focused on younger children. read more

Update: The museum director contacted me on Feb 3, 2018, with a courteous and professional apology. The lady I had referred to as a Staff Member was apparently a volunteer, and I was told steps will be taken to ensure this does not continue to occur. Refund or free return visit was offered in an attempt to make it right. I declined both, but I do believe if the volunteer's behavior is truly dealt with, this is a wonderful facility that can provide great memories for young families! read more