Last Christmas, we went back home to visit my parents and found ourselves with 3 little kids who…read morewere going stir crazy. Since it was literally 0 degrees outside, we decided to hit up this museum. There are a ton of different play areas, including a pizzeria, grocery store, dress-up area, doctor's office, and even an infant play area. Some of the toys have seen better days, but the kids did not care one bit. We went on a weekday afternoon and had the place to ourselves! Admission is $5 for each person over age 1, which seems reasonable since the kids could have stayed here for hours. Our kids were ranging in age from 8 months to 2.5 years old, but the museum also would be good for kids who are older. All in all, the kids had fun and there were quite a few tears when we had to leave.

We recently attended a child's birthday party at the Lincoln Children's Museum, and since it was…read moreheld after hours (5:30-7:30 p.m.), the museum was closed to the general public. While that time slot wasn't the most ideal for our family's schedule, having the museum almost entirely to ourselves was a huge perk. The kids rarely had to wait to use an exhibit, which made for a much more enjoyable experience than visiting during normal operating hours. Overall, the kids had a great time running from exhibit to exhibit, but I did find some of the museum's displays a little underwhelming. A number of the stations could benefit from clearer signage explaining what you're supposed to do. In several cases, it wasn't immediately obvious how an activity was meant to be used or what made it interactive. Some of the exhibits also feel like they're due for an update. Having visited both, I personally think the Omaha Children's Museum offers a wider variety of exhibits and more engaging hands-on experiences, but Lincoln's museum still provided plenty to keep the kids entertained for a couple of hours. The birthday party area itself was pretty standard. It reminded me of a concession stand or cafeteria-style space with tables and chairs. The birthday family was able to decorate a gift table and bring in their own cake, but it didn't really feel like a space where you could create much of a themed party atmosphere. I'm not sure what the museum's decorating policies are, so that may have played a role. One thing that stood out was the lack of water for the adults. The kids had drinks, but there weren't bottled waters or even cups of water available for the parents. I had forgotten my water bottle and ended up filling one of the small paper cups at the drinking fountain, which wasn't my favorite option. The museum also made a couple of announcements over the PA system--one for dinner and another to let everyone know there were about 15 minutes left in the party--but they were so garbled that I couldn't understand either one. I only found out what had been said after talking to other parents. Even with the reduced noise level from having a private event, the announcements were difficult to make out. The building itself has an older feel, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does show its age in places. Overall, the kids had a wonderful time, and that's ultimately what matters most. With some refreshed exhibits, clearer instructions at the activity stations, and a few improvements to the overall guest experience, I think the museum could be even better.

Having grown up going to the Omaha Children's Museum, as a mom, I really like the Lincoln…read moreChildren's Museum. It is so chill, fun, has so many creative spaces catering to all ages. I absolutely loved the careers area where they could learn about careers in ag, architecture, and engineering. Three full levels of fun!

Who knew my favorite children's museum so far would be in a small town in Nebraska. I guess I have…read moremy husband's obsession with morel mushrooms for helping me find this gem It's only been around for a little over a year and it's the cleanest and most modern I have ever seen any museum and at one point we were the only family there on a Sunday for a solid hour or more. It's also small that you don't end up dying there but still packs a punch and not so big that you can prob feel safe letting your older ish kids out of your sight a bit and not worry too much about them getting in danger. I actually don't like to let ppl know about special finds like this as I worry it will become too popular but the distance will prob keep us from visiting too often or at least for a while. The staff is incredibly nice , welcoming , friendly and helpful and if you have a membership to the Omaha children's museum or probably any children's museum you can either most likely get in free or at a discount. Otherwise I believe it was $14 for each person which then can also be turned into a traveling membership too. Also even the playground on the outside is pretty incredible and that one is just free to use for the public.

Always clean, helpful staff, and my kids love it! I feel…read morelike it's worth it to get a year membership and come often! Great place, lots to do, and just soooo awesome!

What a great little museum and very interactive! They had QR codes for certain areas that gave a…read moredescription of what you were seeing. They also had a special area for military memorabilia. Very interesting and worth the visit. They also had outbuildings that we weren't able to see because of time constraints. They should be very proud of what they've accomplished.

Great museum along I80. Great stuff for the kids, definitely worth the time out of the car on a…read morelong road trip.

Super fun! I was surprised how many things they had to entertain kids! There was an area toward the…read moreback on the third level where you could explore so many rocks, fossils, animals, live bees, so many things just available to look at. Their discovery center was super cute! If you're looking for a unique and new place to take kiddos, check this place out. We took a 7, 6, 3, and 2 year old and they all had a blast.

Don't bother coming. There is no parking. The whole parking situation is a joke. You can drive…read morethere and leave, or you can park in a spot that gets you a ticket.

We came for a field trip, and the staff seemed completely annoyed by the kids the whole time. They…read morewere trying to act like their teachers, instead of making things fun. I'm just saying, those people that work there should NOT be working with children.

The Edgerton Explorit Center is a stop on the 2023 Passport program and that is what brought us to…read moreAurora. Easy parking, great outdoor landscaping and a warm welcome was a great way to start our visit. Gift shop items were displayed in the lobby area and had a STEAM (science/technology/engineering/arts/math) focus. We toured the Doc Edgerton displays and activities (one was not working) that had interactive pieces. The central area would appeal to children of all ages with learn thru play components making bubbles, building blocks, pattern connections, memory sequence competitions and more. One of the stations was missing pieces but worker bees were swarming and resetting stations on our visit. Admission was $10 and you could spend 3-4 hours and keep busy. We did not make it down to the lower level. Restrooms needed attention, but we stopped during a busy time so that may have contributed. If you are looking for a fun place to spend a day immersed in learning and exploring with your children, this would be a great stop.

I'll admit that the only thing about this museum that I experience was the basement, which to most…read morepeople is the most interesting part. What I'm talking about is the history of Kool Aid! Kool Aid is a brand we don't hear very much about anymore, unless we're talking about cults. But the town of Hastings does take pride that the founder of Kool Aid is from there. There is a huge detailed display about the evolution of Kool Aid, and its very cool to learn about. Remember the Kool Aid toys and collectibles we all grew up with, regardless of generation? They're all there. And you can also watch a montage of classic Kool Aid commercials while there. There's a statue of the Kool Aid Man outside the museum as well. I feel really bad that I didn't check out other parts of the museum (I think there are 3 floors...) as it talks about the natural history as well as the agriculture and cultural part of the town. But maybe for another time....

OK, this museum is a lot of fun. There is a lot to do for families of all ages and groups of all…read moresizes. We got there and came in and we're looking at the animal exhibits when someone mentioned that a planetarium show was about to start about black holes, so we went inside and my cousin and I both adults and three young children under 10 took our seats and really enjoyed the approximately 20 minute presentation on black holes, looking up at the ceiling in the projection and it was a lot of fun. There are multiple types of exhibits in the museum, including a really cool area celebrating Kool-Aid. Because apparently Kool-Aid was invented in Hastings, Nebraska. Who knew?! There is a antique car exhibit in the basement area as well and a Lego section that is interactive, and the whole experience was really nice. The bathrooms near the Lego exhibit were clean. We used the elevator to go between floors because my cousin has lots of small children in a rolling stroller/cart, and there's a little gift shop with fun things to view and purchase and I would definitely recommend if you're in the Hastings area. You spend some time here..

Pretty good at showing what early settler life in the area was like in a variety of ways. The…read moremuseum exhibits -- in two separate buildings -- are slightly dated collections of objects and info about aspects of typical life. Then the Railroad Town gives depth to that experience, with relocated historic buildings staffed with living history. Considering the size of the town and daily operations, it makes sense that every building can't always be staffed -- and if they were, it'd sure take a long time to get through. The main exhibit building itself is a bit ridiculously grand: why is it surrounded by a moat and have fountains in the middle? That design would make more sense for an art museum maybe.

A huge amount of buildings and cool old things to see and touch! Our three and five year old…read moreenjoyed it and we stopped for lunch at the cafe which was very tasty. A worthwhile visit for sure! Friendly and fun workers there as well.

Be prepared to be in awe and mesmerized when you visit the Speedway Museum! Ask for a docent or…read moreyou'll miss out on some great stories. The exhibits are beautifully presented, and the combination of history, technology, racing memorabilia, and personal collections is impressive. Our docent, Bob led our tour. He was knowledgeable, engaging, and clearly very passionate, which brought every display to life for us. We left with a much deeper appreciation for motorsports history and would highly recommend this museum to anyone visiting Lincoln, Nebraska. We spent 3 hours there!

Very cool space! The museum did a story time with free admission after. It was a great experience…read morefor all. Not only was the story time interactive, it was in a huge room with the most amazing cars! The employees were friendly, welcomed us with a smile. All of the cars were so cool. They also had signed guitars from past celebrities, memorabilia. The museum itself is also huge! We didn't get to explore all of it, but I believe it's at least two floors! Lots of history and epic cars too look at that I've never seen anywhere else. If you visit Lincoln, this is definitely a place to add to your bucket list!

It is a wonderful place to visit. Please do not close. We loved every inch of it and bought many…read moregreat marbles.

If you're looking for interesting Americana, this is the place. Lee spent his life traveling the…read moreworld gathering all types of Marbles... antique, hand blown, glow in the dark, etc. Michael was very helpful explaining all the differences & backgrounds. We were glad we stopped!