9 Best Children's Museum in the USA
Children’s Museums are a great place for kids to explore, learn and have fun.
Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Arts, Maths, Geography, Astronomy, Paleontology, Entomology, Anatomy, Technology, History, Engineering— the possibilities of learning at children’s museums are limitless. `
Whether you’re on a vacation or looking for a good place to take your kids in your own city, this list of children’s museums will be useful to you.
Given below are the names of top 9 children's museums in the USA—
1. The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. (Indianapolis, Indiana)
With an area of almost 500,000 sq. ft., spanning over five floors, the Children's Museum of Indianapolis is one of the biggest children’s museums in the world.
The exhibits and collections of the museum covers subjects like arts, science, sports, nature, history, culture, paleontology and more.
Founded in 1925, the Children's Museum of Indianapolis is one of the oldest children’s museums in the country.
While visiting this museum, you can discover the story of trains at the All Aboard! exhibit; learn to be an astronaut at Beyond Spaceship Earth exhibit; get intrigued at the Dinosphere exhibit; or delve into the mysteries of China, Egypt and Caribbean at the Treasure of the Earth exhibit.
Other interesting exhibits and sections include, Riley Sports Experience, Stories from 100 Years, Carousel Wishes and Dreams, Take Me There: Peru, Playscape, American POP, Power of Children, Mini Masterpieces, Fireworks of Glass, National Art Museum of Sport, The World of Sport, ScienceWorks, and Lilly Theater.
The museum has a food court that offers a variety of food and coffee options. You’ll find good food and snacks during the regular museum hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Note that you will be charged extra for any food or beverage you may have there. It is not included in the admission ticket for the museum.
The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is one of the best children's museums in the world.
2. Children’s Museum of Phoenix. (Phoenix, Arizona)
What’s great about the Children’s Museum of Phoenix is that it focuses on early childhood education, and the exhibits are mostly for kids in the age range of 0-5 years.
In order to make things more interesting and engaging, the exhibits at the Children’s Museum of Phoenix are highly interactive.
The museum provides a space where children can explore their own potential and discover their own strengths.
They also provide them with the tools and hands-on experiences to learn and grow.
Your kids are bound to have a great time at exhibits like Art Studio, Book Loft, Building Big, The Climber, The Children’s Garden, The Grand Ballroom, Noodle Forest, Move It!, Pit Stop, The Market, DramaRama, Pedal Power, Whoosh!, Texture Cafe, The Park, and Block Mania!
There is even a gallery exclusively for babies and toddlers named, Room for Threes and Younger.
This gallery is filled with age-appropriate exhibits that cater to the specific developmental needs of kids of that age.
Hence, Children’s Museum of Phoenix is one of the best children’s museums for toddlers to visit.
The museum organises camps during holidays, not just in the Summer, but in the Winter, Fall and Spring seasons as well.
The timings of this children’s museum is 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on all days. However, it remains closed on Mondays.
3. Children’s Museum of Denver. (Denver, Colorado)
Initially, when the Children’s Museum of Denver was founded (in 1973), it was a travelling museum.
But as the museum started to grow with more exhibits and experiences being added to it, the administration of the museum felt the need to have a more permanent base.
Hence, in 1984, the museum opened their current location in Downtown Denver.
The museum caters to the needs and interests of children whose ages range from newborns to eight years old.
So, if you have a child within that age range, then Children’s Museum of Denver is one of the best children’s museums for you to visit.
Like a lot of children’s museums, the exhibits at the Children’s Museum of Denver are interactive as well.
Children learn best when they are involved and engaged, rather than just listening to someone talk or looking at pictures quietly.
And that’s exactly what this intriguing museum provides for its young visitors.
Their hands-on exhibits include-
i. Investigate- Energy, Water, Bubbles, Gallery Uno, and Kinetics!
ii. Imagine- Book Nook, Fire Station No. 1, My Market, and Ready Vet Go .
iii. Explore- Bloom, Joy Park, Box Canyon, Adventure Forest, and Altitude.
iv. Create- The Teaching, Kitchen Assembly Plant, and The Art Studio.
This remarkable children’s museum stays open seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
If you are planning to visit the Children’s Museum of Denver, remember that adults are not allowed in the museum if a child is not accompanying them.
And a child is not allowed to enter the museum if an adult (parent, teacher or guardian) is not with them.
Various workshops and events are organised by the Children’s Museum of Denver for kids and families.
This year (2025), it organised a Halloween event from 24th October to 26th October.
Parents and kids dressed up in their favourite spooky costumes and joined others for some Halloween-themed fun.
They had a great time playing games at the Monster Carnival, petting cute creatures and making beautiful craft items.
The workshops organised by the museum encompass various categories such as baking, painting, pottery and science.
The museum also organises low-sensory evenings. This is when families with kids requiring low-sensory environments can visit the museum for free.
Low-sensory evenings are created by limiting footfall and turning down some of the ambient noise inside the Museum.
4. Boston Children’s Museum. (Boston, Massachusetts)
Boston Children’s Museum provides an environment where kids can explore, learn and play at the same time.
This museum happens to be the second oldest children's museum in the USA.
So, it has expansive experience of meeting the needs and developmental requirements of children.
The exhibits at this children’s museum spread across three floors that cater to different age brackets.
Those exhibits include PlaySpace, Big & Little Podcast, Bubbles, Investigate Kid Power, KidStage, New Balance Foundation Climb, The Gallery, Johnny’s Workbench, Raceways, Art Lab, Arthur and Friends, The Common, Countdown to Kindergarten, Fantastic Forts, Peep’s World, Fenway Farms at Boston Children's Museum, Construction Zone, Dinos in Space, Japanese House, Japanese House Gallery, and You, Me, We!
In addition to the regular exhibits, the museum hosts regular workshops and programs that feed the curious minds of kids.
Many of those programs are based on STEAM-related topics. STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics.
Kids can learn how to build circuits, program robots, design miniature models (houses, bridges etc.) and interact with live animals.
Kids can also let their creativity run free at workshops that teach art, music, performing arts, crafts and healthy habits (exercise etc.).
Boston Children’s Museum is one of the best children's museums on the East coast.
5. Children’s Museum of Houston. (Houston, Texas)
Children’s Museum of Houston was founded by Sharon Albert Brier in 1980. It was opened in 1984.
And in 2009, the museum completed its expansion work. Currently, the museum spans over a staggering area of 83,000 sq. ft.
This children’s museum is apt for kids aged newborn to 12 years.
Exhibits at this kids’ museum include Ecostation, Genius Station, Kidtropolis, FlowWorks, Invention Convention, Maker Annex, How Does it Work?, PowerPlay, SECRET Spy Game, Power Science Lab, ToT*Spot, Exploration Zone, Rube Goldberg, Faithful Friends, Rafael López: A Beautiful Process, and Kids’ Hall.
There’s also a humongous 3-story climbing structure called the Power Tower.
Dance Power and Power Pop are other exhibits that your kids can have fun at, dancing and moving about.
Almost all the exhibits are open to the kids and the families who accompany them to the museum.
However, the Power Tower and the Challenge Course are limited to children 5- 15 years old.
And Tot*Spot is limited to children younger than 35 months and their caretakers.
Other than the regular exciting exhibits, the Children’s Museum in Houston also has a Parent Resource Library.
This resource library is accessible to parents and teachers. This library is well equipped with books, DVDs, ebooks, databases, hot spots and more!
The museum has an auditorium and other spaces that are available on rent as a place for organising events and workshops.
Remember that no adult is allowed to enter the museum unless a child is with them.
And kids who are younger than 16 need to be accompanied by an adult. If they show up alone at the museum, they won’t be allowed to enter.
6. Exploratorium. (San Francisco, California)
A vast knowledge on different topics pertaining to science, arts, technology, sports and entertainment— that’s what the Exploratorium offers its visitors.
Founded in 1969 by physicist and educator Frank Oppenheimer, this amazing children’s museum is on the bucket list of most travellers who visit San Francisco.
This marvelous museum has more than 1,000 hands-on exhibits, spread across multiple galleries, based on subject.
It has six main galleries namely- Seeing & Listening, Tinkering, Human Phenomenon, Outdoor Exhibits, Living Systems, and Observing Landscapes.
This magnificent children’s museum has something to offer to everyone who visits. So, it is the perfect museum for families and kids of all ages.
The Exploratorium is deemed to be one of the best children's museums in California.
7. The Strong. (Rochester, New York)
The founders of The Strong understood that the best way to teach children is through play, fun and hand-on experience.
So, that is exactly what this museum provides.
This children’s museum is known for its exciting interactive exhibits that provide fun and education at the same place.
This family-friendly place is considered to be one of the largest children’s museums in the country (USA).
Kids can delve into the evolution of video game systems at the Console Central exhibit, be a part of a board game at the 17,000 sq. ft. Hasbro Game Park, have their own little adventure at the Ralph Wilson Skyline Climb, experience the serenity of a rain forest at the Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden.
Kids can also explore different trade-related activities at the Play Lab exhibit; such as construction, electronics, music, crafts, carpentry and more.
At the Play Lab, a new topic is chosen every month.
Along with all the permanent exhibits, the museum hosts temporary exhibits regularly.
Black Doll Designers, Hello Cutie: Our Favorite Kitty, Material Girl, Raceway Arcade and Dollhouse Unveiled are such exhibits.
What’s more?
Various halls, rooms and exhibits at this museum are available for rent if you want to use it as a venue for corporate and private events including birthday parties.
8. Discovery Place. (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Discovery Place is a great place to spend some quality time with your kids while they learn all about science, engineering, technology, nature and maths.
Kids can explore a plethora of interactive exhibits and gather information on their favourite subjects.
Permanent exhibits at the Discovery Place— Cool Stuff, A New Moon Rises, World Alive, Project Build, Fantastic Frogs, KidScience, Think It Up and Being Me.
Temporary exhibits at the Discovery Place— Above and Beyond, Explore More Collections, Boneyard Bash and Fossil Finders.
This awesome museum also has an IMAX theater that plays educational 3-D films to teach and entertain at the same time.
Discovery Place is one of the best places in the country to quench the thirst of curious minds.
Hence, it is included in the list of top 10 best children's museums in the USA.
What’s more?
Multiple rental spaces are available in the premises of the museum that can be used for various corporate and personal events.
You can have a birthday party, a wedding, a workshop, showcase a play, organise conferences and even host corporate retreats at the Discovery Place.
9. Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh has been nicknamed as Kidsburgh.
Spanning over an area of about 80,000 sq. ft., the museum has numerous permanent and temporary exhibits that appeal to the interest of young minds.
Most of these exhibits are interactive exhibits that offer a hands-on experience, keeping kids captivated.
Permanent exhibits at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh include Makeshops, Backyard, Garage, the Kindness Gallery, Nursery, Art Studio, the Limb Bender, Garden, Waterplay, Art at the Museum.
At the moment, temporary exhibits at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh are Tough Art and I Am Wild.
There are after-school art programs for kids (6-8 graders) that can be attended without their guardians.
These programs are a great place for them to explore their creative sparks under the guidance of artists and industry experts.
With so many things to offer, it is no wonder that the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh is counted amongst the 10 best children's museums in the country.
What else?
There are multiple spaces in the premises of the museum that are available for hosting various events and occasions, upon paying a fee.
You can choose these well- equipped venues for private as well as corporate events such as workshops, weddings, birthdays and conferences.