All the positives first. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. Our son decided to fall down the slide head first and they were right there to make sure he was ok. Our son did have a good time moving around the place and discovering the different areas. He enjoyed the play area and the hamster wheel the best.Overall he was entertained for a couple hours and a few of the exhibits did encourage him to think and reflect. We have taken him to better museums for about the same price but do enjoy that this is one of the closer ones.
We are members of the museum, and go there often. It is good for a visit, but doesn't compare in breadth or depth to many other ones we've been to. The Urb garden on the roof is a jewel - the plants are beautiful, they have live chickens, and often have baby animals like chicks or mice in the clubhouse. The painting wall in the art section on the second floor is also fun - kids paint on a plexiglass wall, then clean it off and start all over again. Also on the second floor is the climbing sculpture - good exercise in the LONG madison winter. The water sculpture in the front is also fun to play with. We typically burn out after an hour or so - as I said, it's a small museum - if your children are kindergarten or above there may not be much to entertain or interest them for more than that.
My kids, ages 3 and 5, loved this place and I had a good time myself. There are tons of activities to choose from in a safe, educational environment. After you're finished, you can walk to numerous shops and restaurants around the Capitol Square or on State Street. A great way to spend anywhere from a couple of hours to the better part of a day.
This is a gem in Madison! There are a wide array of activities for all ages, and interests. Lots of great hands on experiences and room for kids to explore! The rooftop garden is lovely and has spectacular views of Madison overlooking the lake. The only down fall, is it can get busy and crowded on weekends. There is the Roman Candle restaurant on sight and ice cream to end the day. Ample paid parking is within easy walking distance!
The first place to visit, if you have a few hrs. as every corner is meant just for the kids in your family and in your heart!
This was a spur of the moment visit with cousins and our girls (4 and 7) just loved the experience. Lots of great interactive displays.
It is difficult to not to mince words here because it is a lovely place. My concern is for persons with mobility issues. Trying to navigate the roof top terrace with the uneven surfaces is difficult at best with a wheelchair. Not to mention the other areas within that are off limits to disabled children. Seriously, equal access is questionable, or were they thinking getting into the front door will suffice for the equal access that is given in the ADA laws? Did the designers take into consideration how a disabled child must feel to see areas that are without question off limits to them? First time parents are told to crawl around on their hands and knees to see the hazards that a small child may encounter. I think designers of a children's specific museum should try and see how all children can be best served in the layout of the facility.
My family has fun! My children are teens and was disappointed there wasn't anything geared for their ages.They took those lemons and made lemonade and decided to bring out the little kid in them and we all had fun, ha! The adults gave us weird stares but we expected that from here. Too many uptight adults.Btw, unruly and unsupervised children are the parents responsibility not the staff.
We love this museum! There are loads of things to do for 1.5-2year old. Love that the parking is just across the street! Very friendly staff and amazing place for a kid to communicate with other children. Our favorite is "water" room and Madison that you can build from blocks:)
I was disappointed in the lack of things to do for my 6 and 8 year old boys. They boast about three stories of activities but it's as a narrow building. Not very interactive. Mostly visual things. The Children's Museum in Rockford, IL is 100 times better. Go the extra hour and go to Rockford.The good thing about this trip is that we had a Groupon that saved us money. I would have been seriously disappointed if I spent anymore money.