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Condé Nast Traveler
10-06-2025
- Condé Nast Traveler
The Best Children's Museums in the US, From San Francisco to St. Louis
While there are several children's museums that have climbing gyms, tot-scaled supermarkets, and STEAM-inspired tinkering labs, what makes an institution really stand out from the pack is its creative play spaces. At the Children's Museum of Eau Claire in Wisconsin, for example, kids scramble up the tongue and slide out the bum of a digestive track-themed indoor playground. Then there are the record-breaking exhibits like the world's largest Triceratops fossil skeleton, a.k.a. Big John, which is on display at the Glazer Children's Museum in Tampa, Florida. As for the places that dedicate space to deep dives on unique and important subjects, the Bronzeville Children's Museum in Chicago is the first and only African-American children's museum in the country. (And it goes all in on Black inventors.) What follows are eight of the country's best children's museums—dynamic, sensory-rich spaces that engage and entertain as much as they educate. The Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix houses 7,500 instruments from more than 200 countries and territories in its collection. Musical Instrument Museum The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, Indiana It doesn't get any bigger than this—literally. Opened in 1925, the Children's Museum of Indianapolis may not be the oldest in the country (that distinction belongs to the Brooklyn Children's Museum, founded in 1899), but it is the world's largest. We're talking five floors of interactive exhibits, 7.5 acres of outdoor sports experiences (including a simulated Indy 500 race course using bicycles in place of cars), a replica International Space Station, an antique carousel, the largest water clock in North America, a 43-foot-tall Chihuly glass sculpture, a kid-friendly food court, and more to see and do than any family could reasonably pack into a day. This powerhouse is next level in every arena: Like many kids' museums, for instance, it has a special zone dedicated to dinosaurs. But this one features a real T. rex skeleton, interactive dig sites, and an open lab where kids can meet working paleontologists and ask them questions about the fossils they are preserving. Other exhibits touch upon youth activism, locomotives, and ancient mysteries of Egypt and China. The Children's Museum of Indianapolis was the launch pad for Disney Jr.'s first-ever Mickey Mouse Clubhouse exhibit but also lands cool exhibitions for tweens and older—like the new 'Afrofuturism in Costume Design' show surveying the work of Academy Award-winning designer Ruth E. Carter (Black Panther, Malcolm X). There's even a 110-foot Ferris wheel parked outside, brought in to celebrate the museum's 100th anniversary. It'll remain on site through November 2, 2025. Where to stay for families in Indianapolis:
Miami Herald
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Family travel 5: Museums pair fun, learning to expand horizons
Expand your family's horizons. Here are five places where learning and laughter combine. The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, Indianapolis With more than 472,900 feet of exhibit space on five floors and covering 29 acres, this extraordinary nonprofit institution has been entertaining and educating families since 1925. Considered the largest children's museum in the world, kids can learn about the day-to-day duties of astronauts, sample different sports with equipment that's just their size, and get inspired by the powerful stories of other children including Anne Frank, Ruby Bridges, Ryan White, and Malala Yousafzai. Families are charmed by an historic carousel and inspired by exhibits that explain how plant science can help the world by cleaning up oil spills and cultivating healthy food. As part of this year's 100th birthday celebration, families can enjoy the Centennial Ferris Wheel offering incredible views of the museum campus, the downtown skyline, and surrounding areas. For more: Musical Instrument Museum, Phoenix This unique museum enables families to see and experience more than 3000 instruments and artifacts from around the world and to celebrate the joy of music making. Live performances, family-friendly festivals and a wide array of lectures and classes are available. Check out the Steinway piano on which John Lennon composed "Imagine" as well as the instruments of Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana and George Benson. Wireless head-sets allow guests to see and hear exhibits throughout the museum. Kids will enjoy the Experience Gallery where they can touch, play and hear instruments from far-away cultures. Check out the extensive and diverse concert schedule. For more: Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago Encouraging curiosity, innovation and celebrating questions, this is the place to see a German submarine, understand how tornados and avalanches happen and explore the structure of the eye in a hands-on lab environment. Discover the mathematical patterns that surround us every day in the natural world - from the delicate nested spirals of a sunflower's seeds to the ridges of a majestic mountain range in a compelling exhibit called "Numbers in Nature." Then make your way to the Whispering Gallery to understand how sound travels in different environments. A theater and hands-on exhibits further enhance the experience. For more: Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, Calif. Founded in 1984, this world-renowned organization's mission is to inspire conservation of the world's oceans. Through a variety of interactive activities and exhibits designed for young children and families, your crew will learn about the delicate balance that exists in our seas today. The youngest visitors will be drawn to the 40-foot-long touch pool for an up-close look at curious creatures like sea stars, urchins, kelp crabs and abalones. They'll enjoy the playful antics of southern sea otters, learn about the world of mud flats and marshes, and observe a master of disguise, the Giant Pacific Octopus. For more: The Strong National Museum of Play, Rochester, N.Y. Play is good for humans of all ages and helps kids develop tools for self-expression and problem-solving. You'll learn about favorite pastimes in a permanent exhibit that explores 300 years of history. View rare board games, see the world's largest erector set, challenge your crew to a game of toy trivia and test your memories in the concentration game within a 100,000-square-foot fun zone. Marvel at the butterfly garden. Play hopscotch, chess and checkers on Sesame Street, ride a carousel, hop aboard a train and check out the on-site National Toy Museum. For more: ________ Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
