Minnesota Children’s Museum

We’ve been on and off members of the Children’s museum, however, this review is strictly for the 3^rd Free Sunday’s that the Children’s Museum offers.
***Note that although this day is «Free» you still have to check-​in and the workers do ask for a $ 5−10″ donation up front. I think instead of asking for a specific donation amount right up front, they should say, «If you would consider making a donation today, please do so…» and then direct us to the money donation cube. I’m not a cheap person and I always gladly donate, but it does make for an awkward situation. ***
Parking is meter street parking or ramp parking. We parked at the World trade center parking ramp and 3 hours was $ 7.
First, if you want to take your kids here on the 3^rd Free Sunday’s special, you have to come early or else this place fills up SUPER FAST! We arrived right at 9 am and by 11:30 am I could hear one of the managers saying they were almost at capacity. We did leave right around noon time. You have to enter via the skyway. This is how the museum controls the crowds.
We did come on ³⁄₂₀ and some parts of the museum was under construction, but it didn’t effect most of exhibits. The most popular exhibit is always the World Works exhibit and it fills up really fast, especially with the little ones (1 – 3 years old). Even when it was my children’s turn to play (5 and 7 yrs old) I always felt like the little ones always had preference just because they are little.
Earth World is also as fun and just as crowded as the World Works exhibit. This area I feel is geared more towards the 5 – 12 year old range.
The Eric Carle exhibit was a hit with my kids. Beautifully done and the displays are just like the books. The exhibit is part of the museum until May.
Habitot of St. Paul for the 4+ and younger is also a favorite of my kids. Sadly, they are now too «old» for this area, but it’s nice the museum has this room just for the little ones.
There are also tons of employees around the museum, but I’ve never actually seen any of the employees try to «control» unruly children or ensure everyone gets a fair turn when the children’s parents are clearly not rearing their own children.

My kids love the children’s museum. We’ve been going since they were two and they are always excited. There are tons of different areas to play and always changing exhibits. Their favorite is probably the town square area with the grocery store, post office, bus, etc. my favorite is always the rotating exhibit as it is new and interesting.
Being a member is totally worth it, you only have to go a few times to pay it off and then it’s free after that. You also get access to exclusive events like the Halloween Party, which our kids love every year. Membership also gets you in free to the exhibit at the Mall of America, which we recently learned and haven’t yet taken advantage of.
The one tip I have is to avoid the weekends if at all possible and if you are bring kids please try to keep it to a 2 adults to 1 kid max ratio, it gets so crowded when both parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles come to watch one or two kids play. Enjoy the fact that you have help, send the kids with grandma and grandpa and have some time to yourself.

Visiting our newly transplanted grandkids in Minnesota, we visited the Children’s museum yesterday and spent a good 5 hours playing in different areas of the 4 levels of fun! My 6yr old grand daughter met many new kids and had fun playing supermarket, construction worker, face painting, stamp art, water play, recycled paper art, disco dancing, and many other creative endeavors. Our 20 month old grand son was busy climbing and building and parallel playing with toddlers his age too. I was super impressed with this facility, and am jealous that there isn’t anything comparable in California (that I know of). We purchased lunch at a nearby Subway (as did other families) and ate in their lunch room. Then we headed off for more play and exploration! Good job, Minnesota Children’s Museum!

We became members of the Children’s Museum in celebration of our girls’ 1^st and 3^rd birthdays. It was the best present we could have ever gifted them. This place is like the Minnesota version of Disneyland for little kids. We love this place! The staff are amazingly helpful and genuinely interested in making sure our girls have the best time possible. The exhibits are interactive and super fun. We love visiting and exploring the new feature exhibit. The water table room has been a long time favorite of our family.
We can’t wait to see what the expansion brings.
One our favorite add-​ons to the day’s adventure is to hit up the St Paul farmers’ market in the alley next door to the museum. So many great restaurants near by too.

This was my first visit here. We brought our 3 and 1 year olds to enjoy the day. It was a very interactive and hands on museum which is targeted more towards younger kids. My three years old thoroughly enjoyed himself. We will definitely go back when our daughter is a bit older to enjoy more.

This is GUARANTEED Kid Fun in St. Paul, MN! Well, I guess if ya got shy kids, then it might be a bit of a struggle? We met up with family here and our age range of kids was from 5 to 12y/​o. First visual was the HUGE Sid the Science Kid (GREAT SHOW!) sign hanging out front, which certainly got my young squires hyped up. Parking is ACROSS the street but connecting skyways help avoid the traffic and the cold. Friendly guest relations as we obtained our «proof we paid» stickers. There is an honor system coat room to shed the layers, which is frees up MY arms and minimizes garment loss in the galleries. However, all this was movin’ TOO slow for the revved up young’uns. «Now can we go, please?» «NOW can we go?» «PLEASE!!!» Hah! Today’s lesson: PATIENCE! After that, off we went, big’uns trying to keep control of the lil mustangs!
Rightfully so, there are LOTS of smiles all over this building with 5 stories of activities! Some with more manners than others. Some with better parental control than others. The MANY things to do here were better enjoyed when fairness presided. But that’s life, right? I SO LOVED when kids from different walks of life could smile and work together. It’s JUST BEAUTIFUL to see harmony at work!!! So after full exploration, except for the «Habitat» (4y/​o & under only zone), there were a few favorite galleries:
«WORLD WORKS» Gallery was EASILY the fave play zone of our lil crew. Everyone wanted to return here first after finishing the initial go around. Functioning crane (mechanized coolness!), human powered assembly line (kids were movin’ & groovin’ here!), and the water works zone tested young minds in all different fun ways. And still more to do in this gallery that promoted creative fun play.
«EARTH WORLD» Gallery was the other return request. «Be An Ant» had costumes and fun crawl spaces that kept them role playing for quite some time. Even played hide & seek for a bit. And that Turtle Shell?!? Simple joy that was so entertaining!
We EASILY spent 3 hours here roaming the many galleries. Lots of energy depleting activities and creative play options. The Rooftop Art Park is closed from October to April so we missed out on that, unfortunately. Food options are pretty simple inside and today’s coffee wasn’t making any fans, so consider loading up prior to arrival. There are hand sanitizers all over which was a nice touch. Our lil crew really had a blast, I’m sure yours will, too ;)

We took a little stroll down to the Museum when me and the little dudes had a morning to hang out. This was a great place to kill a few hours!
Word to the wise, the parking situation, while nice that they have a dedicated lot, is pretty crappy! Imagine you’re trying to fit 5 pounds of garbage in a 3 pound bucket, then add cars. Seriously, it was incredibly frustrating as everyone parked in approximately 1.3 spots, making it seem like there were spots everywhere, when in actuality, anything that transports kiddos won’t. Word to the wise, just go to the roof and park there.
The skywalk over to the museum was nice as it was a blistering 3 degrees when we visited in late February. They allowed plenty of room for strollers on the elevators and doors.
When we came in, we were greeted, literally, by 6 busses of children who were coming in for a field trip. Luckily, they have an area on the 4^th floor for little peeps. The area had plenty of slides, windows, stuff to climb on, and even an area where they could fake ice fish!
The nature area was quite extensive and included an area with a small river where the kids could send toys down to a small pool. The upstairs area was pretty sweet as well with a couple exhibits on turtles and snakes. At 11 (not sure if it’s every day) they bring turtles out for the kids to touch. We loved how interactive it was!
Downstairs were a couple small areas where the little dudes basically ran around and played. One «sensorium» type room had a bunch of large blocks, stuff to climb on, inner tubes to roll around and teepees with pillows inside.
Our favorite spot was the town setup where they had a store, a couple houses, a post office, a construction site and an area for the kids to record music videos — that was pretty sweet!
All in all, this was a solid kids museum. Not as extensive as some of the others we’ve been to, but they did have some planned art type activities in an area that we didn’t explore. Definitely worth checking out and make sure to park on the top level to save yourself a headache and it’s only $ 5 with validation!

Beware of toddlers running everywhere. This active hive is a blast for children and adults of all ages. The volunteers are helpful, smiling and friendly and adults should go ahead and participate in the many activities available. I crawled into the ant tunnels with my granddaughter and then wondered how I could get back out when I saw the small tunnel. I made it through but ten more pounds on the frame and I would have had to back out over active preschoolers aggressively exploring the tunnel wearing their ant smocks. This is one of the great treasures of St Paul and it’s no surprise folks travel many distances to visit the Children’s Museum.

As I transition from a self centered Unilocaling life filled with brunches and leisurely weekend days to parenthood, it is right and timely to begin reviewing kid-​centric locales. This museum is awesome. I appreciated it more after visiting Children’s museums in 3 other major metro areas and thought, «I wish this was as good as the one 10 minutes from my house!» We tend to go early as it can get packed. Also, beware 3^rd Sundays that are free.

Oh this place. Wonderful beyond words. My 1.5 year old and 3 year old spent MANY a winter day here (its good in summer too LOL). We have moved to Southern California and the comparable museum here «Pretend City» is just a bigger version of «Our Town» in the MN Children’s Museum. One exhibit. I mean, the VARIETY of activities at this place is unbelievable. Truly award-​worthy. I miss this place so very much and I know my kids do too. If you have toddlers and preschoolers this place is your new church. Love it and we miss it so.

Let’s award this museum an extra star for the feeding station on the third floor, shall we?
I was a full time dad for one solid year, I was the proud Organizer of the first dads group in Albuquerque, for a long period of my life I was immersed in the politics of parenting, and I consider myself something of an expert concerning great kids venues. While I was certainly more in-​tune with the demands of daddydom, I also recognized the virtues of mom-​friendly spots, so I have to give the Minnesota Children’s Museum a special nod once again, here: private feeding station, third floor.
Seriously, how terrific! Social phobias about breast feeding, goodbye! But this is only the beginning of the good times you can anticipate in this multi-​sensory, ageless abode for the celebration of kids. There’s so much happening in this office building, it nails every age group, probably up to age ten. Science, trains, art, exploration, our 3 year-​old spent two hours in the rooms and wanted another two. Best exhibit, believe it or not: swabbing the deck. On the top floor they have an open area for kids to water play and dig in the sand, taste herbs and create their own art. Adjacent to the covered art shed, they offer the most simple of asinine pleasures: buckets of water, mops and paint brushes. Not only our kid, but many others, spent forever cleaning a small patch of a wooden deck and the plexiglass windows surrounding it. We suddenly realized that we could replicate this activity at home in New Mexico and, not surprisingly, we now know that she won’t lift a finger at home. Oh well.
Final note: there’s a toddler room which currently features a place where a kid can pretend to ice fish.
Seriously.
The walleye emerges from the ice.
You fucking betcha, St. Paul.

If you have kids, young relatives or just babysitting a young one and want to find something to do, the museum is a good place to bring kids of any age to enjoy some exhibits that they can run free in and enjoy with other children around as well.
If you live and work on MN check to see if your company participates in the MERSC program since you get discount for tickets. I just showed them my business card as proof to get $ 2 off each ticket (7.95 with discount).
They change up the exhibit on the 2^nd floor every once in awhile, this time around it was a creativity jam for the kids.
The boys had a blast. Our oldest has been here a few times but it was the twins’ first time and they did not want to leave when it was time to go home.
They have a little area downstairs that has tables to eat at but only vending machines and no café. I think it would be a good idea for them to invest in something like that if they can, a lot families leave during lunch time and for us, even though your pass is good all day until 5pm, there really isn’t a lot nearby that is open on the weekend that you can go to within walking distance and the come back to.

The Museum continues to be a fun destination for even my older children, now adolescents/​pre teens. Its a nostalgic and iconic institution in the downtown St. Paul area, when kids can explore, have fun and don’t even realize how much they’re learning.

A multistory children’s museum where you
could spend a large chunk of the day. My kids enjoyed the play city, crane, play factory, waterworks, creative area and the top forest floor. There is even a roof play area, although it’s closed down in the winter

We were brought to the Minnesota Children’s Museum while visiting some friends in Minnesota.
We were overwhelmed by how amazing this place is! There are so many interactive activities and areas for the children. You can make your own paper, learn about hydraulic energy, create artwork, & meet their mice (one of which is named Pancake).
My son had so much fun! I wish we had places like this where I live.

My daughter just had her 5^th birthday party here. We had the large party room downstairs all to ourselves. The party host set everything up and then cleaned up at the end. That part was lovely. Our guests enjoyed the party room and then playing for hours throughout the museum. I wish for more affordable or free parking.

Of all the attractions, water parks, theme parks, and kids places in Minnesota this place ranks number one for entertaining my kids. I could not pull them away from here when we visited Minneapolis this summer.
To all parents out there, I suggest that you just skip the theme parks and water parks. Those places are not worth the money and your kids will just be hot, grumpy, and sun burnt. There’s so much to do at this museum. And I’ll have to admit, even I wanted to crawl through, touch, and jump on everything. Every attraction is well thought out and creatively done. I honestly think I was more impressed than my kids.
In all my travels, I haven’t run into a kids museum this elaborate. Rest assured, every time we visit Minneapolis you’ll see my kids crawling in the ant tunnels. And of course, you’ll see me in the tunnels too.

This museum is good quality with quite a bit of stuff to do. It felt pretty limited to us and we were able to cover almost the whole thing in about three hours. I guess we didn’t have an appreciation of how large the Indy museum at home is until we went here. However, size isn’t everything and the quality of the exhibits are very good here. The kids enjoyed themselves and so did we. Discount ramp parking is a nice touch and there is nothing quite like Minnesota /​Wisconsin friendliness.

Prior to having a child, I would’ve never thought of heading over to MCM. It was fabulous! We brought our 2yr old to MCM on Sunday when it was 20 degrees outside. It was busy! But don’t let that scare you — a number of volunteers were on hand during our time in line and the line went by fairly quickly. They had bubbles, balls, all sorts of fun play things prior to entrance.
We were there for 2 hours and hardly scratched the surface. Never a dull moment and the little one loved the bubbles, water area, construction. All details were considered — anti slip mats and aaprons (we brought an extra shirt which came in handy). Two thumbs up!

Brought my 10 month old here when dad was traveling for the weekend and wasn’t sure if he was too little to really enjoy or understand the museum.
He had a great time interacting at the «stations» and also other tikes that were there. Kids under 1 are free, so $ 10.95 for my admission + $ 4 for parking and the cost of a 6 inch Subway sandwich was well worth the entertainment that was provided for the little guy and all the priceless pics.
The nursing room was tiny and smelled like poo, no wonder I saw so many women nursing in public here.