Children's Museum Houston

Children's Museum Houston

Children's Museum Houston
4.5
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
Closed
Tuesday
Closed
Wednesday
Closed
Thursday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Hands-on interactive exhibits in the areas of science and technology, history and culture, health and human development, and the arts.
Duration: More than 3 hours
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Admission tickets
from
$19.95
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The area

Address
Neighborhood: The Museum District
The Museum District of Houston is a cultural epicenter, home to 19 museums, galleries, and cultural centers, all within a 1.5-mile radius of the Mecom Fountain. This neighborhood is a haven for art enthusiasts, with the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, showcasing a vast array of global artistry. The Menil Collection, with its impressive assortment of surrealist art, African art, and ancient artifacts, is an absolute must-see. Pairing this rich cultural offering, the neighborhood features a plethora of dining options ranging from casual eateries to upscale gastronomic experiences. With Houston's METRORail providing convenient access, exploring the Museum District is wonderfully easy and rewarding.
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See what travelers are saying

  • Teri J
    6 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    We loved it here! I think my 8yo could have slept over, and still found new things to do the next day. If you have little littles, head straight to the top floor. There's a crawler/cruiser/toddler friendly area just for them up there. My 11mo nephew had a great time there with his nanny and the other visitors. If you have kids who need to get energy out, head to the middle floor. There are all kinds of physical challenges for them to do (How long can you hang? How high can you jump? How fast can you bike? ... that sort of stuff). There is also a whole city called "Kidtropolis" for them to engage in role play and use their imaginations. If you have kiddos that like to know how things work, check out the bottom floor. There is a lot of info and hands on activities about things like momentum, and a lab area with engineering challenges (ie: build a tower that can withstand high winds). There was SO.MUCH.TO.DO here. I only lasted 3 or 4 hours, but if you have a high tolerance for noise and energy you could be here literally all day. Also, I wasn't particularly paying attention but I believe it was reasonably accessible for people who use wheelchairs. I saw a few people around who were enjoying various parts of the museum. There is a paid parking garage across the street and it was a pay with an app kind of one, if memory serves.
    Visited June 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written July 4, 2024
  • Andy
    Bellevue, Washington586 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Wonderful museum for kids, it has everything. This museum is full of hands on activities that are educational and entertaining. We spent over 4 hours there, and I'm sure the kids would have loved to spend even more time. The parking garage is across the street, but there are also street parking nearby. Most of the street parking I saw were 2 hrs max though, except for Sunday. Invention Convention has a bunch of fun STEM activities that allows the kids to build all sorts of contraptions. And my other son loved the grocery store and diner in the Kidtropolis. This was a great destination for us to spend a fun filled afternoon. Our kids left with huge smiles on their faces.
    Visited April 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written April 26, 2024
  • Liztravelsandeats
    Haarlem, The Netherlands1,060 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Winner of multiple awards like best thing to do worldwide and America’s can’t miss children’s museum our expectation were high and we were not disappointed. This museum has lots to do for all ages. Not only does it have your usual kids science museum floors and exhibits they also have a Kidtropolis a city for kids ran by kids, an outdoor area with an interactive water exhibit and at the top floor a Tot Spot designed specifically for ages 0-2 to explore and have fun. You can easily spend a whole day here.
    Visited August 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written September 24, 2024
  • sprater09
    Palestine, Texas515 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    We had a great visit here on our trip to Houston. Our 5 year old loved the entire place! There is a lot of variety here for kids of all ages. Large enough to fit all the people. There were a lot of people on a busy Saturday, however our daughter got to do everything she wanted to do with no wait time. Great place to check out. Prices are reasonable for the amount of activities. You could literally stay all day if you wanted.
    Visited May 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written May 27, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles1,680 reviews
Excellent
1,221
Very good
325
Average
89
Poor
28
Terrible
17

David D
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2024 • Family
If your going once, your golden. Family membership plans are a scam, when compared to others like the Zoo, Science Museum and NASA. If your looking for places to take your kids/grandkids, family, visitors, etc through the year…go to those not here.
Written June 3, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and for visiting Children's Museum Houston. We appreciate your feedback and understand that everyone has different preferences when it comes to family memberships. We're committed to providing engaging and educational experiences for our visitors. Our membership plans offer unique benefits, including exclusive events, discounts on programs, and unlimited access to our dynamic exhibits designed to inspire creativity and learning in children. We value your input and will continue to strive for improvements to ensure our offerings meet the needs of all our guests. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you and your family back in the future and demonstrate the value and excitement we aim to provide.
Written July 3, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Bayernneverlussen
7 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2022 • Family
2 parts to this being a poor spot. It was a rainy day and that meant all visitors stayed inside perfectly understandable. They let far go many people in our child barely had a go on anything. The school trips really didn’t help either.

Biggest issue for us was car park pay machine was broke so all cars paid at gate it took 1 1/2 hours to get out of car park .. just lift the gate
Written November 1, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ames
Kalamazoo, MI60 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023 • Family
This is one of the best children’s museums we have visited. The kids (6 and 3) were immediately drawn in and did not get bored once. We were there for nearly 3 hours, and easily could have stayed another hour or two. Everything is hands on, and my kids were there for it. Their favorite was the Flow Works outside, which kept them occupied for most of our time at the museum.

Also, we gained admission through the ASTC reciprocity program with no problems! One of the adults in our party is recovering from injury and needed to use a wheel chair. They provided it, just requiring a drivers license to secure it for the visit.
Written July 8, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Michael K
San Jose, CA1,137 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2023 • Family
Our grandkids had a blast with this place with all the fun activities in the museum. There were quite a lot of visitors but since the place is huge, spreading over 3 floors, the kids can always find something to do without having to wait in line. Most of the exhibits are on science and I seriously doubt the kids will really learn anything but since they are having fun, it is a good way to expose them to science in an interesting way.
Written September 13, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Janie G
Lafayette, LA1 contribution
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2022 • Family
As I understand today was a Saturday, and Labor Day weekend - there was way too many people inside for our family to enjoy. I feel like selling a certain amount of tickets for separate time slots would have assisted in today’s chaotic experience. Not worth what we paid for sure as my kids barely were able to experience the museum.
Written September 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello there. We are sorry that you did not enjoy yourselves at the museum. Due to weather conditions, this past weekend was a busy time for us. We hope that you can return while we are not quite as busy, so that you have a satisfying time at the Children’s Museum.
Written September 6, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Brittney B
2 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2022 • Family
I’ve been here a handful of times, and it’s always outrageously overcrowded to the point of not being enjoyable. This last visit was the final straw, and I won’t be returning. I don’t know how the fire department always this many people inside at a time, but I was getting claustrophobic, and my children couldn’t enjoy any of the exhibits because it was just chaos. I hope they start to limit the number of people so that it can be a more positive experience.
Written May 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi, Brittney! We’re so sorry about your recent experience! Saturday is our busiest day, and during this past one, we hosted an Encanto-inspired meet-and-greet. We limit the number of visitors as we encourage advanced reservations. However, on this day, we reached capacity as Encanto was extremely popular. Our apologies your children could not enjoy the exhibits. We are disappointed to have not met your expectations and completely understand your decision to not visit us again. Please e-mail us at info@cmhouston.org as we would like to make this right and offer you a refund.
Written May 9, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

TABristolUK
Bristol, UK62 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020
Depending on your view I tend to think of Museum as about the past but this children's exploratory uses gadgets galore to teach kids physics, chemistry, motor skills with careers and STEM guidance dotted around for good measure. The huge climbing net at the back of the building I'd not seen before but created a great space for physical development, there were exhibits and try outs on physics, chemistry, visual holograms where staff helped to create your own hologram and Kidtropolis virtual city to try out different careers and act out different roles with your souvenir Kid Card also acting as your ATM card. So much to do at a surface level we only had three hours and it really wasn't enough but you do get three hours free parking at the neighbouring park and their annual passes are good value. We went on a regular school day for the US so it was lively but not really busy and that probably improved the experience as we could try everything without waiting for exhibits. I'd happily go back again and again because each section deserves its own concentrated time, my only suggestion to the really very friendly staff would be perhaps to consider producing a guide sheet, even online for parents to help them get the best for their children from the visit - there are some who just want a place to burn off excess energy but if you want to look at STEM careers or develop curiosity the place has so many options, Houston's a lucky city to have this place.
Written January 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Seven7777
Louisiana1,603 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2022 • Family
It's a nice museum but most exhibits are for older kids. The floor for kids under 5 was closed. The water exhibit is outside so it was closed. Many individual exhibits were broken/not functioning/closed, but the reason we'd never return is that it's more crowded than Disney World. Wall to wall people. A wait at every exhibit. The entire visit you're basically waiting, then rushing because other people are waiting. You can't explain the science to your kids etc. The reason why it's so crowded is because they're still making people buy prepaid time slots, so everyone crams in there at once instead of trickling in throughout the day. So dumb. And while I know the museum cannot control this, the adults were awful. I heard the F word being shouted, at kids, way more than I'd prefer and no one watched their kids. Lots of adults cutting and pushing down toddlers. Just an awful, awful experience. Ew. If you can go at like 10 AM on a Wednesday and no field trips are there, it's probably pretty nice.
Written February 26, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello Seven7777. We are sorry you had a negative experience. We do what we can to manage crowds on the weekends, however weekends are generally our busiest times. Our exhibits that are closed down are only shut down temporarily and will re-open. For an experience that is more to your liking, we do recommend coming during the week when it isn't so crowded. We appreciate your business and do hope that you will visit again. Again, you have our most sincere apologies.
Written February 28, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Kelly M
Oregon, OH35 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2021
This Children's Museum was great and the entry cost was reasonable.
We could not believe how exceptionally clean this facility was. Kuddos to this staff! They worked non stop to clean and keep it clean despite all the kids moving around and moving items. Workers in each area worked diligently to clean and keep it neat. The place , including the bathrooms were pristine!! Amazing job staff!!
I would highly recommend this museum if traveling with young children. We were just disappointed that the cafe was closed. Kelly, Toledo Ohio
Written November 7, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Nor
11 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022 • Family
We were excited to take our 4yo to this children’s museum. However on the Saturday we went it was SUPER crowded. We were constantly bumping into other guests. It was impossible for smaller kids to interact with the exhibits because older kids (and some adults) were using them and occasionally even pushing smaller kids out of the way. There doesn’t seem to be any limit to the number of people they allow in the museum and it honestly seemed like a fire hazard because of the amount of guests inside.

The exhibits looked like they would have been fun and educational if we’d had a chance to interact with them. Maybe it’s less crowded on weekdays. However I would never bring my family here on a weekend again.
Written July 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Greetings! We are sorry to hear that you had a disappointing experience at the Museum. Summertime weekends are our busiest time of the year, and we hope that one day you can make it back when it is not quite so busy. Possibly on a weekday afternoon.
Written July 7, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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Children's Museum Houston (2025) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Reviews)

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