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Greensboro
Things to Do in Greensboro
Greensboro Children's Museum

Greensboro Children's Museum: Hours, Address, Greensboro Children's Museum Reviews: 4.5/5

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Greensboro Children's Museum

See all things to do
See all things to do
Greensboro Children's Museum
4.5
257
#1 of 9 Food & Drink in Greensboro
Cooking Classes • Children's Museums
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9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
About
Designed to inspire hands-on learning through play, GCM offers a fun, energetic and safe environment for all ages!
Suggested duration
2-3 hours
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
257 reviews
Excellent
183
Very good
54
Average
15
Poor
4
Terrible
1
redbrandywine
Eastern NC4 contributions
Kids never wanted to leave!
We took the Amtrak from Raleigh to spend the day in Greensboro with a 7-yr old and 4-yr old. We arrived at the museum when they opened at 9am. The staff was friendly, and the admission cost is such a value! (pick up the Greensboro visitor's guide in the train station visitor's center and get a coupon for free children's admission)

The museum is very hands on and the children loved so much of it, they had a hard time telling us which was their favorite part. There is a real fire truck, nascar race car, airplane cockpit and mini "airport", village with pizza parlor, grocery store, house, post office, doctor's office, theater, crafts area and camping exhibit. Each exhibit is stocked with costumes and life-like items for the kids to play with. There is a special area for children 4 and under, and another enclosed area for 2 yrs and under. This allows them to play without intrusions of older children.

The kids enjoyed the exhibits tremendously. At the "beach", there is a lighthouse and sailboat, and very large sandbox where they dig for fossils. At the "theater" there are lots of costumes, a real stage with curtain, and the 7-yr old loved working the light/sound booth. In the grocery store, there are carts, shelves of groceries, a bakery, reusable grocery bags and cash registers.

The exhibits are also educational, and there are lots of opportunities to learn about math, practice reading, etc. There is an outdoor garden area with picnic tables if you want to bring your own lunch. There are only vending machines on site. Plenty of places for parents to sit back and watch, or join in the fun!

At the end of the day, it was 6pm, and we thought they might be bored by then, but we had to drag them away so we wouldn't miss the train back to Raleigh!

We walked a few blocks through the center city park and onto Elm Street for lunch. There is a diner there called Fincastle's where the waiter sings, and they have old-fashioned milkshakes. The kids enjoyed that also!
Written July 11, 2008
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Sara A
Chapel Hill, NC40 contributions
Nice diversion for the kids
Mar 2018 • Family
We happened to be traveling through Greensboro on a Sunday and I found out that this museum charges half-price ($5) on Sundays, so we went. There are a lot of play areas for interactive-type, imagination-type play. I wouldn't personally call it a "museum", though. The only disappointment is it was a rainy day, so the outdoor play structure was closed. That was the main area my son wanted to play on. If we go back, it will definitely have to be on a sunny day!
Written March 14, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Kim H
Roanoke, VA1,675 contributions
Wonderful, Imaginative Children's Museum
Apr 2014 • Family
Awesome play space for kids that promises to occupy for hours. Interactive areas include a construction house, a post office, a grocery store, a medical clinic, an arts/craft area, a theatre, a train station, multiple real vehicles for exploring (fire truck, big rig, etc.), a play camping area, and more. Fabulous "outdoor classroom" space features chickens, bunnies, a set of "tunnels," great climbing trees. Indoor space includes a toddler area stocked with crawl tunnels, foam blocks, etc. Clean, accessible, welcoming; would make a wonderful venue for a kid's birthday party, company event, wedding reception involving kids. Enjoyable by many; perfect for ages 2-6.
Written April 13, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
ncsearch
north carolina90 contributions
Use to be fun-now over priced and many exhibts are gone.
My grand daughter loves this place and we visit several times a year. Imagine my shock when we went the beginning of August-the entrance fee is now $7.00 per person-so it was $21.00 for the three of us. She loves the train layout,airplane set up and most of all the replica of the Cape Hatteras lighthouse and sand box. Guess what -the train track layout, the light house and sand and part of the airplane exhibt are gone, gone, gone and nothing in its place. Also another whole section of exhibts are gone and there is nothing but a big empty room. The firetruck, police car and race car occupy a small section of the big open space.

There is hardly any seating for adults anywhere-which is hard on the elderly person who was with me. We had to find her a seat neat the pizza play area-which meant she could not see her greatniece playing.

There is a large garden outside, but when it is 90 outside a open garden is not where you want to be. The cottage was still there and the stage area, along with the doctor/vet area and the art center-but still very little seating for adults.

$14.00 for two adults to stand around and watch a child play is way over priced. There is nothing for an adult to do, but stand and watch. Hard to interact in the play area when most things have been removed.

Save your money and go to the Natural Scince Center or Sciworks in W-S.
Written August 16, 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Darren W
Greensboro, NC13 contributions
Lots of fun for kids of all ages!
Jan 2020
My kids love it here! So many interactive activities! They especially love the water areas and the hospital section.
Written February 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
2Bares
Pikeville, NC304 contributions
Fun for all!
May 2019 • Family
Our granddaughters 3rd birthday party was at the Greensboro Children’s Museum. They had a great space for the party and the interactive museum with tons of fun and learning for all. Staff are friendly and super helpful. Great fun!
Written May 5, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Stephanie S
Dayton, OH123 contributions
Outdoor Climbing Towers and Tunnel Big Hit
Jun 2018
Visited with an 8 and 10 year old who had a great time. The outside climbing nets provided a fun and sometimes frustrating challenge for the kids. Both managed to successfully climb up, over, and down causing them to be quite pleased with themselves. And rightfully so!
I do not think I would describe this place as a "museum." "Museums" are traditionally a passive type of experience. This was just the opposite. The children's creativity and imaginations were inspired by the very free flowing, unstructured environments the kids had the opportunity to experience: grocery, hospital, airplane, restaurant, performance stage, etc. I watched children of all ages immerse themselves in play and laughter. Very well done!

Written June 30, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Greensboro Children's Museum
Hi Stephanie, Thank you very much for your great review! We work very hard to offer positive hands-on learning experiences for children of all ages, and we’re happy to see that reflected on your last visit.
Written July 3, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
BoardingPass407282
Fort Belvoir, VA21 contributions
Loved it!
Jul 2016
I wasn't sure if my 18 month old would be old enough to be interested. But she absolutely loved it! We saw every bit. She was able to enjoy just about everything. Very cute, clean, not too busy and free for military and dependents
Written July 1, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
luvfamilyadventure
Kannapolis, NC31 contributions
So much to do!
Jan 2016 • Family
We arrived at the museum late morning. There is a small free parking lot adjacent to the building, but it was full. We parked on the street out front and just fed the meter. When you walk in there is an amazing piece of wall art that makes for a great photo stop. After you pay, when you walk through the museum it is in a large circle layout, so you just sort of work your way around. There were so many fun activities for our 3yo to do. They have an entire room of actual fire/police/volvo big rig/nascar/ambulance vehicles. My little one had a great time pretending to drive an actual fire truck! The rest of the building is broken into play areas. There are several rooms that are set up like a smaller version of their real life counterparts...a mini post office with a real postal truck and sorting belt, a mini dentist office with an actual dental chair, a mini pizza parlor where the kids can make their own pretend pizzas with felt toppings, a small house front with a kitchen and dining room in it that the kids can pretend cook in. More activities than I can list on here and not make this a book. There were several volunteers on hand to help maintain the areas and watch for lost kids. The website said the upper age range is about 10 and I would agree. Our little one had a blast, but most of the activities are aimed at the younger set. We were there for 3 hours and had hit most of the major areas. I would not be surprised if you could stay a whole day if the little one is up to it. Be prepared and bring some food if you plan to stay all day. They have a little snack area, but no food on site. There is not much within walking distance and most of the close restaurants are in their downtown area with limited parking. Overall, I would say this was one of the best kids museums we have been to.
Written January 14, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Carey M
Albury, New South Wales, Australia31 contributions
Great opportunity to interact with displays
Aug 2015 • Family
The layout of the museum is very good.It has a small vending machine area so suggest taking your own snacks if planning a long visit.

We really enjoyed the ability to interact with the displays and climb all over the train, plane and aeroplane.
We visited during summer holidays and found it a little frantic as many children were moving around very quickly without any attention to others.
I suggest a number of participants and time per activity be given ( during busy periods) to ensure smaller quieter children are given an equal opportunity to try all activities.
It is a credit to the city to have such a great faculty available for such a reasonable cost.
We would recommend this as an ideal place for younger children and families.
Written August 8, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Greensboro Children's Museum
Greensboro Children's Museum is open:
  • Sun - Sun 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
  • Mon - Mon 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Tue - Thu 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
  • Fri - Fri 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
  • Sat - Sat 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM