madison children's museum

JasonS742

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.

VIP7844

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.

GreenDuck15

Went with another family to visit for the day. Very disappointed with the lack of things for me 1.5yr old to do. Was expecting more. Very very crowded and had a hard time getting to play with the amount of children there. Expected to make it a full day trip, only spent an hour there and wanted to leave. Will not be coming back again.

Z2533RDstevel

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.

W4609JE_

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:)

AJWNYC

Will keep kids busy if you need to get out of the cold. There are a lot of exhibits to explore and hands on activities. Was there with a 2.5 year old and a 5 year old. Both kids had fun exploring.

MSNative

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.

PatriciaK401

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!

DonandLisaFromUSA

We visit Madison a few times per year and every time we come, my kids ask me to take them to the Madison Children's Museum. There is something for all ages and both boys and girls. I have been taking my kids here since they were two and they just love it. We will be back again!!!

Puddle_Jumper_2010

It's a charming little place to take toddlers. I would not bring kids older than 5. We chose to get a membership as it will give my little guy a place to run during the Madison winter weather. However, I would not take out-of-town visitors here as there's not much to do. It is charming and clean, and fun for little people, but nothing spectacular. Bring a change of clothes as the kids can get pretty wet in the water room even if they wear the smocks provided. Also - WATCH YOUR METER. I was 5 minutes over my limit and I got a ticket. Also, the café with Roman Candle pizza and mac and cheese is great, but there are other wonderful places to eat with kids on the square.

71T

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.

nicole2313

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.

deedeetoo

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.

696willj

As part of a weekend family trip to Madison we visited the Madison Children's Museum after a morning of enjoying the Madison Farmer's Market around the capital square. The kids enjoyed 3 floors of hands on fun. Kids and adults will enjoy this experience which has adults and kids being active with mechanical and stimulating activities. The facility is clean and well managed, right on the square and close to restaurants and other Madison downtown attractions. It was hard to tear our kids away to go enjoy some other Madison attractions. Great family fun...

Mak3126

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!