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Austin Children's Museum
Category: Arts & Entertainment Museums Museums [Edit]
201 Colorado StAustin, TX 78701
Neighborhoods: 2nd Street District, Warehouse District, Downtown
(512) 472-2499
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
49 reviews for Austin Children's Museum
Review Highlights
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"We go on Monday Morning's sometimes for Baby Bloomers." In 5 reviews -
"She also loves the story time." In 6 reviews -
"...the exibits is arts and crafts for toddlers and older kids." In 4 reviews
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49 reviews in English
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Review from Greg G.
Kyle, TX
11/30/2011
Very interactive for kids and very fun. My five year old and two two year olds found plenty to keep them entertained for a few hours. The upstairs room in which you can build your own car was probably the best part. I also liked the introduction to electricity section that allowed my five year old to connect wires to lights and a door bell to get a basic concept.
My only complaint is that I thought it was a little pricey, especially when parents are required to pay along with the children. -
Review from Keyseri Y.
Austin, TX
Two words come to mind when thinking of a museum, you know like 'large and information,' shoot even 'affordable.' Two words came to my mind, when I reflect on the definition of museum, and after our recent visit to Austin Children's Museum, 'tiny and expensive.' We went with our son for his kindergarten field trip and though he loved it (had been once before), I don't feel valid in giving it 5-stars, here's why....
Here's the low down on admission pricing:
Adults: $6.50
Children (2 and up): $6.50
Children (12-23 months): $4.50
Children (12 months and under): $FREE
Membership pricing:
$75.00 for 4 people
Special Info:
The museum is open FREE to the public every Sunday from 4-5pm and anytime upon request through their 'Open Door Policy," as well Community Night Wednesdays from 5-8pm admission is by donation (suggested $1).
The accept Cash, Check, Visa, Mastercard and American Express.
Info you should know prior to your visit:
*Want to avoid the crowds? Go in the afternoon, or visit on NO TOUR TUESDAYS, the first Tuesday of every month is reserved for family visitors; there will not be bus loads of school children flocking to the attractions. It also limits the number of visitors in each area which allows for more fun time.
*They do not allow snacks or drinks aside from in a designated area by the front door; they do have a very HEALTHY vending machine, drinks/snacks ranging from a $1.00 and up.
*They do NOT have lockers or places to store personal items.
*It's pointless to bring a stroller, the little tot will rather be running wild throughout the attractions; they do have a designated stroller parking area in case you decide it's a must, FYI- it's not where the sign is but down the hall to the left in a room. (But with the limited amount of space, you'll ditch it within entering the museum.)
The bad and the reason for the stars (or lack thereof):
*Parking- it's terrible and expensive unless you know this information: The Austin Children's Museum does NOT own or control parking downtown, but they are partnered with AMLI and City of Austin to provide a few cheaper options.
You can park in one of the two AMLI garages for a reduced rate (AMLI Downtown garage off Lavaca, between 2nd and 3rd street or AMLI on 2nd, the garage is off San Antonio Street, between 2nd and 3rd street. The discounted parking is only available Monday thru Friday, 10am-5pm and is limited. With museum validation members pay $3.00 and non-members pay $4.00. Be sure you bring your parking stub to the office and ask for validation. You may also park in area lots, use city-metered street parking (Sunday's city meters are FREE.) and there is also new pay stations downtown that take credit and debit cards along with coins. And for those guests who are handicapped, you may park for FREE at any metered parking. As well parking is free at the City Hall garage on weekends (in and out before 5pm).
*Outdated/Broken Items- I think they need an overhaul badly. There is a video in the cow milking room that looks to be from the 1990's and could definitely use a fresher look. I agree with the poster below the kid that named the cow is probably graduated from college by now. The crane does not work in the construction area, the kids still enjoy it, but come on you'd think they'd tweak it a bit so that it actually drop the balls on the conveyor belt.
*Limited Access to equipment- there is a large slide in the three-story building of the construction room that is boarded up and access is not allowed, I would expect an explanation rather than the note that claims a 'museum member must be present.' The kids would really enjoy it if it was open.
*Size- you have to admit even a person who doesn't have issues with being confined to small spaces would feel closterphobic; they have several classes of 20 children each, including regular guests and parents all confined to a small area, it's a tight fit. I would visit more often if they had a larger place, though I did hear they are relocating soon.
*Price- your wallet will hurt, I can understand charging for children (considering they participate), but charging the adults $6.95/person is stout, considering a child cannot come unattended. If it was cheaper, we would be there often! I just cannot bring myself to regularly pay $40.00 to be in a confined space where some equipment is off limits and billions of little ones are flocking. Add parking prices into this equation as well.
Overall this is a fun facility, given the toddler zone, three-level construction area, train station,kitchen area and more. I personally view it as a one-visit place, but who knows my kids enjoyed it so much, we might go back in the near future, or wait till they move. I also should mention the staff is extremely friendly and make for a fun field trip. -
Review from Tiana C.
Austin, TX
Went for a field trip the other day...not for myself of course, but with a Kindergarten class. First thing I noted, unless I was completely oblivious, you need to expect to pay for parking. Paired with the ticket pricing, it ended up being a little on the heavier side of my wallet than I expected. We were taken to the bat cave/grocery store/train station area. Very cute, but definitely not intended for a class of kids and their parents room wise. Also noticed that the displays (the cow milking station in particular) seemed a little outdated. The 'Funstruction Zone' seemed to be the favorite of everyone- it has 3 levels and lots of small engaging activities on each level.
The physics type room with golf balls was highly interactive- I don't know about the kids, but I had a blast...to the point of distracting the kids quite possibly :)
Overall, I think that this is a really good place for first timers. The kids enjoyed every station that they went to, but I can see more than 2 visits being nothing short of repetitive (not to mention expensive). -
Review from Steven C.
Dripping Springs, TX
4/16/2012
I agree with Jesse and Elizabeth on this one. The adult ticket price and parking make it an expensive proposition. If it was a bigger location, with more activities and space, then it may be worth it. However, it does tend to get jam packed on Saturdays and leads to a pretty chaotic environment.
On the positive side, the staff there do a wonderful job helping the children become active participants in the interactive activities. They also have a lot of new activities, so going to the museum every month doesn't become boring.
I really like the upstairs craft section--especially for my girls. They have egg cartons, popsicle sticks, glue, tape, googly-eyes, etc. to make some really funky creations.
Overall, it's a good place to go for 2hrs--that's it. Bring $40. Oh and the area surrounding the location isn't the best. -
Review from Kay S.
Round Rock, TX
5/22/2012 1 Check-in Here
Become members! It's a great rainy day place to have fun and the exhibitions are fun and educational. My only qualm is that the train has not worked any time I've visited. It's a great looking train that is supposed to run around the top of the play area; so it's always disappointing to see that they still have fixed it.
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Review from Jessie R.
3/17/2012
Austin Children's Museum is a great place to bring your kids for hands on, interactive play and learning. They have a sectioned off area that is just for kids under two, which was a nice place for my toddler to explore without being trampled by bigger kids.
There are two things that make this a three and not four star review. 1) Admission price for adults is ridiculously high. $6.50? I can totally understand charging kids to get in, but you would think they would want to encourage more adults per kid to help to wrangle the little guys. That steep price means that only myself or my husband will take our son, not both of us. 2) Location. Parking is tricky, and given the high cost of admission, it hurts even more to pay for parking, too. There is a lot that offers reduced rates for museum goers, however, which I guess helps. We made a day of it and took the train from Highland mall and walked a few blocks from the station.
I've heard that the museum is moving to the new development at Mueller, and since we live close to that area, I'll be more enthused about making this a regular rainy or super hot day activity. Hell, we would probably even buy a membership if the location was that convenient. -
Review from Danielle C.
Pflugerville, TX
3/22/2012 1 Check-in Here
Going downhill, not like it used to be.. Too bad:( friendly employees but the things to do have gone down and look worn. The restrooms smelled like urine and there was no tp in the family bathroom. The trash in the restroom was all over the floor. We walked in on a Wednesday just before the free nighttime started and had to wait the 10 minutes to walk in even though nobody was really there. That wasn't a real crisis- but we got to watch some crazy lady scream at the clerk for her money back. The lady was nuts and had to be escorted out. Her kid hit another one, and they talked to her about it--then hell broke loose! For that show-- I guess I give it a 2 for excitement:)
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Review from Ruben M.
Austin, TX
12/30/2011
This place is a perpetual letdown.
I've been here 5-6 times in the past 7 years with my kid, and every time it's the same depressing blah. From the non-stop membership shilling, to the uninspired and stale permanent exhibits, to the disinterested parents who avoid eye contact and stare at their smartphones, to the complete lack of space for kids to move around comfortably, it's nothing you can't do in 30 minutes and wish you hadn't.
Almost nothing ever changes here. The cow in the back is still there, and I think the little boy who named it is probably in college by now. The "bat bridge" is still there - it's still the same old pole in the same dank corner. The broken-down grocery playset is still there, as is the crane in the ball pit that's lost its reach, as is the 3-story clubhouse with the slide that's long been boarded up for whatever reason.
The only reason we went again is for the dino exhibit, the first new thing there in quite a while. It's basically 4 mini dinosaurs in the space of your living room with colorful particle board dividers. This is the best they can do....sigh. (What's crazy is that it's not - the exhibit came from Minnesota.)
To be fair, this isn't a knock for first time visitors. If you've never been, you'll love it here, especially if you stay engaged with your kids and don't mentally check out. Unfortunately, for repeat visits it goes downhill in a hurry. I honestly wish these guys would move already so it forces them to implement some wholesale changes. The membership deserves better than the same old same old. -
Review from L B.
Round Rock, TX
3/19/2012
Honestly, this was a disappointment.
Pros: small intimate setting. Great for kids 0-5yrs old. Some cool stuff (marble rolling things). Nice location right in the middle of downtown. Go on weekend you get free parking (street as well as city hall). We walked over to State Capitol afterwards (15 min walk)
Cons: too small-these pictures are deceiving. It is much smaller than how it looks in the picttures. Geared towards younger kids. Nothing really for 6+yrs olds. I wish we had known that it was for small kids. VERY CROWDED. Birthday parties every time we went (Saturdays). Too expensive for what it has to offer! ~$7/everyone +2yrs old (I believe) and you're done in an hour. Actually taking a tour of the whole place would take......10 mins? I wouldn't attempt to drive there on weekdays. You'll be stuck in traffic forever because it's right in the heart of downtown!
Overall, I don't want to go back. My child still likes it but I always leave feeling money wasted for the trip we took. It needs to expand to at least the double its size. Would rather save up and take a trip to Houston Children's Museum. -
Review from Shinta S.
Austin, TX
7/26/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Many years ago, when my daughter was still crawling, then toddling, I used to spend many weekend afternoons in this museum. Now that my daughter is 8 yrs old, I turn to ACM for her summer camp options. This summer is the first summer we enroll her here.
ACM has a popular Lego Robotics camp. ACM organized this camp but they conducted the classes in Sillicon Labs building downtown. This camp gets full *fast*. You do have to sign up very very early. They do save some spots for girls. This was my daughter's first time doing anything robotics and she totally loved it. The kids built all kids of robots to man (or to robot??) an entire city. On Friday, the whole team showcased what they had built to the parents and family. It was fun just watching them present their work.
I also signed my daughter up this summer to ACM's Girls Explore Science camp. I was a bit skeptical of this camp, thinking this was going to be mostly playing with goo or building things from Popsicle sticks. But no. My daughter had fun field trips: twice to UT, Mechanical and Chemical Engineering departments, once to Dell Children's Hospital. They learned about nano technology, and all kinds of things, and yes, including goo. I was actually quite impressed with the educational content of this camp.
My daughter already decides she wants to go back to ACM next summer.Listed in: Hottest Summer Camps
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Review from Cristina B.
Austin, TX
11/13/2011
Little dude had a blast here during the baby bloomer hour. Each time we have gone there is something fun and exciting for our 2 year old to play with.
We love to go to the museum on Saturdays as a family- never gets old. -
Review from Chris C.
Round Rock, TX
10/3/2011
Was a great stop for my 3 and 5 year old for about 3 hours. I've seen better museums, but for the price it was great. it kept them busy and excited the entire time. The feeling is more like a large playground than a typical museum. I wouldn't recommend this for kids over 8 years old because they would probably get bored.
The hands on area where kids could build there own creations was my favorite part. On the day that we were there they had a table of college students that helped parents and their kids make homemade cars with sails that the kids could put next to a fan and watch zoom across the floor. I'm sure we will be back. -
Review from Elizabeth C.
Austin, TX
8/22/2011 4 Check-ins Here
After reading all the yelp reviews, I wasn't sure that I wanted to visit the Children's Museum... But my little guy is currently obsessed with trains and a trip on the light rail was the perfect remedy. But what to do downtown with a toddler? Ah yes, the children's museum. We went on a Baby Bloomer Monday and were greeted with a packed entry of kids singing along to the entertainment. Cute and claustrophobic. What can I say? I'm not a fan of packing people like sardines into a space... Once music time was over everyone dispersed and it was much better.
I was a little worried about the cleanliness factor but everything that could have been control by the staff was pretty clean. Kids are snotty, germy messes. Case in point: I watched a kid on the giant lite bright pull a colored peg out, stick it in his mouth, rub it across his snotty nose and put it back, giggling. That's standard, unwatched toddler behavior.
Some people have been disappointed with the exhibits but they seem to be the parents of older kids. The content reviews? Parents of young'uns. So for what it's worth, don't expect much if your kids are older, but if you just need to unload some toddler energy, this could be a good place for you. -
Review from Laura G.
1/22/2012
We took our 2 year old here for the 1st time the other day, and it was great! Fun, lots of stuff to do, educational and very hands-on. I don't think she would've had much fun if she was much younger than 2 (there's a little section for crawlers/younger toddlers but that's about it.) Maybe check ahead, though, for the exhibit schedule. We went just after they'd taken the dinosaurs down and they were in between exhibits. Bummer, but still lots of stuff to do, and admission was half off. Woo hoo!
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Review from Casey B.
Austin, TX
1/17/2011
I went to ACM this morning for the baby bloomers. My 18month old, had a blast. There is a lot to do here. She of course rather stay in the same spot the whole time, b/c she can't imagine anything else being better than what's in front of her.
As for moms/dads, some parents were able to chit chat a bit, I think it may be a couple regulars that know eachother. I went also hoping to 'interact' and possibly make a new mommy friend, however that didn't happen today.
Bottom line, baby & I will definately going back on Mondays. Also from 9-10 Saturdays you can get in free with daddy. :) -
Review from Jennifer B.
Austin, TX
1/24/2011
I volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters and my Little Sister wanted to go to the Children's Museum so I took her last Saturday. She's nine years old.
The museum isn't very big and it had a decent crowd there. We both were able to make some tinker toys upstairs (although the toys had been picked through so we did have to hunt around for some). It's got some interesting features and we were able to see almost everything. A few of the exhibits had a slight wait. One thing that was really cute was the little kitchen. There were all kinds of kids in there fixing pretend food and doing pretend dishes. I sat there while my Little checked out the tree house and a little girl came up, took my order (spaghetti with an apple) and then brought me meatballs and an apple. It was cute.
I would've liked for some more complex exhibits since my Little is pretty darn smart (smarter than me) but we had a fun time for a couple of hours. -
Review from DeLea B.
2/6/2011 4 Check-ins Here
I've been going to the museum for over 3 years now. Last week I took my 4 yr old and he had a blast for over 2 hours.
The only drawback is that it was very crowded, but that is to be expected on a cold saturday. Be ready to follow your little person around if you want to keep an eye on them. I don't know if I would do it with more than one little kid...I can't imagine trying to keep up with more than 1. -
Review from Ståle B.
Cedar Park, TX
10/20/2010 1 Check-in Here
This place is a mess. Everytime we're there we think it'll be different, but we're always let down.
While they introduce new 'features' there are always things that are broken or in dis-repair. The place is kinda dirty too...
The staff is friendly, and it feels good to support learning and a non-profit. But I can't help thinking this place could have been better. -
Review from Trina H.
9/12/2010 2 Check-ins Here
Having visited the children's museum in Dallas, this museum was 10 times better. It was exceptionally more interactive than other museum's we visited outside of Austin and though it was small, my son had no problem being constantly entertained and educated while we were there. I totally recommend it!
PS You can park for $5 off Congress, just one block East of the museum. Which is great if you plan on talking a stroll after the museum.Listed in: Trina's Travels
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Review from Heather R.
Austin, TX
12/28/2010
I've taken my daughter, Ms. Princess, here a couple of times for the Baby Bloomers on Monday mornings. She always seems to have a good time.
It feels little small for what you pay, but all the activities make up for it. With story time, the sing along, and a lab all before noon, it keeps us running from place to place with little time to actually see the space. There is a train the kiddos can watch go around, a slide, a crawler's space, an area to play kitchen, vet, and construction worker, and more.
Every time I go, I expect to get through it, but my daughter hasn't reached the age where she goes fast so we always leave with a "well, I guess we'll see that next time."Listed in: Field Trips for Those Under 2
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Review from Dana T.
San Marcos, TX
9/21/2011
I took my 3 year old son to the Austin Children's Museum for the first time today. It's installation week, so we got 1/2 off, but I think the normal price of $6.50/person is a good deal. We had a great time. The museum offers multiple construction & train installations, of which my son is a huge fan. I like their "grocery store" more than at the New Braunfels or San Antonio Kid's Museums. We will definitely return to see the dinosaur installation!
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Review from Hoa N.
11/19/2007
Great for rainy days or too hot days. Park away from downtown and take a 'dillo in (there's no free parking). Kids love it: interactive and fun.
Wash hands often; it is germ central.Listed in: ATX Places to take kids
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Review from Christian K.
Austin, TX
8/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place needs some vision. There are very cool things about this place but the rotating main exhibit lacks much depth most of the time and many of the permanent pieces are often broken. I have seen much better with a lot less funding.
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Review from Lala L.
Austin, TX
8/3/2009
Oh, for shame, Austin. Is this really the best you can do for your city's kids? The museum is small, many exhibits are worn out or poorly maintained, and several of them have been up for the full five years I've been going here.
If a 5-year-old kid can go through the exhibits in under an hour and have seen everything, there's a problem. And it ain't with the kid's attention span.
Some nice philanthropist out there should start a fund-raising drive for this place. It's an embarrassment. -
Review from Angela M.
Austin, TX
6/24/2009
I'm a Children's Musuem snob. I expect the best.
The ACM is the most expensive museum to join in the state and doesn't have all that much to offer. Many of the permanent exhibits often don't work that well, if at all. It's also kind of small and could stand to have better exhibits that appeal to older kids as well as the younger ones. Granted, I'm glad it's here. But with Dell's name being out front, I expect SO much more.
Here's what ya do: Go see each new travelling exhibit once or twice on Community Night.
Or if you get invited to a birthday party here, even better.
Drive to Houston or Fort Worth for a better Children's Museum experience. But ACM is good for checking out the travelling exhibits at least once. And I think it closes just in time on Community Night to run over and catch the bats flying out from under CAB. -
Review from allison j.
Austin, TX
2/24/2008 1 Check-in Here
I agree there is something for every age here. My daughter loves it. It seems a little dirty, but I'm not sure how you can avoid that when you cater to children. Kids are straight up not scared of dirt.
Great for a rainy day or just a fun day inside.
just went back for their inventions exhibit and it was cool. My daughters both love this place. They have a baby section for my 9 month old and my 3.5 year old loves everything else. CHECK IT OUT! I thought we'd be there for an hour, and we were there for 3. DO IT!Listed in: Get off your rear and take…
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Review from Allison P.
Fort Worth, TX
5/22/2007 3 Check-ins Here
Looking for something really cool to do with the kiddos this summer? Check out the Austin Children's Museum. I guarantee it will also bring out the kid in you.
Okay, I don't have any kids, but I have lots of nieces and a nephew. There is so much going on at this place, that there is something for every kid. Upstairs there is a craft room. Downstairs there is a rotating exhibit. Right now, I believe it is giant board games, like a 3 foot Jenga and a life-size chess board.
Also, there is a small sound stage for kids to bring out their inner rock stars. Not sure if this a permanent exhibit or not, But my 5 year-old niece (at the time) and I strapped on some guitars and created our own Austin City Limits show. Still waiting to be booked for the festival . . .
Anyway, they have private rooms for birthday parties, And I even had a friend go to a wedding here recently. Not sure how that worked, but it sounds like they are willing and able to accommodate kids of all ages. -
Review from Garreth W.
Austin, TX
8/17/2009
Child bedlam. I'm not sure how much my kiddo enjoyed it - she seemed happy enough as an 11 month old in a warehouse full of insanity can be. Me, on the other hand, I thought it was hysterical.
It made me want to change my livelihood to being the guy that designs all the toys. Plastic bolts flying around, easily-swallowable LED toys sticking to the ceiling. Yes, that's the job for me.
I enjoyed playing with the toys. Some were broken, though plenty weren't. I could have stayed for hours.
And the guy who did story time was hysterical. Staff were dynamic and fun.
Can't wait to go back. With or without my kiddo.
And when they move to Mueller, it will be twice as big (and walking distance for me - yay!) -
Review from Robin C.
Austin, TX
7/4/2008
So not worth it. There's such a run-down quality to the whole place...if I were Michael Dell I'd be a bit embarrassed to have my name on the door, to be quite honest. Kids can amuse themselves with a brick, so this review is really about the parental experience, which I don't think the museum is really hip to. Yes, it's a children's museum, but where there are kids, there are parents and we're the ones making the spending decisions so it's definitely in your best interest to up the ante on how parents can interact in the museum as well. There's not much for a grown-up to do but stand around and watch the clock.
If it wasn't such a hassle to go here, maybe I wouldn't be so grouchy about it. But as it stands, it's not worth the parking hassle (and fees) in addition to the admission price. -
Review from Susie G.
12/19/2006
The children's museum is friggin cool! Does your inner child want to explore cool exhibits or learn about interesting things ?
I remember at the old location they had a fake supermarket where the kiddies could go food shopping, a big toy doll that had removable organs, and a craft station where you could build some amazing toilet paper roll creations. Its amazing how clearly I remember all of these things.
The new location is less messy and more high class. And every once and a while Ill walk by and see someone has rented out the location to throw a party for some charity or other. Hands down, this place is pretty dang cool. -
Review from Clare Y.
Austin, TX
5/3/2009
I was surprised when my ten-year-old daughter and her stepsister (also 10) wanted to go here on Saturday because I was pretty sure they would have outgrown it by now. But, they were persistent, so off we went.
It cost about $20 for the three of us to get in and I was thinking "Okay so, about $1 a minute most likely."
I was so pleasantly surprised by our visit.
The girls *loved* it. They played on just about every exhibit, spending an inordinate amount of time putting milk bottles into the little shoot and pretending they were *very* busy with shipping and handling, etc.
Anything that can make those sweet ten-year-olds, who have one foot in childhood and the other venturing out into the great unknown, play like they did gets a very favorable review from me. It was lovely.
We even came back after lunch so they could play on the big slide. -
Review from Ruth D.
Round Rock, TX
5/3/2009
I was excited when I passed by the Children's Museum a couple weeks ago and decided that my family should stop by and check it out. I was really disappointed on how small it was and how rude some of the parents were.
I don't think we will be going back anytime soon... -
Review from Laura H.
Austin, TX
7/6/2009
I'm not a mother....but my sister and her two boys were in town for a visit and I was watching the kiddos for an entire day as she had a class to attend.
With the temperature nearing 100 we needed some indoor fun so we turned to the Austin Children's Museum.
My nephews (7 and 3) had a blast. They were mostly occupied by the crane and mock Metro bus at the front. It was adorable to watch the 7 year old pretend to be the bus driver and ask other little kids where they wanted to go.
The 3-year-old was jumping from one thing to another and must have slid down the little green slide like a bazillion times. Both loved the train area (but it was sadly not working the day we went) A permanent sign near the train indicated that it probably rarely works.
The museum was lots of fun and managed to occupy two very curious little boys for about 3 hours.
Any thing that can do that gets props in my book! -
Review from Greg D.
Austin, TX
2/28/2011
I remember going to the old ACM as a kid and loving it, and as a special party for my 5 year old we decided to have it here. It was awesome. our coordinator was so nice and even cut the cake for the kids, not to mention we thought we had our room for 30 mins longer and she was so nice about us taking our time to finish up. The kids had a blast! and I have a 16 month old that was having the time of her life.
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Review from Amanda C.
Austin, TX
3/22/2011
We love the Children's Museum. We have the family membership so we can go as often as we want during the year for about $75. Otherwise, admission is very steep. For a family of four, it's about $20. Plus, it's downtown, so add parking to that fee if you don't take public transportation. (The museum will validate for some garages for $3 parking.)
The exhibits change but not very frequently. I'd like to see them change a little more frequently.
My 6-year-old son has gone to three of their camps, and he loves them. We've been very impressed with the camp activities.
I'd also love to see the museum have one day a week (instead of one day a month) when they do not allow school tours. It's very frustrating to be there when there is a school group because even if you are in the middle of playing with some exhibit, the workers will run you off so that the school group can tour. And many of the school kids are wild and loud. The best bet? Call to see if there are tour groups scheduled for that day and find out when they leave (usually around 2) and plan your trip for when the school kids aren't there.
My son loves the workshop upstairs where they have loads of recyclable items (cardboard tubes, yogurt tubs, etc) to build creations.
My 2-year-old daughter's favorite area is the kitchen/store where she plays for a long time. She also loves the story time.
Sometimes the exhibits are in not-so-tidy condition, and sometimes they aren't working. But, if there are lots of kids running through there each day, I'm sure it's hard to keep up. -
Review from Ananda J.
Austin, TX
9/14/2010
Austin.... The idyllic place to raise a family....just don't assume the high quality atmosphere includes a children's museum worthy of this cities rep. Super small, antiquated interactive stations and dirty, TCM is a fly by at best.
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Review from Kate S.
Austin, TX
5/20/2010
I went to the ACM with my 3 year old today. I was expecting more from our city!
We parked across the street using the parking meters that take your credit card. The max time limit on them is 3 hours, which costs $3. Not a big deal, but I could see on a busier day there might be no parking. There is an older parking lot with the slots that you can put cash in, and parking there is $7.
Inside the museum is very disorganized. You constantly encounter walls and oddly shaped or narrow exhibits, pathways and rooms. This feels inhibiting to me, and gives the whole place a stiff vibe.
When we cruised around to the different exhibits, what I experienced most often was that many of the exhibits were either very complicated to operate (way beyond the attention span of a preschooler), broken, closed or not supplied with all the materials that are required to participate in the activity.
We went during the "air fair" and I was overall disappointed by the exhibit. There are some complicated jumpsuits adults and kids can put on to play with the wind in front of a wall of fans...but the jumpsuits are oddly designed, hard to figure out how to put on, and then don't do much besides puff up in the back (where kids can't see them). The air area was pretty much empty as kids chose to play elsewhere.
There is a digger/construction area that looked promising, but was difficult to move and didn't seem to fit in the space provided. The digger part could not extend fully into the ball pit to pick up balls and then dump them on a rotary belt, and my child needed constant help to move the digger from side to side. Boo.
The one area that my toddler really liked was the pretend restaurant, where parents can sit on two benches and be served by the kids. However, the countertops were really high, probably more suited for elementary kids, and the two step stools provided were not adequate for the number of preschoolers that wanted to play in there.
Overall, not a place for preschoolers, unless your child just wants to play restaurant all day and happens to be exceptionally tall. We recently drove out to New Braunfels to the McKenna Children's Museum and had a far more pleasant experience. I recommend the McKenna CM over the Austin CM for preschoolers, even with the drive out there. The McKenna museum is cheaper, more interesting, open, clean, and they give you a receipt so you can come and go all day as you please--perfect for lunch or nap time! -
Review from Karen B.
Austin, TX
4/21/2011
So the nieces, aged 3 and 1, along with their parents, were visiting and the ACM looked like the perfect place to hold their 2 second attention span in alternating sessions over a couple of hours. We visited on a Monday where the museum is open solely to 3 year olds and under for Baby Bloomers. Many of the moms and tots are weekly participants but the one day visitor is greeted just as warmly. There's Story Time in the front area but you are free to roam as you please. For toddlers, there's Rising Star Ranch, a small picket fenced area with simpler activities. It got very crowded around 10:30 but not crazycrazyland, which was good since it was too early for this non-Mom to have a drinkypoo to calm the nerves.. This place is not just for kids either, folks. The milk processing area began with milking the cow all the way to stocking milk bottles at the grocery store. Very cool! All the golf ball roundy round exhibits. Cool! The train exhibit. Ultra cool! A great place for the little ones to meet new friends and burn off some energy, maybe even learn something.
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Review from Kyndall S.
New Boston, TX
9/9/2010
I can only rate this place for the baby bloomers class and playtime they have on Monday mornings! It's a time were infants and toddlers can rule the place and run around without having to worry about bigger kids trampling them! They do music time, story time and craft time. My daughter 16 months loves it there... she has the freedom to mingle with other kiddie her age and I don't have to chase after her or worry about her being in the way! A good time for baby and mommy. I haven't been on any other day so o don't really know what it's like during the weekday afternoons? They are doing construction so when that finishes up it will be 5 stars and worth a trip if you have young tots! Maybe a tad overpriced...
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Review from Casey T.
San Marcos, TX
8/23/2009
We go on Monday Morning's sometimes for Baby Bloomers. My daughter has sooo much fun. They have story time then music time. During music time they have a parachute thing that she loves to run under! They also have a nice baby area that is fenced off from the rest of the place.My daughter's favorite area is the cow and the train. Right now one of the exibits is arts and crafts for toddlers and older kids. They have rotating exibits.
