- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Kohl Children's Museum
Rating Details »
2100 Patriot Blvd
Glenview, IL 60026
(847) 832-6600
Glenview, IL 60026
(847) 832-6600
- Hours:
Mon. 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Tue-Sat. 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
26 reviews for Kohl Children's Museum
It doesn't get any better than this.
Yeah, it can get crowded. Rainy days and during winter vacation are the worst times to go. Expect lots of kids with runny noses (ew). But most of the time it is manageable and there is just SO MUCH to do there.
Our new favorite this summer was the outdoor area. They have a cute "treasure hunt" map that you can grab and find the statues around the path. There is also a newish spider web climbing structure and these spinning cups... it's all fun and games til someone gets too dizzy and barfs everywhere.
The big hits indoors are the face painting mirror, water room, Potbelly's sandwich shop and the vet. The best thing is that there is something for every age group so all the kids can have fun. It's easy to spend a whole day here without even noticing.
They think they're sneaky putting a gift shop RIGHT at the front door so that when you enter and leave all you hear is "CAN WE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE JUST GO BUY SOMETHING?!?! CAN WE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE JUST GO LOOK???". Ummm... I forgot my purse in the car... however, if you are feeling the need to shop, they have great educational gifts in there.
I know I shouldn't... but I love that darn pretzel restaurant. Grilled cheese pretzels? Mmmmmm...
I don't get the 5-star ratings at all. The building is cool, but otherwise, it is just so-so. The water room looks so fun but there's not actually much to do in it. The whole place is like that. . .looks better than it is. My kids get bored of it pretty quickly, which is unusual for them.
Biggest complaint is that they let in tons of under-supervised school groups that make this place hell. Best time to avoid that problem is weekday afternoons.
The secret really is to go during the weekdays, never the weekends! We had a much better experience this time as it wasn't as crowded at the Saturday that we first visited. This gives you and your child the opportunity to experience the whole entire museum, explore at leisure and avoid possible issues with kids who never learned to share or take turns.
On our last visit, we also tried the pretzel cafe. Yum!
I love that they offer a kid sized counter complete with stools, healthy and organic alternatives...and that pizza stuffed pretzel is just too damn good!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
7/8/2008
My favorite by far of all the children's museums in Illinois.
By purchasing a kid's plus membership… Read more »
I bought a family membership for the Children's Museums since we've been taking my son to the one at Navy Pier a lot. After having visited this location I'm wondering why...it's SO much better than the one at Navy Pier!
First-off there are a LOT more hands-on displays and activities, all suitable for even the youngest children. It's less like a "museum" and more like a giant play-place! It's on one level and well laid-out.
My son usually spends most of his time in the waterworks display at the Navy Pier location, sadly because this is the most hands-on type of display they have there. The waterworks display at this location is FAR superior, much more interesting and engaging in every way. While he spent a significant amount of time here, I was so pleased to see him take a significant interest in other displays as well. He LOVED the music room. It was fun to sit with him and discuss each of the music-related activities such as recording, harmony, etc. My personal favorite spot in the museum is here: a very small room that plays techno and world music while a trippy image of your body's shadow dances on the wall along with you. It's like a mini-rave!
TIP: bring an extra set of clothes so your little one can fully enjoy the waterworks display!
This might be nitpicky on Yelp, but I wish I could give this place 3.5 stars. The dh was off for a couple days, so I suggested we take the toddlers to Kohl's Children's Museum. I am so happy I didn't attempt to take them on my own. I would have been pulling the 2 y.o. off of the train while the 3 y.o. was ordering a sandwich from the mini-Potbelly's (way far away from each other...)
This place is great, and we even got a membership on our way out. HOWEVER.... get there when it opens. Members can get in at 9am. The general public 9:30am. We got there at 10:30am and though there was plenty of parking, the place was jam packed freaking crazy with a bajillion school kids. The busdrivers must have gone shopping at the Disneyesque shopping center just south of the museum... Seriously though, it was like walking into Yakzie's at 11am on Opening Day when everyone's been there drinking since 8am. Still fun but a bit disconcerting...
There are many, many things that young children can explore - water, music, cars, mini grocery, mini restaurant, and much more. I did like that everything is on one level, as opposed to the Chicago Children's Museum on Navy Pier. Both places are great to bring the little ones, but major bonus that Kohl's has free parking. $20 to park at Navy Pier can get steep (though maybe they validate?)
Our family was working on very little sleep so we didn't stay long, but we'll definitely be returning. Always great to find a new, fun place to bring the tykes.
I worked here when it first opened and must say, if I had kids I would bring them here. Maybe I could convince my sister to bring my niece here - we could have a fun day playing in the museum!
This large children's museum has a lot to offer and a plenty of hands-on activities for toddlers up to .. maybe 8 or 9? They don't have a lot of activities for the older kids. The grocery store is incredibly popular with mini-shipping carts and replicas of all your favorite foods like boxes of cereal, mac and cheese, milk, etc.
The waterworks room is also popular and you most likely won't leave it dry.
My favorite room was the large room with the house you can "build" by putting on siding, adding shrubs, "painting" the inside and putting out tiles on the floor. That room also offers a "pond" with stuffed ducks and other water animals.
There's also a music room, a room with baby dolls and cribs, a vet clinic, race car room ... and more but I can't remember them all.
There's also a pretty cool gift shop and a small cafeteria area that sells pretzels and some other stuff.
I grew up going to the original Wilmette location. All you wanted was for someone to have their birthday party at Kohl's! And as a teenager I volunteered there. It was good times all 'round.
I think its great they were able to expand to a better-equipped facility! And I wish them luck.
Yep, you have to go on weekdays or really early or it becomes a zoo. We can easily spend 2-3 hrs playing and learning here. I live in the city and schlep all the way out here because it is still cheaper than Chicago Childrens Museum. And get a membership, it pays for itself. Love the grocery store and water area. Be prepared for tantrums when you try to get the kids to leave.
This is a wonderful place to visit for the kids. The age group that this museum focuses on is from birth to 8. The hands on exhibits and learning rooms allows for the wide range of activities.
Who didn't want to play grocery store when they were young? Or pretend they were servers at a restaurant. There is a Dominick's store equipped with carts and registers. A Potbelly Sandwich Works store where kids make there own sandwiches, serve the customers, and clean up. There are computers that the kids can play with or have stories read to them.
So many activities to choose from I found that my kids like to do different things on certain days.
Glenview residents are free on Wednesdays from1pm - 5pm.
Don't quote me on this but I think Wilmette residents are extended this offer as well.
We love this gem in Glenview.
After our learning journey comes to an end my kids and I head off to the pretzel eatery, Kim & Scott's Gourmet Pretzel Bakery & Twisting Cafe. That will be my next review:)
We had my daughter's birthday party here in 2006 when she was turning 5. It was perfect. They provide you with a room for the kids to keep their stuff and to have pizza and cake in. There are so many things to do here that we literally had to drag the kids out! They loved the make-believe restaurant, grocery store, dress-up, and water-room! I would definitely recommend it for birthday parties!
disappointed..this place is a zoo, horrible use of space. they would have been better off keeping the other location open as well and this place. I think its a fun place when the kids can get in to play, and its a total germ trap. Bring lots of purel, your own snack, and go either late in the afternoon (4-5) or early when it opens as your kids will be waiting in line for everything and you wont find parking. I hate this place overall because its always f-ing packed and the parents dont police their kids.
This is a very nice Children's museum. Admission is inexpensive and all of the exhibits are of very good quality and interesting to kids. They also boast free parking...and lockers with a 25 cent deposit that you get back at the end...this is a very nice place indeed.
Kids I've gone with have enjoyed the vet's office, Potbelly Sandwich stand and the Dominick's grocery store....oh! and the Prairie house....and water works and...and...and....
Anyway, this place is a bit of a hike from the city, and it gets very crowded on the weekends. I also don't think that it has very convenient hours...same as most museums though. I'd recommend this place for kids up to age 8...most of the kids here when I went were between 1-6.
We live just outside the Glen. My son loves to be active and run around. In the summer this means the park, but we needed a place for him to run with the weather getting colder. We decided to get a membership and he went four times in the first nine days of the membership.
There is something to do for children (and the kids in all of us) with a variety of interests and ages. My son loves the music room. It gives kids a chance to experiment and play with a variety of musical instruments. You can record your own song and then play it back immediately afterward.
A maze, mini Pot Belly's and Dominick's are other highlights.
If your little one gets hungry during the trip to the Kohl or afterward, a Kim and Scott's Pretzel Cafe is located at the front of the museum.
Great place for kids. I grew up myself going to the old place in Wilmette. Then had kids of my own, and then frequented this place when they were young. Even had a bday party there which was great.
I think I am nostalgic for the old place...but with that said...the new place is bigger and offer different things to play with. I miss some things from the old place, but think the new place is just as good.
Only downside is after about 8yrs. old this place has nothing for kids who are a little older. As a result, i have bored out of their mind siblings who hate to go here when we are taking our younger child. Even at the only place, I made a suggestion of adding in something for the "older kids", like a rock climbing wall or something that they would like. (A mini tv studio? SOMETHING other than the baby stuff they offer) I've been to other children's museums around the US (thanks to our membership that gets you into other places for free) and have seen how other places incorporate a few "older" kids things to keep them busy. I wish they offered that.
Nice, clean place...fun...but honestly, my kids would spend longer playing at the old facility, than they do at this one. Nice ideas, but something about it, doesn't capture my kids imaginations the same way.
Any place that can take my twins and make them forget about us for an hour is DAMN STRAIGHT with me.
The music room needs more drums...and more COWBELL.
PS - Bring a towel, the water room smocks just don't cut it!
So I went to the museum yesterday with my fiance and we took our 2yr. old son, his 3yr. old buddy, and my 10yr. old nephew. I can't even began to tell you how much fun we had... And I'm not even talking about the kids! LOL This place is ultra cool. I'm so glad one of the girls I went to H.S. with told me about it. I was going to take them to the one @ Navy Pier since that was closer to our home but, she told me this one was much better and less congested. Well we bought the Kids Plus Membership which cost $110 at first we were thinking that was WAY too high, but once I went on the website and saw that entitles you to bring 4 adults, 4 kids every time you visit. PLUS you get to go to over 130 other museums all over the US so if you are in another state and they have a children's museum that is also affiliated with this one you can go for free! So it's worth the $110 and you also get few other perks for being a member! I still can't believe how nice the museum was I learned a lot of things by reading the little signs they have posted by each exhibit! Even though we had to sit in 2hrs. of traffic on the way home it was REALLY worth the trip! I will be returning there and also going to the other museums closer to my home! Oh yea one review I read on here before going to the museum was COMPLETELY True the lady that they had working at the Dominick's exhibit was kinda rude/ seem like she didn't want to be working there or something! She was the only one working there who didn't say hello/ have a smile on her face. All the other workers were so nice and cheerful, even though they may have been having a bad day/ didn't want to be @ work they did not act like a sour puss like this old bitty! And that was one of my favorite exhibits she made me want to not be there with my child she was watching over all of the kids like a hawk as if she bought everything in the store out of her paycheck!!
This place is super cute. Came here with my daughter on a field trip, and the kids had a blast. I can only imagine that this place can get crazy and cramped on a weekend. Also, I found the lady who was in charge of the dominick's area to be super rude to the kids. Who points their finger in a 2 year old's face and while reciting rules? Other than that, my kid had a lot of fun, and I didn't have to do anything. That's always a good thing.
I agree that kids ages 3-8 will really enjoy this. The interactive exhibits are great for kids who thrive on hand-on exploring. They also have a few designated infant sections where crawlers can be let loose; my 15 month old liked it, but she'll really appreciate this place in a couple of years. Good gift shop, too!
This place is a great asset to the community. The membership is worth it--pays for itself in only a few visits, and they frequently have members only evenings, and events.
My 21-month-old loves this place and we love taking him there. A year's membership is a total deal and the pretzel cafe is a great alternative to the gross cafeteria most museums offer.
Spent a day over the weekend here w/ my friend & her 15-month-old son. Admission was $6.50 but please note the price will be going up $1 to $7.50 beginning Oct. 1, 2007.
There's so much for children to do here! The exhibits are well-built, educational & fun. And the kids & adults were great. No attitudes; everyone was there to have fun & share w/ one another. Personally, MUCH better than the museum at Navy Pier.
My friend's son loved banging on the drums in the Music Makers room, watching the ball shoot up the pipe in the Water Works room, and playing hide & seek around the prairie grass maze in the Habitat Park outside. He also loved watching the jugs light up on the jug machine. Most of the adults were terrified of the jug machine -- those that have been here will know why. I braved it & hopped on it, allowing everyone to see how much I weighed in milk jugs =D
Oh, and if you happen to accidentally hit one of the last three buttons on the right side of the spinning pinwheel in the Water Works room, watch out for the over squirting water. I happened to be on the receiving end of it -- luckily I got my friend back.
Parking was not a problem for me, but it's not a very large lot, hence a parking garage is available at The Glen.
You can also plan a birthday party here for your little one, rent one of the rooms for a private reception/event/whatever or rent the tented outdoor terrace, which is space between the museum and the main parking lot. They also have caterers available.
Best Museum by FAR that I have even visited. I understand this is a children's place to have fun and roam, but I have never wanted to be a kid again as bad as when I visited this little gem. There is just so much to do...you can go the Potbelly's and make fake sandwiches, or visit the maze of the senses. Maybe you would like to travel outside and weave strips of cloth through the gate and make art or sit on the large mosaic turtle mini. Love it people. Its amazing and for the very cheap $6.50 fee, totally worth the drive out to the 'burbs. Healthy cafe, great giftshop and extremely exciting museum space.
My son had a blast here. I love that parking is free. The cafe had these really yummy stuffed pretzels and the membership is worth it because it's gets you in to the children's museum at navy pier too.
Plenty of parking, great hands-on exhibits that cater to the 3 - 5 year old set. Fund art and science projects. Reasonable prices. And a pretzel cafe. Plenty of stuff to amuse for 3 hours or so. Easy to get to from the Edens.
Take your preschoolers here for a fun outing. They have very cool exhibits, from a "Jewel Store" where they can buy all sorts of items and act as a cashier, to a large boat they can climb in and out of. Great for ages 3-8 or so, over age 8 they might think it's too babyish.
I went with my little cousins here. (They moved to Patriot Blvd. in Glenview by the way). They had a blast. There are different sections including water works, nature, music makers, and a mini version of Potbelly sandwich shops that was very authentic! It can get crowded and chaotic though. Check out my photos.
