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The Children's Museum
Rating Details »
Neighborhoods: Northwest, Jefferson Park
2121 Childrens Museum Dr
Denver, CO 80211
(303) 433-7444
2121 Childrens Museum Dr
Denver, CO 80211
(303) 433-7444
- Hours:
Mon-Tue. 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Wed. 9:00 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Thu-Fri. 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Sat-Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
17 reviews for The Children's Museum
I was there with my 2 and half year old from opening to close. WE had so much fun. The firetruck is a great start and great photo-op. The basketball room is fun when everyone is the same size. I found myself peaking in there throughout the day for opportune times. The Painting Room was amazing, well organized and inviting. The work done there will be kept forever. The Train Room was a little too much for her. As was the Building Crafts Room (real hand saws, argh). However, we had fun dressing up as animals and climbing thought the plastic/foam Bunny Pit (go with them if they are unsteady) and hiding in the fake trees and nests. Another great photo-op. The Veterinarian Room was interesting and quiet :) , and a great place for the adults to relax.
A must do on a bad weather day in Denver with kids.
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Call me crazy, but I think admission rates should be determined not by age, but by who the attraction is intended to please. Like, WHY does it cost $7.50 per adult admission to the Children's Museum? Kids should cost $7.50, and any necessary adult chaperone should get in for the lowlowprice of like, 2 bucks or something. But weirdly, kids are cheaper than adults. Why... because they're shorter? I don't know. Like I said, call me crazy.
Anyhow, the Children's Museum is pretty cool... albeit a bit run down. The gnarliest thing I saw were the battered, nappy squirrel costumes in the "Nature Habitat" room (or whatever it was called). Dirty kid after dirty kid squeezed their ways in and out of these weird squirrel pelts and ran, rolled, and jumped their way through and around the roots of a giant tree sculpture thing. Maybe it's my own OCD neuroses talking here, but EW. Seriously, those things were The Ick.
Other than that, the attractions are pretty decent. There's an art room (remarkably clean-ish), a fire truck (complete with a creepy, gas masked, faux firefighter), a mini basketball court (beware of the big kids, they'll dunk over a toddler's head without thinking twice), a grocery store (cool carts, but the faded plastic toy sundries with the peeling labels have seen WAY better days), a dance floor with costumes and scarves (but no disco ball or lights, and the music needed to be much louder... kids love thumpin' bass!), and a big soft crawly room for the teeny-tinies who are into crawling on big soft things.
Good, but not mindblowing. Like I said, it's a bit run down and in need of some major playstuff overhauling. Still, the kids seem to dig it... and they're the ones that count!
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I hit my head in the fire truck. Adults are not supposed to smother their nephews at the Children's Museum. It's meant for them to run free and explore and have fun, right? The fire truck was pretty cool, though! They even have little hats and coats the kids can wear when they're climbing on the truck and trying the big hose out. Trains, basketball, shopping, crafts... lots of great stuff. The playground outside was great too!
I give it four stars because the bunny hole was, in my protective mind, really unsafe. A big bumpy hole down into a cave with kids crawling in and out and around the holes like little ants (literally, they have ant and bunny costumes the kids can wear). I had to help quite a few toddlers that could barely walk up out of the hole. Our little guy (almost two) slid down the bumpy slide and then jumped and hit his head... we left crying. So, I guess it's not as kid friendly as I would have hoped.
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We had a really good time at the museum, and the kids are calling it their favorite part of the trip to Colorado. We got very lucky, and they had a temporary exhibit there called Junior Jobsite, which our 7 year old boy of course loved, and our 4 year old girl seemed to enjoy as well. There were bricks to put on a conveyer belt and build with, pipes you could put together and blow pom-poms through walls, a giant tire to climb on, and more. We spent about 80% of our time at the museum there.
The kids didn't enjoy the rest of the museum as much, but that was mostly probably because they wanted to go back to the Junior Jobsite exhibit. They enjoyed the fire truck for awhile, and some of the stuff upstairs was fun. My 4 year old really enjoyed the "Over My Head, Under My Feet" exhibit, where she got to climb through a tree and underground in tunnels. My 7 year old just wanted to get back to the Junior Jobsite and build some more. Of course.
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Very fun for a four year old! Our son liked building structures and playing basketball. A bit on the small side, but lots of good stuff to checkout nearby.
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I can only speak to the infant section, as my daughter is not able to crawl yet. It was awesome. There's this enormous pillow the size of Rhode Island that you can just lie your kid on and then schmooze with the other parents who have kids similarly lying/squirming/crawling on the giant pillow of love. There are also several mobiles around for them to look at, and vibrant colors are everywhere.
Unfortunately, we didn't stick around long enough for story time. I fully intend to check that out in the near future.
My daughter and I went on the first Tuesday of the month (i.e. free night) and it wasn't anything near the nightmare crush of people I assumed it would be. Hell, I could have had a parking space right up front, but I didn't take the time to look and instead parked in a different zip code and then hiked over to the museum.
The folks working at the front desk were really nice and helpful, and everyone appeared to be having a pretty good time there, children and parents alike. I definitely plan to go back.
About the only thing that makes me a bit disappointed is that their admission fees are a bit high ($7.50 for people ages 2-59), as is the cost of their membership ($80 annually for a family).
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I took my boyfriend here for his birthday last year and I could not get him out of the pretend grocery store!
Boy friend was walking around on his knees, putting plastic kale and mushrooms in his mini Euro cart as he checked out the cute blond toddler in the checkout line. All of a sudden, he jumped the cashier, Todd, to the floor and took his position... boyfriend then started adding up Blondie's grocery bills.
Let's just say I was not too happy when I found them playing dress up, where my boyfriend got "talked into" putting on a dress, high heels and a hat. Blondie got gas then the poops and that was her way of telling my boyfriend that she was no longer interested.
* Star one is for creativity
** Ring it up star two is for the fake grocery store... I heard Whole Foods is modeled after it!
*** Color me bad star three is for the bright colored building that make adults want to go crazy when they are stuck next to it on I-25
**** I'm the mom and you're the dad star four is for the dress up... Because you all know that you had the love scene with that one person that one time and you have been to embarrassed to say anything since, but you know that you both know...
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Do I have to borrow someone's kid to go here? I'd feel silly visiting by myself, but the Children's Museum is so much fun that whether my niece grows out of enjoying it or not, I'm dragging her there every time she comes to visit.
I agree with other posters that the make-believe grocery store is the best part. My niece, a card-carrying school hater, doesn't even notice that she's learning math when she pretends to shop here- and I don't even notice I'm teaching math to a six year old when I pretend to be the clerk. Good all around.
The bugs are fun, too- and if you check the website in advance, you can catch some neat events like art workshops for the children. Which, if you're not required to stay for them, gives you a chance to go play in the grocery store.
For older kids, the climbing wall upstairs is a blast- get their laughter and smiles going with that, and you might even get them to loosen up around your uncool self enough to climb on the firetruck and fingerpaint with you. This is a don't-miss for anyone with kids in the area.
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I think this a pretty great place to take your kids. I could have sworn it's shrunk since I was little, but still a pretty magical place. They have different play areas and do a pretty good job at changing things around so it isn't the same every time you go. They also offer a lot of events and I hear are starting a program where parents can drop off their kids and have a little time alone. I'd check their website for more details.
But they have something for everyone, dancing, painting. wood working, trains, a black room for painting, nature area, and the infamous grocery store (which has shrunk a lot since I was last there to play).
One of the great parts about the museum is their infant section, it seems to be a great idea to save the little ones from being trampled by some of the bigger more rambunctious kids.
I have heard that almost all the sets are built right on site, and they now have a hydraulics expert on their build team. Keep on the look out for new exhibits- I've heard so far an air and water exhibit and a gardening program.
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We came here on one of their free nights - activity, storytime deal-y. So, it was the perfect price.
I was afraid it would be overrun with wild-assed kids, like the Denver Zoo is on free days, but it wasn't that bad. Great parking - we went straight in and my 6 year old didn't have to wait to play in any of the activity corners.
He actually went to the "make the team" basketball court donated by the Nuggets and played basketball for 50% of the time we spent here. Practicing hanging from the rim and dunking the ball - it was hours of entertainment - I should have brought a book.
The grocery and arts areas seem to be geared for the smaller set (ages 2-4), but are very cute and offer valid distraction.
On the other hand there is a construction area with real saws and drills - I actually looked around to see if we were being punked - who gives kids saws and drills?
The firetruck is a blast. I wanted to drive the truck - this area has super lessons on 911 use and how to speak with emergency operators and personel if your kids ever have to call 911. This area should be adjacent to the saw/ drill area.
The playground was fun and they have trolley rides outside - you can't beat it for kids fun.
Two thumbs up!
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Pretty fun for all ages. Went on a weekday and it was still pretty crowded can't imagine a weekend. My 1-year old had a blast but most of the upstairs is more suited for older kids. I very good Museum
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We took our 2-year old son here (because the aquarium was unexpectedly closed) and had a really good time. Its pretty cheap at $7/head. The most popular item was a real fire truck that all of the kids really loved playing on. There is a nice area for younger kids (from 6 months to 4) downstairs. Upstairs is more aimed for older kids with arts and crafts and climbing and even a miniature sized basketball court.
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Some of my favorite childhood memories are from my visits to the children's museum. This place always seemed to be bigger than we could handle in one trip leaving me with the desire for more. By far the best was the miniature grocery store where you could both pretend to shop and be the clerk. If only there were a Children's Museum for adults.
I remember this place! Great place for kids. Especially conductive to grandparent-grandchild bonding--I know from experience. This place is supa fun. The last time I was here there was even a small amount of snow (man made) set up for skiing. There are many fun and sense-engaging activities to engage you and your kids + your parents.
i brought my little cousin here once. he had a good time.
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While the kids, aged 2, 2, and 1 had a great time the museum seemed largely geared for older kids. The other reason that I gave it only three stars was that my window in my van was bashed in and my vehicles DVD player was stolen while we were in the museum. We were there for four hours, and it was mid day in a full parking lot. When I went inside to report it, they said "Oh...we were doing so well with peoples vehicles not being broken into". It would have been nice to know that we were in a high crime area. Also, my friends child wound up with RSV. My trip ended up costing me close to $500.00....
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First of all, if you don't have the money for the children's museum, and your kid has never been, just take them to the playground outside. It is a cool pirate ship, with a stone whale buried in ground for extra effect. If you do have the $7.50 per person, there is a whole lot more to see here than a faux supermarket. For starters, there is a cool area where you can feel like some sort of backyard animal-shorties can dress up as squirrels, skunks, or other backyard mammals and crawl around on and around tree roots, a giant leaf, and generally feel cool. There's an actual fire truck to explore, while dressed as a fireman. There's a place to assemble creations made from clean trash-they call it recycled materials-it's cool to see what you can make from egg cartons! Upstairs is another dress up room and dance floor, and an area where kids can put on a puppet show if they tire out. With all this stuff and more, you should definitely not limit the kids to just the grocery store. By the way, last time I went, I overheard a staff member mentioning that you had to have kids with you to get in the door...I would recommend this sort of adventuring to kiddos ages 8 and younger.