Geek kids and their parents love to explore the world around them, and there's no better place to delve into science and imagination than a children's museum. Over the years the GeekMoms and their families have scouted out a number of children's museums across the country, and we're happy to present our list of 16 favorites.
Boston Children's Museum - Boston, MA: Kathy and Rachel enjoy taking their families to the Boston Children's Museum. The museum was founded in 1913, and encourages kids to build in the Construction Zone, visit with Arthur and Friends, and partake in a number of hands-on activities.
Children's Discovery Museum - San Jose, CA: Kris endorses the Children's Discovery Museum, which boasts 150 interactive exhibits and a huge space to get children engaged and active.
Children's Museum of Indianapolis - Indianapolis, IN: Judy has written about her love for the Indianapolis Children's Museum. In a post from last summer, she talked about this "magnificent" space: "It’s the largest children’s museum in the world so spending a whole day there was easy. Some of my favorite pictures of my kids were taken as they interacted with exhibits on all five levels of the building."
Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine - Portland, ME: Ruth and Sarah both attest that the Children's Museum of Maine is a fun place to take the kids to explore and learn. Current exhibits introduce engineering to kids, teach visitors all about whales, and more.
Children's Museum of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh, PA: Amy deems the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh the "greatest [children's museum] I've been to so far" and wrote about her family's visit in September 2012. Amy had just as much fun as her kids did, saying, "If we lived in Pittsburgh I imagine we’d be there every week."
Discovery Place - Charlotte, NC: Patricia recommends Discovery Place in Charlotte as a great destination for science geeks of all ages.
Exploratorium - San Francisco, CA: The Exploratorium science museum in San Francisco encourages exploration and discovery with exhibits like "Tinkering" and "Living Systems." It's easy to see why this museum is on Ruth's list of favorites.
KidsQuest Children's Museum - Bellevue, WA: The Seattle area offers a number of great children's museums, but Kelly's family returns time and time again to KidsQuest in Bellevue, WA. With a comfortable space that encourages exploration, and a healthy emphasis on science, KidsQuest is the perfect place to go on a rainy afternoon.
Kidspace Children's Museum - Pasadena, CA: Kay Moore has fond memories of her visits to Kidspace, recalling, "We could go there on bad-weather days, on antsy days, when the kids were fighting, when I was crabby, for a treat with friends, if visitors needed someplace to go. They had a tree biome where the kids could climb up into a short 'tree' and underground through the roots like little squirrels or chipmunks. There was a beach, a radio station, a fire truck with costumes, and more."
Minnesota Children's Museum - St. Paul, MN: Kay Moore was also a frequent visitor to this museum, describing the Minnesota Children's Museum as "a huge multi-storeyed warehouse shaped space with wonderful design and rotating exhibits. Not at all intimate but very rich and educational with a kid's sensibility. Touch everything, get dirty, make a mess, things don't break."
Omaha Children's Museum - Omaha, NE: Patricia also counts this children's museum among her favorites. The Omaha Children's Museum is currently showcasing a "community-engaged exhibit" with the help of the local police and fire departments.
Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) - Portland, OR: Cathé declares that OMSI in Portland is her favorite museum. A science museum that encourages "science fun," OMSI is also home to many camps, classes, and events throughout the year. Many families in the Pacific Northwest count OMSI among their favorite places to go.
Pensacola MESS Hall - Pensacola, FL: Patricia and her family loved getting their hands dirty at the Pensacola MESS Hall last summer. In fact, Patricia expressed her hope that "this idea of a hands-on-only science museum catches on in other locations."
Please Touch Museum - Philadelphia, PA: The Please Touch Museum was the highest on our list of favorites, with several GeekMoms chiming in with their love for the museum. Sarah wrote about the Please Touch Museum in 2011, noting that the place has "something to fascinate and entertain virtually every child in your family."
Port Discovery Children's Museum - Baltimore, MD: Helene cast her vote for favorite children's museum for the Port Discovery Children's Museum. Permanent exhibits include an adventure in 1920s Egypt and a three story tall treehouse inside the museum.
Staten Island Children's Museum - Staten Island, NY: Amy and her family explored The Staten Island Children's Museum in 2010, and it's been on her list of favorite family destinations ever since. At the museum your kids can hunt for underwater treasure, check out the resident insects, and more.
