Best Children's Museums in the USA
20 children's museums • Updated August 2026
The best children's museums in the USA for a family day out. We have rounded up 20 children's museums, from Discovery Center Museum to family favorites across Illinois, ranked by what actually matters with kids: age suitability, ticket value and how easy they are to get to. Compare the top five below, then browse every children's museum by state. Need a different angle? Try our other things to do in the USA.
Editorial oversight by James Morgan. AI-assisted, human-edited. Our editorial standards
Children's Museums in the USA: what to expect
the USA has 20 children's museums we would happily take our own kids to. Bay Area Discovery Museum is the one most families start with. Play-based exhibits at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge let young kids climb, build, and imagine. Bronx Children's Museum is the other name that comes up again and again. Hands-on exhibits celebrate the Bronx's culture and heritage while sparking young imaginations. Brooklyn Children's Museum rounds out the pick of the bunch. Step into the world's first children's museum, where hands-on exhibits turn Brooklyn's diversity into discovery. Also worth your time: Children's Museum Houston, Children's Creativity Museum, Kidzeum of Health and Science and Pretend City Children's Museum.
Published prices run from $8 at Bronx Children's Museum up to $21.95 at Children's Museum Houston. 8 of the 20 listed here quote a starting price. The others vary by season or by what you add on, so check before you travel. Age guidance is worth reading first at Brooklyn Children's Museum (ages 0-10) and Pretend City Children's Museum (ages 0-12).
The children's museums on this page are spread across Illinois (7), California (6), New York (3) and Texas (3), so it is easy to pair two into one trip.
All children's museums
20 children's museums across the USA
Childrens Museums
Children's Museum Houston
Houston, Texas
Invent, imagine, and experiment across hands-on galleries spanning science, culture, math, and the arts.
Childrens Museums
Brooklyn Children's Museum
Brooklyn, New York
Step into the world's first children's museum, where hands-on exhibits turn Brooklyn's diversity into discovery.
Childrens Museums
Children's Creativity Museum
San Francisco, California
Two floors of multimedia art, design, and innovation activities build creative confidence in San Francisco.
Childrens Museums
Kidzeum of Health and Science
Springfield, Illinois
Hands-on exhibits where kids learn to keep their bodies and their world healthy.
Childrens Museums
Pretend City Children's Museum
Irvine, California
A pint-sized city where kids run the grocery store, gas station, and more through play.
Childrens Museums
Thinkery
Austin, Texas
An Austin STEAM playground where 40,000 square feet of hands-on exhibits spark curiosity.
Childrens Museums
Children's Museum of Manhattan
Manhattan, New York
Hands-on arts, science, and culture made for the under-sixes, with deep commitments to accessibility.
Childrens Museums
Discovery Depot Children’s Museum
Galesburg, Illinois
A 15,000-square-foot children's museum with a working Ferris wheel, water play, a real caboose, and STEM-packed exhibits.
Childrens Museums
The New Children's Museum
San Diego, California
A San Diego museum where kids make art inside ever-changing, artist-designed installations.
Childrens Museums
DuPage Children's Museum
Naperville, Illinois
Become an engineer, architect, or artist at The Questioneers and other STEAM play zones built for under-10s.
Childrens Museums
Bay Area Discovery Museum
Sausalito, California
Play-based exhibits at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge let young kids climb, build, and imagine.
Childrens Museums
Chicago Children's Museum
Chicago, Illinois
Build, experiment, and play across hands-on exhibits perched right on Chicago's Navy Pier.
Childrens Museums
Bronx Children's Museum
The Bronx, New York
Hands-on exhibits celebrate the Bronx's culture and heritage while sparking young imaginations.
Childrens Museums
Kidspace Children's Museum
Pasadena, California
A 3.5-acre outdoor playground of climbing, water play, and a real working farm near the Rose Bowl.
Childrens Museums
Kohl Children's Museum
Glenview, Illinois
"Say YES to play" in pretend-play worlds where kids drive cars, shop, and build houses.
Childrens Museums
Glazer Children's Museum
Tampa, Florida
Come face-to-face with Big John, the world's largest Triceratops fossil, then go play.
Childrens Museums
Children's Discovery Museum
Normal, Illinois
Play-based, interactive exhibits give kids room to explore, experiment, and imagine.
Childrens Museums
The DoSeum
San Antonio, Texas
A San Antonio children's museum built entirely around learning through play.
Childrens Museums
Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose
San Jose, California
Indoor and outdoor play zones, plus artists-in-residence, let young visitors learn through open-ended discovery.
Childrens Museums
Discovery Center Museum
Rockford, Illinois
Rockford's hands-on museum where kids build, splash, and play, anchored by the foam-block Imagination Playground.