We had such a great time at the Children's Museum in Tucson! I brought my 5- and 3-year-olds, and they both had an absolute blast exploring all of the different exhibits. There was plenty to keep them engaged, and they never seemed to run out of things to do. My 3-year-old especially loved the outdoor bubble station. I still need to find out what bubble formula they use because those bubbles were HUGE and so much fun! The admission price is also fantastic at just $12 per person, and I really appreciate that military families can get one child admitted free. Another thing I loved is that your admission ticket is valid for the entire day. We were able to take a break for lunch and then come back to enjoy the museum even more without rushing through everything. With affordable admission, a family-friendly atmosphere, and hands-on exhibits, this is an easy recommendation for anyone with young kids. We left with two happy, tired little ones and can't wait to visit again! read more

Absolutely obsessed with the children's museum! My sister in law gifted us a family membership for Christmas and we come at least once a week. I have a four and a one year old and there are so many things for them to do. So many different rooms to explore: there's the transportation/public service area, with a car, a police motorcycle, and ambulance; there's the desert section all about our special Sonoran desert; there's a train room, a grocery store and kitchen, a vet area, a whole science based room, an art room, and a room exclusively for kids 5 and under. Plus there's a whole outdoor section with bubbles, a digging area, a music garden, and a small playground structure. I'm probably forgetting some things too--there's just so much! Not to mention an excellent gift shop. Each time we come we rarely do the same thing, since there is so much to explore! Truly a gem for our community! Thank you Children's Museum Tucson--we will be back again and again! My only wish--as a tired parent--is that there was a coffee shop on premises! I'm sure I'm not the only one wanting that :) read more

See all

I attend their adult only Nostalgia night and it was a blast! I had never been here before, but I can see why it's so popular for kids! There were so many different rooms and things to do. If you're looking for something for your little ones or they offer the adult night again, then you should definitely go! read more

Wished we had come here more than once! The kids (ages 2, 3 & 6) were all completely engaged and didn't want to leave. Each room has a different theme, and while the space looks small when you first walk in, there's actually so much to explore and do. I also really appreciated how family-friendly and relaxed it felt -- they weren't strict about snacks, and we could eat anywhere as long as we cleaned up after ourselves (there are plenty of trash bins in every room). We visited on a weekday morning and got lucky -- hardly anyone was there when they opened, so we basically had the place to ourselves. We brought strollers but didn't end up needing them. Admission was $12 for anyone over 12 months, and it was totally worth it! Highly recommend for families with young kids. There is plenty of meter parking around the museum. read more

Huge shout out to the children's museum for their family Thursday nights. Perfect for hard working families to come and spend quality time with their kids in a fun setting. I love how they cooperate the Tucson theme in one of their rooms. Great place for all ages. It's nice to be able to play in and outside of the museum. So much to do! Thanks! read more

We love the children's museum of Tucson! Compared to other museums, it's on the smaller side but our son always had a great time. The museum was always clean when I went and staff were kind. This place is the perfect place to go in the summer when it's too hot. My only negative comment is that they make adults pay entry which can be costly if you don't have the pass. Parking can also be a bit hard to find when it gets busy. read more

Our family was visiting from out of town and decided to take the kids here and we enjoyed it very much! This kids museum was a lot bigger than we expected with tons of activities for the kids to play. We have a 5, 4 and 2 year old and they thoroughly enjoyed all the fun activities they had! Would definitely visit again. read more

A bit of a delayed posting, we came on New Year's Day with grandkids. We weren't sure what to expect crowd wise but were so glad it was quiet and fairly slow! We love this museum and all of the amazing displays they have. Our favorite was the toddler area but we spent at least an hour in the grocery store. Just love the interactive materials that not only spark imagination but really give children an opportunity to manipulate items seen in the real world. Our son-in-law did a great job as the cashier, telling our grandson that he had to go get his manager when the carrot didn't want to "ring up correctly"...fun for both kids and adults! Everything is well organized and staff was around to clean up and put things away as needed. Due to our pictures have the kids in them, not posting this time around. Fun way to spend time with family. Admission is $12/per person for adults and kiddos 1-5 years are the same price. Fair for the experience you are receiving! The museum also offers free admission days and evenings so watch their events calendar! read more

CMT offers plenty of activities/exhibits for little ones to enjoy. We especially like the outdoor courtyard area during the coolers months. It's free of the stimulating noises of the indoor exhibits, which is a nice break for parents, but also for younger toddlers, in my opinion. Inside they've got a great mix of exhibits from a grocery store, body, vet, a fire truck, train room, arts and crafts, and a science. They also have a wee-rainforest room for babies. They also have have weekly events including Storytime, science activities, bilingual reading days in addition to programming that takes place out in the community. They keep their calendar updated on their website, si I check it often for upcoming events. read more

Never met a museum we didn't like and the Tucson Children's Museum delivers! So much to do for all the age groups. I'm not sure what the age limit is, ours were under four, but check the website for that information. Free parking on weekends. Fantastic all around. Im so impressed how Tucson recycled a historical building. The building itself has an interesting history as a refurbished Carnegie library. read more

I'll start by saying the two young ladies at the front desk were very nice and smiling Half of the exhibits don't work. We were in and out in 30 minutes. Not worth the money spent. Will we go back? No read more

We, my kids and I, recently visited the children's museum for a day of exploring and learning. This is exactly what we got. And it was a total blast. Really love the well thought out and creative spaces. It can be a crowded experience on busier days with the spaces and kids running around. There are water fountain and snacks. Snacks are pricey, heads up. But you can bring your own food and drinks. The only reason I took away a star is the bathrooms. They were very dirty and unkept. Not appealing to both me as and individual and furthermore as a parent. Overall we enjoyed our experience and would go again. read more

See all

We loved this place! For as long as it has been around, it was really clean. The staff are awesome here and friendly. read more

Children's Museum Tucson - Children's Museums Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

First Off this place is place is amazing for kids to learn S.T.E.A.M. Second, is $9 per adult and child above 1 year old. There is so much for the kiddos to do. There are about 7-9 interactive rooms with activities like engineering, biology and life science activities, and art. Plus public service and emergency vehicles to engage with. Outside there are mobile toys, slides, and a garden where the kiddos can roam around. Children's Museum of Tucson is totally worth it. Definitely a place to check out of you have little ones. (Even the adult little ones. Lol) read more

See all

I love our local Children's museum. For work, I can take clients here, and I used to also take them to the Oro Valley location before it became associated with the botanical garden. In the SENSE of PLACE room, there are beautiful displays that highlight Arizona animals, geography, and astronomy. Multiple rooms are wonderful for children of all ages, and there are outdoor activities, such as the bubble garden area, that my client's 14-month-old was so excited to enjoy. There are musical displays outside, as well as a veggie garden. Inside are body educational displays, a veterinary clinic activity area, train displays and wooden trains to play with, and many science displays, including solar electricity. I always enjoy seeing the museum. If you check out their website, there are days the museum is free, and the local library has a culture pass for the museum to check out if you have a PIMA County library card. Located near downtown on the 6th, parking is a hassle most of the time. There is limited parking, and parking in front is parallel parking. Once you park, you must feed the parking meter or pay on the TucsonGo app for about $1 an hour. In the last year or so, they have added a huge gift shop near the entrance, so this might be a stressor for families. I can hardly resist the plushies. I highly recommend the museum and also they have a schedule of crafts and activities for different ages, so please plan ahead. read more

Children's Museum Tucson - Pay to park Monday to Friday - Children's Museums Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

See all

Took my kids to the Children's Museum during our trip to Tucson and they had an amazing time! There were so much they could do and play with. They loved the arts and crafts area, and my son particularly loved the air chute display. Pricing was good and they provide military discounts. Definitely should take the kids here if you visit Tucson. read more

Great place for kids with lots of activities and different interactive displays. Our 2 year old loves it here and we appreciate that they have a room dedicated to the smaller kids. You can easily spend a whole day here but plan on packing lunch. They do have some seating outside but indoors is lacking. I wish they'd add a cafe or cafeteria style dining here but maybe in the future? Be sure to check out their calendar of events as they have rotating and seasonal activities that can be fun for the whole family. read more

My 7 year-old and 4 year-old are pretty obsessed with the Children's Museum. They especially enjoy the train room and physics exhibits. We usually have to drag them out after 2-3 hours. read more

I have taken my children here about twice a month or more for the last year. Interesting events and selection of books at both locations: On August 31st, 2022, Children's Museum Tucson announced on Facebook their Art After Dark with Guest Drag Story Hour AZ (set for October 8, 2022). This post invited us to "join CMT & Drag Queens and Kings in inspiring children to be themselves through books, songs, and artistic expression." Books on their shelves and in their gift shops include: The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish by Lil Miss Hot Mess - Written by a founding member of the nationally recognized Drag Queen Story Hour (DQSH), this playful picture book offers a quirky twist on a classic nursery rhyme by illustrating all of the ways to "work it". The story plays off "The Wheels on the Bus" as it follows a drag queen who performs her routine in front of an awestruck audience. A fun frenzy of fierceness, this book will appeal to readers of all ages. Being You: A First Conversation About Gender by Megan Madison - Based on the research that race, gender, consent, and body positivity should be discussed with toddlers on up, this read-aloud board book series offers adults the opportunity to begin important conversations with young children in an informed, safe, and supported way. Research shows that talking about issues like race and gender from the age of two not only helps children understand what they see, but also increases self-awareness, self-esteem, and allows them to recognize and confront things that are unfair, like discrimination and prejudice. Teo's Tutu by Maryann Jacob Macias - This story of a boy's first ballet recital celebrates gender-creativity, the joy of dance, and being yourself. Téo loves to dance, whether it's the cumbia with Papí, the bhangra with Amma, or ballet class with Miss Lila. He also loves the way his tutu makes him feel, inside and out. But when it comes time to decide which outfit to wear in the big dance recital-a sparkly tutu or shimmering silver pants-Téo wonders if being his most authentic self on stage will put him too much in the spotlight. Rainbow: A First Book of Pride by Michael Genhart - A must-have primer for young readers and a great gift for pride events and throughout the year, beautiful colors all together make a rainbow in Rainbow: A First Book of Pride. This is a sweet ode to rainbow families, and an affirming display of a parent's love for their child and a child's love for their parents. With bright colors and joyful families, this book celebrates LGBTQ+ pride... A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara - A is for Activist is an ABC board book written and illustrated for the next generation of progressives: families who want their kids to grow up in a space that is unapologetic about activism, environmental justice, civil rights, LGBTQ rights, and everything else that activists believe in and fight for. Woke Baby by Mahogany L. Browne - For all the littlest progressives, waking up to seize a new day of justice and activism. Woke babies are up early. Woke babies raise their fists in the air. Woke babies cry out for justice. Woke babies grow up to change the world. This lyrical and empowering book is both a celebration of what it means to be a baby and what it means to be woke. With bright playful art, Woke Baby is an anthem of hope in a world where the only limit to a skyscraper is more blue. read more

See all

Could not love this place more. We were there from open until close! The kids had so much fun, such an amazing place!

Very cute little place to bring your kids. They have special days so make sure to check out on their website. Also if you check in on Yelp you get a free admission. read more

Something of interest for everyone! My daughter loves the train section where she gets to dress up and watch the toy train overhead go by. There is also a section for babies where they can roll around and prop in on a mini baby play area. I liked the Mickey Mouse vintage collection. Get your hand stamped so if you decide to leave for lunch you can come right back and keep exploring and enjoying all the fun stuff there is to do. We ended our day with playing outside in their playground where we were given a mini garden tour by an enthusiastic team member who loved her job and kids :) Some of the displays didn't work (the same ones that weren't working the first time I can which was months ago). They didn't have a sign on them saying it's temporarily out of order but I'm guessing it's because it's not temporary:/ read more

See all

We loved our experience here! It never felt too busy and the kids had so much to do! We live in Phoenix and visit that location more. It's definitely smaller compared to that one but it still had so much to offer! Even so the kids still spent 2.5 hours here and didn't want to leave. We will definitely be coming back here whenever we are in town. I also loved that they had a map of the place! read more

See all

We love coming to the Children's Museum. It's a great place to spend the morning and meet for play dates. We purchased a membership and get a lot of use with my two year-old. They've got a lot of cool exhibits that foster pretend play and learning e.g., a grocery store, vet, a room with an ambulance, police motorcycle, and fire truck, a train room, arts and crafts, and a science/physics center. They've even got a room specifically for toddler. Mine loves everything - especially the grocery store. They have weekly events including low-sensory days, Storytime, and special activities. I like to follow them on Facebook to see what's going on. The first and third thursdays of every month have $2 admissions. Kids 1 and younger are free. read more

This place is the coolest! Rooms and rooms of discovery for kids. My son is almost 3 and had a blast. His favorite were the hollowed our fire trucks, ambulance and sitting on the police motorcycle. During the summer months, it gets very busy and crowded so if you're child does not like crowds or loudness, it would be tough for them. They do have a nice, shaded outside area for a break. We went out there to eat some snacks and play on the equipment. We did get there right when it opened so we were the first inside and got to play quite a bit before the line was out the door! They were giving out free chocolate milk cartons for kids too. Definitely worth a drive if you don't live close by and tons of stuff for most children's interests. Beware though, if your child is just crawling, I would not take them here as it's too busy to let them roam around, even in the little kid area. Bottom line: A really cool spot for kids to play and explore! read more

Somehow I expected more. The 2 stars are mostly due to how unkept and disgusting things are. Broken and dirty toys everywhere. Old toys hiding under shelves and fixtures. For a 14 month old to have to pay $8 is pretty outrageous. Adults cost even more and basically just paying to keep your little toddler from getting pushed around by other kids. My son found so many pieces of broken train tracks and other items to put into his mouth. While the emergency vehicles display and pretend grocery store were great it would be nice if there was a little order to this chaos. Everything was just so dirty and gross. You can tell the items needed wash down. The enchanted forest was stinky and all the dolls needed a good wash. You have older kids playing in the 4 and under room so my son is just getting trampled by all the other kids running around. Super crowded on a Saturday and just overall chaotic. It would be nice if they had special times for the really little kids that way they can have a fighting chance at playing with the different toys and such. I probably won't be going back but worth checking out if you have kids older than 2 yrs....and also going whenever the price isn't so outrageous. read more

We came to this museum a few years back, and I remember we had a good time. For a little day trip to Tucson we decided to pass by, since we have a new member of the family who had never been before. This time... I don't know, it just seemed like there was less to do, even though the things I specifically remembered (like the giant eye, ear, nose, and mouth, for example) are still there. There is one room that has a little indoor jungle gym with a slide, and stuff to climb, and that was the best room where our kids had the most fun. They didn't want to leave that little area. Eventually we convinced our older child to check out the rest of the museum. There is one other room (the one with the giant eye, nose, etc.) that also has trees with magnetic fruits, and the whole grocery store thing that seems to exist in every children's museum. I thought the room was pretty neat, but after a little while in there my daughter said she was bored. While normally I would assume she is just copping her 6 year-old attitude, I had to agree. Just not a whole lot to do if your kid is no longer enthralled with playing grocery store (but great for toddlers). The other rooms were nothing special. I was especially disappointed with a new exhibit, which is a room with little areas meant to simulate the desert. Besides a cactus with Velcro(?) where you can toss some stuffed animals, and a button to press (to start a "monsoon") there is just nothing to do. There is some info to read, and a few animals (mostly fake, the others dead) encased in the walls to look at, but that's it. It's visually appealing, but it feels like the background for animal exhibits at other museums, minus the animals. I would rate this museum higher if I had a couple of toddlers instead of a toddler and a 6 year old. This museum has much more appeal for very young children. read more

This place is adorable. Probably good for children 8 and lower. Give it a try! Could entertain kids for hours.

I can't give it over a 2. We brought our granddaughter and she thoroughly enjoyed it . But the cost to get in was ridiculous. We paid 24.00 to watch her play for 2.5 hours. This is ridiculous. So unless I'm military or on federal assistance I pay full price. There is something wrong with picture for working really hard excluding our military r that we get penalized read more

When my grandchildren visit me they ask to go here. The 5 year old girl loves the "supermarket" area the best. They do periodically change out some of the exhibits which I like. Adding the veterinarian area was a huge move in the right direction since it is very interactive unlike the Disney stuff there before that was only to look at. The price is pretty reasonable for about 2 hours of entertainment. read more

Disappointed in my last trip to the children's museum. I had family in town and was excited to show them all the museum had to offer. It was busy when we first got there and everything seemed to be very disorganized. There's a lot of up-keeping that needs to be done. We did enjoy the new Arizona desert portion. Especially the flying bats! read more

It's a perfect afternoon escape from the heat. My five year old enjoyed the various rooms. Signs are informative. Restrooms are clean. Parking is easy. Allow at least an hour for the kids to get their fill. read more

Clean, but crowded, more crowded than other children's museums I've been to. Of course maybe that's because I went over a holiday weekend, but I also think this museum has a smaller sq. footage to work with so it just seems more crowded. They could have had more interactions with the dino portion of the museum. My kids were excited to see it and learn about it before going to the museum, but quickly walked through that exhibit because there wasn't enough hands on interaction. read more

Children's Museum Tucson - Building table was a hit for my kids:) - Children's Museums Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Awesome place! Took my 2 year old there and she loved it. Didn't want to leave! I had about as much fun as she did. They had a room with desert-y stuff, one with stuff about power/electricity, a train, a little playground/playroom, grocery shopping, a craft/LEGO room, a room with some more cool science stuff (even though most the kids don't understand it it's just cool), and a room with an ambulance, a fire truck, and a police motorcycle, and more that I can't remember. It was a lot more than I thought it was going to be. Really a lot of fun. Only 6 dollars for the both of us. Some of the displays weren't working but that was only like 2 of them out of very many. And the drinks in the vending machine are warm. You get thirsty quick running around like that, and a warm bottle of water isn't the most refreshing thing ever haha. Still 5 stars. Would definitely go again. read more

Over the last ten years our Children's Museum has evolved from a dark, dirty destination to rooms filled with light, fun activities for toddlers to preteens. Activities are provided throughout the day. Outside there are places to play and create music around the beautiful grounds. Local chefs have a garden to grow delicious seasonal foods. It's a fun day for the entire family and a beautiful repurposing if our Carnegie Library. read more

I think this is great to have here. Lots to do for children of all ages, you can spend a few hours here exploring everything. We will be back again. read more

What a great place for the kids to have some fun, and do a little bit of learning as well. My kids had a great time. There were a lot of littles, and they all seemed to have a great time. The only problem is, there are very little parking spots, and they are all metered. We were lucky enough to find the one spot that didn't have a meter, yay for us. We will be back, if we get the chance read more

This place is so much fun for children. Anytime I have the kids I like to bring them here. Everytime they go back with their parents they fall straight into a nap read more

First of all, our visit was free! How awesome is that?! This place of chock full of things to do and learn about! I love this place and I know my daughter loves it more! Also every second Saturday is only a $2.00 admission. The Owner/ manager of this place is always thinking up new things to create for the kids. We recently went and found that the sea discovery area has been changed to a new area for the toddelers to safely play in and also an arts and craft area for the kids to be creative little artists and he made this really cool chalk thing to draw on! I am really impressed with this place read more

Children's Museum Tucson - A huge beating heart - Children's Museums Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

I've been to children's museums in several cities across the country and this one is consistently awesome. They're always updating their exhibits, always engaging kids in interesting activities and forever exciting imaginations - big and small. Besides, if I can bring my 13 year old there and have her not completely die of OMG-boredom-itus, and even put down her phone for two seconds, it's a damn good museum! read more