Great place on rainy days and in the winter for my busy 2 year old. When he was under 1 yo, we spent more time in the infant area, though now he is obsessed with the train table station. It's nice to be in a environment where he can interact with other children as well. There are so many different activities for him to try! The one thing I will say is that if you're traveling in from Chicago, to come early to maximize your time. We live in Andersonville and I always feel like we didn't get enough time there because we don't arrive until 10/10:30 - and we only stay an hour until we have to head home for lunch. Since the rate is for the full day, I'd like to get a better bang for my buck since adults and children both need to pay - and we pay the nonresident price. We'll plan on leaving the house earlier in the future. read more

Great place for little kids to play and develop. It has few different areas to play. One of them involve water so if your kids really like water bring spare set of clothes. There is toddler area and regular playground with slides and imagination area where kids can role play. Over all great place !!! read more

Warning: This place is closed until May for renovations. But they were much needed. For those in Chicago, this is an easy place to get too. Just exit off of I-94. The price is hard to beat at $4.00 for all day. You can even come back after grabbing lunch (usually at Steak and Shake). Although this is geared more towards kids in grade school, it has a decent area for toddlers and those learning to crawl. read more

I like this place a lot. It's clean and if you go during the week at opening it's not super crowded. There is a big jungle gym that isn't really toddler friendly, but they have a separate wooden play thing for toddlers as well as a giant water table that mine really enjoys. This is a good way to kill 1-1.5 hours during the week if you have toddlers. read more

We had our son's 2nd bday at Exploritorium yesterday and it was a great experience. The kids had a blast in the playroom and didn't want to leave! The party space easily accommodated our group. Although they only allow half an hour for set up time the staff was very helpful, bringing up our supplies and helping with the decorations. We would definitely recommend this for a toddler birthday party! read more

The Exploratorium is great place to take kids for them to play and learn. Similar to other Children's museums in the area, the EX has many activities that children for ages up to eight (according the EX web page) can do. A great playground and two story tube tunnels highlight the Ex. Water areas , a dress up stage, an art area and computers make the Ex a great place for kids with varied interests. Its not as big as other some of the other places to take kids, but the staff is friendly and attentive and the kids seemed very well behaved. The hours are a bit strange, so make sure to check the hours they are open before going. read more

Great spot for a play date! A small of group me and fellow mom's met here today with our little ones. Needles to say, the kids had a blast. It's a very open space with lots to do. Perfect for Toddlers and yonger.Much like Kohl's Children Musem but on a smaller spectrum. You can't beat the price, $5 a person!!! read more

Our favorite "it's too cold outside and we have cabin fever" place. Been taking my daughter here since she was 9 mo. She can easily spend 2 hrs playing on the indoor slide, trying on costumes, playing in the water area, or doing puzzles. And even if you aren't a resident, it's super cheap. read more

Skokie Park District really has a gem with this kids place. We've been to a few children's museums, and play areas, and this is by far the best one we have visited. The entrance admission is very reasonable, even for non-residents. What's great about the Exploritorium is that it is enclosed, and strollers are parked outside the play area, well within view. The whole area is roomy, and the toddler area is large with a nice slide. The water area is super fun. They have a nice climbing wall for older kids, and tunnels and slides that are super fun (and if you're strong enough and brave enough to climb with your tot, can go with them for a super tunnel slide! Just bring socks for you and the little one). The stage has interchangeable panels, plenty of dress up gear and is large. There's a great magnetic alphabet and number area, and the light-up board was great! My tot loved it! I loved the layout, and what they offered for my 19 month old. Excellent choice for the under 5 crowd! The best part also is outside. They have a great play area, and it is huge! The slides, and interconnecting gyms are in great shape. There's a sandbox area, and a really cool sound gym. We spent another hour there after we left the Exploritorium. It sits adjacent to the Exploritorium (on the right hand side facing the doors, behind the building-we almost missed it until I heard a bunch of kids and went to investigate). Both the indoor and outdoor areas were clean, and safety was a concern (outlets were covered). The employees were courteous, and helpful. It wasn't packed with out-of-control kids and tots, and almost every child was well supervised by an adult. Bring your own snacks and juice. We snacked outside on the picnic benches by the outdoor play area after we left the Exploritorium. Overall, this is the best place for the money and the activities they offer, both inside and outside. read more

Perfect place to take my active two year old to burn off energy in a safe, clean, gated in room. I love it here! There are Great toys, reasonable prices and it's clean and organized. Would definitely recommend this place to any moms in the area! read more

This is a nice time for kids. Mine is relatively young, a year and a half, but she enjoyed most of what they have to offer. I would say a kid up to age of seven might be engaged due to the climbing area and slides. It's worth five bucks. read more

Very cute and cozy place. They have many different sections to play. An area for infants with items on lower levels for them To grasp and look at such as sensory items. An area with a jungle type gym and slides, a small climbing wall and soft blocks. An area with water to catch fish in nets (they provide little water proof smocks). An area for imagination to act out a play try some costumes, they barely have any to be honest wish they had more. Coloring area, a large chalkboard, magnets, and more! It's. They don't have food there except for a few vending machines for quick snacks but the great thing is you can order food there! I ordered a pizza last time I was there and they delivered it to the building it was great. They have an area with tables and chairs. You can also just bring your own food. Overall it's a great place to spend some time with your kids or kick back and watch them play. read more

See all

This is a great place to take the kids during a rainy or cold day outside. There are various areas of interest for my little one, but wish there was more in the toddler section - possibly just making the slide and climbing area larger. Other, that that this place was a fun and interactive indoor location that suited my toddler perfectly. read more

This place is great for toddlers and preschoolers! My only piece of advice is to NOT go on a winter Saturday. It is very pleasant during the week, but winter weekends are super chaotic! I went alone with my two children and had a hard time keeping track of them among the crowds. Overall though, it's a great place that is much more affordable than other play places. read more

-Affordable (even for non-residents) -Secure borders (aka "baby gates"surround the perimeter of an open layout) making it ideal for keeping track of multiple children at once -Clean, well-maintained equipment -Just a really fun, cool place for the "whole family" (cheesy but true lol) -Highly recommend read more

Such a fun place for kids of all ages. My 18 month old daughter has a blast everytime she goes there. I just wish the parents would keep the older kids out of the play area for babies and toddlers. read more

A great inexpensive indoor playplace ($5/person for non-residents...adults, too). I took my 2.5 & 4 year olds on a Saturday and they both enjoyed themselves. The place instantly reminded me of the Dupage Children's Museum, but a lot less chaotic. My 4 year old girl especially liked the rock climbing wall which we don't see often. They offer a dress-up section with scene backdrops, magnetic play, balance beams, lighted color peg board, train table, duplos, scooting cars, coloring and a McD's style climbing playplace. Closes at 1pm on Saturdays for private birthday parties. read more

Great value. Even for non- Skokie residents, $5 is very reasonable! Great rainy day activity! read more

Exploritorium - Awesome climbing structure ! With tunnels and slides! - Performing Arts Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

We were visiting from CA and wanted to find something family friendly for our 1 year to do. From two people who have been to the exploratorium in San Francisco, which is massive, this one is small and reminded mine if a discovery zone more than an exploratorium. However, that is not a bad thing. Once you get pass your expectations of what this place should be, this is place is awesome. After all, it's for the kids and mine had a blast. For a small place there is plenty for your little ones to do. A huge bright light section, a toddler area, a train/car station, a water table area, a storybook area with costumes, a building area, climbing wall and more. They really built the space out well and it is well kept. The cost for us was about $5 per person, which is a steal considering some the attractions we went to in downtown Chicago. read more

For a 2 year old it is great. If the weather is crap this is great. The only problem is it is not open long on Satrurdays. There are all these tunnels which if you are in shape you can go chase your kid around. and is it not expensive read more

The Exploratorium is only one of the many things the Skokie Park District has to offer. This one is just more geared towards younger kids. For some reason beyond me they're closed Thursdays. Also Sunday's, but that's not as odd to me. Otherwise they close at 5 (1 on Saturdays). This is one of those price structured places you might not expect. Children cost more than adults. 4 dollars for resident kids, 2 dollars for resident adults. And for non Skokie residents you pay 6 for kids and 4 for adults. Even if you're not playing dress up on the stage with your kids you still need to pay for admission. The Exploratorium offers arts and crafts as well as water play and the most popular thing is an indoor playground (great for winter) which your kids NEED socks in. However, if you had no idea or you completely forgot when you got there, they do sell socks at 2 dollars a pair. You can buy food (or order it in, they don't offer big meal plans or anything) and even have birthday parties. Though it's not as cool as Discovery Zone used to be, it's something different from the normal places you probably take your kids, and I'm sure to them it's just as much fun. read more

A variety of things to do. It's impressive how much there is to do in what seems like a relatively small space. Super friendly staff. Well maintained. Definitely a hidden gem. read more

Great little find! We were up north and had plans that fizzled, and thankfully as we were leaving a restaurant earlier I had grabbed a Chicago Parent magazine that I was able to quickly leaf through and find a back up plan in. Enter Skokie's Exploritorium! Because we are non-residents, the price was $5 for each of us, but for $10 it was well worth it. The area is set up perfectly for both parents and children, and that in and of itself makes it noteworthy! It has a very open floor plan and as a parent you can literally stand in the middle of the room and see every play area and quickly zoom in on your rugrat. The first area we visited was a water exploration center. They have waterfalls, a fountain, nets, and things plenty of things to "fish" out of the pools. What I thought was great was that the powers that be had done some thinking and had purchased several raincoats with hoods for the kids so that the amount of water their clothes absorb is minimal. As you can imagine, the amount of water that 2-7 year olds can get all over themselves and others is never-ending, so to have that extra little detail was GREAT! They have a HUGE indoor jungle gym, climbing, slide apparatus (think McDonald's Playland type thing but 100x better!) that my 2.5 year old loved! The jungle gym is darn near floor to ceiling and has twists, turns, tubes, mats, slides, and a ton of other things to keep kids occupied for hours. I was reluctant to let me little guy go up too high because I was fearful that he would be too frightened to come down the slides since they are enclosed and so high, but that fear was alleviated in about 6 seconds when he come shooting down one of them. From that point on, I could hardly keep up with him because he was up, down, around, and playing like a mad man! There is a lot of climbing and though I was initially concerned about him falling, the closer I got and the more I watched, the unit has been engineered for that to be almost impossible. The steps/ledges turn and twist and are at heights that for a kid to fall down one of them is very unlikely. All of the climbing wore him out and for that I am one heck of a grateful mom! Adjacent to the jungle gym is a very small climbing wall (it's made for toddlers and little kids so it's maybe 6' tall) and some balancing beams that my son also loved. There are also stations for toddlers (has much smaller slides and smaller toys, manipulatives, etc.), coloring, a plastic puzzle table, dressing up, beating on drums/cymbals/bells, and a table that has cars, trains, and trucks on it for kids to move around. It is a little far for us to go to very often (we live in Elgin), but we will definitely stop in again when we are up that way. read more

Great job remodeling! Excellent space for children 10 and under. Very clean, spread out. The music walls and water areas are very hands on. The new tunnels are great for climbing and exploring. read more

Dull and I have to bribe the kids to go. Don't waste your time and go elsewhere. Sorry Skokie folk but its a waste

Horrid and despicable administration staff. They cancelled my booking because I insisted to pay using my CHICAGO address, while my cousin who is co-hosting lives in SKOKIE. Just tell me that you wanted to let someone you know take the time slot that we had. Sneaky, conniving liars. read more

Recently had a birthday party for my child here and it was such a great experience. My daughter had been here before so I already knew that the kids would have a fun time. The staff were all super nice, helpful, and accommodating. The facility and party room looked and felt clean throughout. Would definitely recommend to friends and family for a future party or an afternoon adventure with their kids. read more

Very fun! I recommend waiting until a kid is around a year old to go, maybe a little older. Inexpensive and fun, perfect for a snowy or rainy day. read more

We visited Chicago over Thanksgiving, and my 16 month-old was shutting down in the cold--he's not built for inclement weather like his parents are--so we brought him here. At $3 per person for residents, it's a fantastic deal. He burned off energy for 90 minutes, and we easily got our money's worth. We left because he was tired, not because he was bored. Even on the holiday weekend, it wasn't *too* crowded, and he never had to wait for any toys. This place has activities for kids from 9 months to 5 years old. I foresee making this place a regular stop on our trips to Chicago. read more

Really cute place for kids to play. My son is 2 1/2 and he loved the huge water table with fish. I was there on the weekend and it wasn't too crowded and had a lot of activities for a range of ages. I believe The water table here is actually better than the one at navy pier childrens museum. read more

Very fun place to burn off some cabin fever. We went on a sunny day in July in the middle of the week, so the place was empty and perfect for my little guy who was just crawling. He LOVED the water area and the toddler area was juts boring enough to keep the big kids out... I can't imagine how nutty it is on a cold day in January, but for the price, it can't be beat. Much smaller than it looks in pictures (good photog skills!), but worth a trip. read more

Great variety of activities. Even the restrooms are kid friendly with shorter toilets and sinks. We love the huge outdoor playground behind the building, as well! read more

A great place to take the kids on a cold or rainy day. Plenty of stuff to do for everyone. Caters to the smaller kids, but my 3 year old has lots of fun. Climbing walls, tunnels/slides, water area, stage, music area, coloring/reading area. There's something for all. $5 per person ages 1 and up for non-residents. Not a bad deal. A lot cheaper than some of the other options. read more

great spot for the kids! clean, well-kept, easy to get to, and the best part is, you can pretty much see every corner of the play area, including the entrance/exits, from most points within. my guy is still a bit young for the giant, two-story tube/tunnels extravaganza, but my friend's 3-yo had a blast in it. thought it was reasonably priced for what it had to offer. parents, it'll get you and the kiddos out of the house and enjoying yourselves with minimal effort. check it out. read more

Not as big as i expected, but certainly clean and enough space for little ones to run around. If over 5, the only thing for them is really the slides and tunnels which are amazing. All else is perfect say for a 3 year old, which mine son is however after an hour he was done. I was disappointed as a NR I was charged $5 for my 16 month-old as there was either things too big for her or too "babish". So it was not worth the money and don't think I'll bring her back until she is about 2 and tall enough for the water and jungle gym. AGain, great if you have an hour to kill, but don't expect a good two hours to entertain them. Oh, and charge the adults the same as the kids? That is just silly-at least supply coffee for us. read more

I could see this place being really fun for kids when it's not busy but during our visit it was CHAOS. And Things were a mess too- I did not see any staff cleaning or at least helping to put away things. Aside from that, it was a cute place for my toddler to play. I would recommend going when it's not crazy busy. read more

This place was awesome for a 5 year old and 3 year old. It kept them busy for about 3 hours and it has great AC!

Would highly recommend particularly for toddlers through maybe age 6 or 7 with I think ages 2-5 getting the most out of its activities. Great play options. Although small my 4 yo dd and her friend LOVED it -- particularly the water play section, adorable dress-up stage area and the large, incredibly appealing jungle gym which was amazing. We stayed 1.5 hours and the girls did not want to leave and weren't bored for a second. Definitely an excellent value! Also, very clean and neat which is always a plus. read more

Very disappointed. The huge climbing area had no entry alternatives such as ladders for 3-year-olds who might have problems climbing up those triangular steps. The rest of the activity area did not engage our granddaughter for any length of time. The dress-up area had clothes that were so large the kids could not keep them on instead of clothes with Velcro for all sizes. The clothes were not very imaginative, colorful, or fun. The reading space had at the most 20 books. We are visiting from Nashville and accustomed to Monkey Joe's which is fabulous and also the museums like the Discovery Center in our area and the many museums in Chicago are far superior to the Exploritorium. We told our daughter not to bother coming back. Boring. read more

Not really worth the money or time. Very small inside and small area for toddlers. Non residents cost $15. We stayed 30 minutes.