I took my niece and nephew here for a few hours and we all enjoyed our time here. There was lots of safe learning and fun play areas for my little ones. Will definitely come back with my 1.5 year old niece. I think my 6 year old nephew is ready for another place to stretch his legs and imagination read more

I love this place! They switch up their centers every so often so that the kids don't get bored. I've brought a wide range of kids from as young as 5 months up to 6 years old. They always love it! It was very difficult the first few times to find it (we drove round and round ...) but that's not really their fault. I'm editing this to add: The last few times I've went, I've needed to warm up a bottle for the baby. Unfortunately, they don't have any way to warm up a bottle in their lunch area, though the ladies at the front desk are always willing to help. I usually just bring a large drinking cup, and they fill it with water and heat up the water in the microwave. This lets me set the bottle in the bowl to warm up the milk instead of having to put the bottle in the microwave where the ladies could overheat it. They also recently changed their rules. Artville requires socks for kids AND adults. You can buy some from them, but just be prepared to bring socks or pay for socks to go into that half of the museum. read more

Great family place, we had no IDEA what this place was until we stumbled on it exploring our new city. Looks like we found a great place to escape the heat!! read more

I think this museum has all sorts of potential. The small kid area is great for my 2 year old. It's a hands on environment where she can play pretend and build things in a safe environment. I like how it is devided into different areas (soft blocks to build. library to read. Vet. office. theater and so on). My reserve is two fold. #1 there is nothing in place for toys to be cleaned if children put things in their mouths and they will. Other facilities have this in place and i feel that it's really important. Let me say I'm am not one of those parents who carry hand sanitizer every where i go but in this instance i was feeling alittle squeamish. Watching little kids lick and bite things and then throw it right back in the pile for the next child. #2 the toys are showing alot of wear and some of the areas have few toys in it at all. We tend to go late in the day so this may be a time of day thing but i would think an employee should come threw on a semi regular basis to restock or rearrange. We did buy a 6 month membership and will go again but i think i prefer other museums in the area. read more

Had a wonderful time. So many things to see and do. I took my first and second graders and they didn't want to leave. It allows the kids to use their imaginations and just run wild. My kids loved making things with the big blocks. My parents were amazed at all the kids did and saw. We were also able to enjoy a quiet lunch outside in a specified area and the kids could run around when they were done. My school parents even got involved in Mali g the crafts. It was an awesome place. read more

Nice little museum. The theme was "Games" they had lot of activity for the kids to participate in. It does get a little messy, but staff is always picking up. They do have a great indoor play area. Nice way to stay out of the heat and still have fun. You do have to wear socks in play area, if you don't have any stop by the gift shop and you can buy some for $1 or $2. Staff is super friendly! read more

IDEA Museum - Children's Museums Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

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This place is basically a play place for 1-4 year olds. And you spend $9 per person over 1 years old. I think the price is WAY overpriced for what they offer. The "older" kids side is completely boring. You would think they have more to offer than some iPads to draw on, and pages to color. We can do these things at home. Make sure you wear socks only in the little kids section. I find it gross that you have to wear your socks into the bathroom, there weren't any booties in the basket, so that was disgusting. A lady was wearing her booties into the area and on top of us wearing our socks from the bathroom into the area, how is that sanitary? Kids are slobbering on the "play" food, multiple kids are wearing the play costumes, most of the markers don't work for the white board area. It just seems like it's not well thought out for $9 a person. There are lots of workers around which is weird. Way too many people working here for how small it is. Maybe they should be cleaning and maintaining things better if there is that many people walking around and sitting at desks. read more

What a disaster. The entire place is a mess. There is no rhyme or reason to where items are placed, kids run around like its a free for all, and there is talk of adding even more items and stations. No. Its already too overwhelming for kids. I agree with fostering imagination (which is why I came here), but by having more organization and thoughtfulness behind how kids learn, instead of just letting them "go at it", can help facilitate the learning even more. Especially the younger ones who don't know and need more hands-on help from parents. The place is too small for what it has, and needs to be more conducive to learning. There's also a woman reads every review and responds with the same canned reply about learning and imagination and how they are very proud of their space - please don't leave that reply on my review - you're not going to change my mind. read more

Very dirty place. The day we took our son there was not overly crowded. The toys are so old and damage, the walls are dirty. We call it " the germs museum ". We will never take our kid there again. read more

This is a cool spot for kids under 5. It's not as big inside as it looks outside, but there's quite a bit for younger kids and toddlers to do. read more

SO much to do for so many ages. You can spend hours here. Very hands on. Many different types I things, and sensory. read more

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Came on Museum Day so it was free and likely more crowded than usual. Normal admission still cheaper than Phx Children's Museum (although they currently have a Groupon deal FYI). Being our first time we did not know socks are required for entrance into Artville (half of the museum) but I would have been prepared had I checked their website prior to visit. The museum is smart and sells socks at the gift shop. Luckily it's only $1-2. Despite the crowd, our 1 year-old still enjoyed herself thoroughly. The Artville side is for infants and up (saw 6 year olds in there too) and is full of fun. They have different little connected theme rooms - play kitchen and dining, building, vet, theater, train, infant area, etc. There was only one inflatable bouncy horse which all the kids wanted including my kid so it would be nice if they had multiple. The other side of the museum is for older kids and has hands-on craft and interactive learning activities. There was also an art gallery but it was closed that day. Of course there were good accommodations for kids like changing tables, nursing room, and large snack area with vending machines and tables. Overall fun for the kiddo. Have yet to visit Phx Children's Museum so can't compare. read more

IDEA Museum - Children's Museums Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

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I was expecting IDEA to be a lot bigger with more than just arts and crafts for the kids to do. a lot of the crafts were just thrown on the table and was a free for all which caused for total mayhem especially on the weekend. Super hero art was kind of cool but not much else to do and not very educational. read more

Perfect place to get the little ones out of the house to explore art and learn facts that they can handle. The whole museum is hands on, so you don't have to worry about them messing anything up. Arts and crafts throughout the museum. Artville is a play area for little ones 4 and under. You do however need socks in there for both yourself and any little ones. It's a great policy, to keep dirt and possible feces from the outside from getting dragged into that area, since there are crawlers. It's worth it to get their family memberships. Go every weekend and they might have special events going on. read more

I took my 4 and 6 yo daughters to IDEA today. They spent the entire day there, a couple hours in the child play area, then several hours learning about bugs in the bug exhibit. The museum definitely kept their interest; from making a farm garden plot in the play area, creating crafts, doing the "bee wriggle dance" in bee costumes, putting on a bug themed puppet show, to looking at a slew of preserved bug specimens, the museum offered much more than we could have anticipated. We would not hesitate to go again and will be recommending IDEA to all of our friends with kids. read more

IDEA Museum - Loving the bug exhibit! - Children's Museums Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

Artville - Took my 10-month old here last week and, while she seemed to love it and the ability to just crawl around everywhere, I didn't feel that it was clean-at all! The area for babies has stuffed animals, which were obviously not getting washed regularly and the mats had dirt in them, clearly showing they weren't scrubbed regularly. We were there at the end of the day and I witnessed what they considered "cleaning." Their "cleaning" was simply corralling the toys and putting everything back where it belonged. I didn't see a single spray bottle or collection bin for any of the toys and they didn't wipe anything down. Anyone going here will see that it isn't cleaned or disinfected regularly. The toys are also very worn. Seems with all the wear this place gets, it might be wise to update the areas monthly. Lots of toys were broken or missing parts. I was disappointed since I thought this would be a good option for summer entertainment. Maybe when she's older and can explore the other part of the museum.... If they need to charge more for upkeep, they should! With so many kids visiting daily, cleanliness is important! read more

I am beyond disappointed in this place. All the reviews made it seem like such a awesome place. For starters its super small. There is only two areas. There is a area for bigger kids with stuff to build maybe if you child was 4+. The ArtVille place is a cute idea but poorly executed, there is different little "cubby" areas with different things to play with. Socks are required for everyone. There just was not enough here to keep my son entertain long enough. They say artville is for 0-4 only but there was older kids in there which is annoying. It costs $8 a person to come in. Military is free through September 2016. So we got in for free but personally i would never come back here nor pay for it. Its not even worth $2 in my opinion. I would rather drive all the way to downtown phx to the childrens museum. Everyone made this place to be something that it wasn't. Sadly i wont return and wont recommend it to anyone. read more

We've never done a special event but my son is 18 months and we love the play room area. It's a chance for him to explore and get out of the heat for the summer. Well worth the membership at this age. read more

Dont recommend this place at all specially if you have kids 4 years and older , staffs are all seniors and dont have any interest in teaching or playing with kids , they give a bag to the mom and tell them figure it out , the session is 1-1/2 hr and because no body is there to help , you can do only one activity at time and then time is over so they ask you to leave with no return right, when we entered they pushed us to baby section because toddler section was full , if you step out to eat you can not come back again , if your kid like something as soon as you learn it they turn it off , i was in similar museum during pandemic, they other place had capacity control too but no limited session time as they had here and the staffs there sat with us taught us how to do things , etc . But his place was something else don't recommend it at all , at least till after pandemic is over. They even made us pay for 3 people because she said we made reservation for three not two as we were. read more

Love taking our kids here that we got a membership. So much to do without having to chase them everywhere. The younger area for tots is great, sometimes they get the older kids that really shouldn't be in there but understandable. Tons of arts and craft opportunities for the kids like our oldest, truly enjoys. Sometimes they do run out of supplies at the tables though. Great place to take the kids and stay out of the heat, just avoid going on any free days because it gets packed! read more

We brought our grandsons , ages 2 and 3 here on June 30 and on July 3 they both started running high fevers and turned out both were diagnosed with hand, foot, mouth disease. This disease has a 3 to 6 day incubation period so I know they contracted it at this museum. The boys are cousins and this was the first day they had been together for over 2 weeks and neither go to daycare.So beware the staff here needs to do a better job of disinfecting the toys and equipment. read more

I'm a parent of an energetic 1.5 year old kiddo. The first time I brought my son to the I.D.E.A. Museum was when he was 6 months old, and I liked the potential of the the place so much that I purchased a membership. I believe I was a bit hasty with that purchase now. In my experience, the pros and cons of the I.D.E.A. Museum are as follows: Pros: convenience of location to those of us in the East Valley; fun activity/craft stations in the main portion of the museum (although a bit too "advanced" for a younger toddler, so we just do what we can!); museum gallery themes are interesting, informative and often interactive; younger kids seem to have fun in the Artville section; the outdoor instruments and proximity to other downtown Mesa attractions are bonuses! Cons: the young children's section, Artville, while cute, is often full of children too old to be in there, who tend to trample on/knock over the little ones; Artville has also unfortunately been pretty dirty every visit and I'm not sure that the toys are ever sanitized properly--especially in the padded baby area. I'm really not a germphobe, but, honestly, some of the toys are flat-out crusted with gunk. My son has gotten sick (croup, HFM, colds) after every single visit we've made there--and now, after about a dozen times, I've finally stopped thinking this is a coincidence. Unfortunately, there are so just many toddlers drooling/chewing/snotting/sneezing/etc. on things (as toddlers do), with no sanitization stations for parents and very few volunteers on hand to help clean things, that it seems inevitable that any little sickness could easily spread. While I get that kids hanging around kids and getting sick is kinda par for the course, it never seems to happen after our visits to the Phoenix Children's Museum, the Science Center, or local recreation/community centers, where greater attention seems to be paid to consistent clean up. I'll stick to those activities moving forward--the convenience of the I.D.E.A location just doesn't outweigh having a sick child as a result of every visit. read more

Would recommend for smaller kids. Toddlers and those under 8/10. There are two main areas to choose from. Turn right from the entrance and you get a more active/social hands on play area where kids can play with inflatable toys, etc. with other kids, staff have story book read outs, some puppet show area and a small classroom art class for them. This area I believe is designed more to encourage social interaction between the children. Make note though that the activities are only done on certain days and times so ask before going. Turn left and you get a place for activities where kids can sit down and make their own art and/or view and play with children approved technologies individually. The good thing is that they can bring their artwork home. In addition, on some dates they also host special exhibits on this side. Sadly, when we went here the last two times there was none. The place does not have a cafe. However, they do allow you to bring your own foods to eat in a designated area containing a vending machine. Adults are required to pay admission fee in addition to 1 year olds. But ticket was much cheaper than phoenix children's museum especially if you opt to buy the yearly membership. read more

As a nanny I'm always trying to take the little boy I watch , who is 18 months old , to fun places. we came across the IDEA museum when he was younger but it seemed to be geared towards older kids. Artville is a sock only zone , and although it says 0-4 , all ages are in here. I am completely disappointed with the lack of adult supervision over the kids here. My 18 month old got ran over multiple times by boys who were well over 6 years old wrestling and throwing blocks across the room. it's unsafe for babies. very very disappointed. read more

Along my journey exploring Mesa I found this family gem with younger children. The Idea Museum is the perfect activity for small children offering a creative outlet. Who doesn't want to color, create and be inspired by science. read more

Great place to take kids. Plenty of activities, its safe, well surpervised, and a multitude of areas for kids to play in.

I'm only giving this place 2 starts because getting a refund before I left was easy. Like a few other recent reviews, I went with my daughter to see Daniel Tiger. Waited a half hour outside just to buy the tickets. When I was finally inside the doors, still waiting, a guy dressed as a zombie (for what I assume was part of their monster exhibit?) starts walking by all the kids. The poor kids in front of me started screaming and sobbing and running away because they were so scared. The demographic of kids who watch Daniel Tiger I would think is very different than the demographic of kids who think zombies are interesting. Who thought that was a good idea? Everyone was tired and grumpy and then you have a guy who looks dead with blood dripping down his face walk by everyone? That was very poor planning. Anyway, once we got the tickets we waited in line for Daniel Tiger. The line went right past the entrance to the one side of the museum so everyone had to keep shoving past me and my daughter to get in and out of the room. We waited there for probably 20-30 minutes. They started handing out numbered tickets at a point and stopped at the woman right in front of me. Once she was done handing out the tickets a man came up to her and said "We have a problem." They walked away whispering and more and more staff joined them, whispering a huddle in front of all of us. We finally moved forward a little in the line and waited a few more minutes. Finally one of the staff members came by us and asked where the tickets ended. When the lady in front of me said she got the last one, the staff member looked at me and said "I'm sorry but you and everyone behind you isn't going to get to see him." That was at just past 11:30 and he left at 1. It took everything in me not to yell at her. This should have been thought out a little more. Why not pre-sell a certain amount of tickets in advance so no one has to wait in line? I understand that this was probably an isolated incident, but this place was chaotic and expensive and I'm not sure if I would go back. read more

This place would be awesome if the rules were enforced. We brought our toddler to play in Artville since it is for ages 4 and under. There were more kids over 4 than under! We had to basically hover over our son the entire time because big kids were running and throwing the blocks. The attendant kept saying "stop running", but the kids ignored her and nothing more was done. The other moms were mostly staring at their phones. It was very disappointing. read more

Love this place! Their area for under 4's is a great place to bring your toddler on a hot summer day and let them run around for a while. My kid is obsessed with the giant lightbrite. We have a membership and go weekly. Never had any issues. read more

I appreciate the staff members responding receptively to my review, as well as another suggestion I made at a different instance. I think the planned extended hours will ease congestion and help toddlers who nap have some evening fun as well. I wanted to write a quick update at the end of my one year membership there. I chose not to renew since it was too much of a drive for us from South Chandler, given my son still naps a good portion of their current open hours. I think they had a tremendous response to their groupon promotion, and they graciously honored the price for those of us who renewed as well. The groupon however brought more crowds than they could handle. The first couple of months of the groupon redemption were terrible, long lines with 30-40 minutes wait just to be checked in. I made a suggestion to check in current members separately from the groupon holders who had to fill out long forms on their first visit. I never went back for a while after the first time I waited for 30 mins with an irate toddler though. When I did eventually go back, the crowds had significantly increased in the artville area, and the place was a mess. The volunteers had almost given up on putting things back in place. No instrument, puzzle block or food toy was where it should be. Thankfully, by then we'd discovered the more spacious HUB area and my 2 year old toddler began exploring that with interest, so we still enjoyed their exhibits and craft areas. I didn't see a benefit for us to buy a membership given the long drive and the lack of new stations while we were there. read more

This place is wonderful for toddlers and preschoolers on one side and older children on the other. This is an interactive - use your imagination kind of museum. The only downside is they are in between exhibits so for three weeks a whole section is closed to bring in the next exhibit. read more

As an educator I was disappointed and as a parent I was even more disappointed. This place has little resources for children to be creative and was a waste of my drive and money. I would advise all charities to seize any donations and donate to real museums. read more

Why wouldn't a facility like this politely ask parents to make sure their children pick up a little bit or return toys so that others can play with them? The volunteers seem a little overmatched by the hordes of kids. My daughter had fun despite the chaos but we will try to go back on a day that is not as crowded just for my own sanity (forgot they have a thing called October break here that this Midwestern mom has never heard of). If the place operates the way it's setup on a less busy day it should rate 5 stars easy. I'll keep you updated. read more

This came as a recommendation from a friend, whose wife has contributed to the artwork at the center. I was very impressed, it was small but they packed in the hands on activity. My daughter wasn't able to do everything in our visit and I'm sure we will be back soon to do more activites. She had a good time and it was a bit of a trip for us from Peoria, we did have fun and have referred a few friends to the center already. read more

I had them help host my daughters party and spent a grip renting out a back room for 90 minutes while the facilitator did nothing to help me, and rushed us out so quickly that our party goers actually ended up having to leave and hoard out into the parking lot. This place is fun, but don't let them host your parties. They are unorganized, and unprofessional. I emailed the woman Chelsea Marsh (who has yet to email me a response) who helped me book, and she gave us a tour of the facility, and we had gone with it on our minds that we were going to cancel. We were reassured that everything would be taken care of, because of the lack of assistance my boyfriend and I really didn't get to spend too much time with our child on her birthday. Instead we spent 90 minutes frantically running around trying to gather people up and push everyone into the back room because we were rushed out of there so quickly. For $250 I should have been able to rent out the whole of artville, instead you pay $250 for a pushy 90 minutes and they force your party into the parking lot with all of your food, gifts, etc. Needless to say my experience with the idea museum was far below the expectation I was presented when I was given the tour PRIOR to my daughters party, I was also reassured countless times that they would take care of everything, and they did not. read more

Excellent place for kids to explore and learn , even for a one year old !!! Defiantly will be back !!

My girls (ages 4, and 8) really enjoy coming here. They've chosen the I.D.E.A Museum over the the larger children's museum in Phoenix a few times. We typically spend around 2-2.5 hours wondering around. It's a low key museum without a lot of frills, but they have bunch of hand on activities and art stations. Not much to eat in the area but they do have a lounge area to eat in if you want to bring your own snacks. I also love that they feature local artists in theme to the exhibits :) read more

Great place for children aged 2-10, plenty of activities for children to create little art projects. read more

Great hands on museum for kids ages 1-8, or even big kids like Mommys and daddy's. However, currently one of the exhibits is closed and it's a third of services rendered. They should give a discount but they don't. $8 a person is reasonable for all day fun! read more

Our daughter that is 14 months loves coming here. Artville is a great area for her to run around and play in the different areas. We have gone during the week in the am and about 2:30. Both times weren't super busy and felt she had a safe fun place to explore. read more