I was visiting Lake Charles and needed something to do with my 10-year-old. I wasn't sure if he'd…read morebe too old for it, but we went anyway and I'm glad we did. The Children's Museum is bright, colorful, and actually interactive in a way that keeps kids engaged. His favorite was the water feature. He easily spent 30 minutes there. There are some nice learning elements like ecosystems and the human body. The pretend play area felt a little young for him, but by then he'd already gotten his time in. I went on a Monday and the science center side was closed, which was a little disappointing. If you want to see both, I'd avoid Mondays. It's a little pricey. About $16 just for him, plus adults. But we stayed over two hours and he had a good time, so it felt worth it. Friendly staff and a cute gift shop on the way out. Overall, solid option if you're looking for something different to do with your kid.

Very nice facility. It was very clean. It's a new facility opened in 2025, I believe. Now called…read morePort Wonder. We spent maybe a little over a hour here. Price was a little high, which was suspected. But it was something to do in the air condition that our kids enjoyed. Our kids are a little older so the back area is all pretend play stations and so we didn't spend long in that area. We also walked outside went to pier and looked at water.

Cool place to go for a learning experience. Especially if your not from the South. Check it out.read more

Starting point for the nature trail. Inside you will find restrooms, a small gift shop ,…read moremaps/brochures, exhibits & displays as well as helpful staff. It's a must stop if you are doing the trail or if you just need a quick bathroom break off the interstate. Will was working behind the desk during our stop and was extremely enthusiastic about the trail and culture of the area and was very helpful in providing info. I was very entertained by the interactive displays;) My favorite was the music station ....yes I was a big kid "playing" the instruments but I enjoyed every minute. It's an exhibit with different musical instruments with a choice of Zydeco or Cajun music . Once you choose which genre you want to hear, background music starts playing. It's up to you to bring the song to life by "playing" the different instruments: mandolin, washboard, accordion etc. Kids or adults, it's fun ;) Here you can also smell popular Cajun spices , peek inside a pelican's mouth, hear how common Cajun words and phrases are pronounced , take home a recipe and even try on clothes for a photo opp. Several exhibits also cover the wildlife and plants you will likely see on the trail. Everything is very well done! Definitely worth a stop.

Sad to say that the ship is moving to Jacksonville Fl. We visited before it moved. It's sad Lake…read moreCharles never made a permanent dock on the lake. It would have been a great success.

Definitely ask for Jonathan if you go. He was very knowledgeable and did a fantastic job of…read moremanaging the younger attendees tension span. He really kept them engaged the entire time.

We decided to do a day trip to Orange to visit the Shangri-La Botanical Gardens (see my other…read morereview) and thought we'd stop at this old home for our elderly guest. You cannot go straight to the house for a tour, you must meet at the Stark museum across the street, purchase a ticket, and then be accompanied by a tour guide to the house. The museum is free if you'd like to visit that while you are there. Once you walk over to the house you cannot bring a camera in with you. A knowledgeable and very long winded tour guide will bring you around the average sized home for about an hour describing every room in detail. It's a pretty home from the outside and I wish that was all I had seen. The long tour of the inside was boring. Our tour guide was obviously very proud of the home and the history of the house in relation to Orange, Texas, but it wasn't as interesting to out of town people. I don't think that I am being overly harsh. My 70 year old mother-in-law accompanied us; she is a huge fan of old homes and antiques. She found the tour to be too long and to focus on mundane items in the house. My suggestion... go to Orange for the day. Visit Shangri-La and stop in front of this home to see how pretty it is from the outside.

We like going here around Christmas when the house is decorated and there is a small ensemble…read moreplaying Christmas music.

My son and I were down here on a road trip last weekend and had such a great visit. The Director…read more(Tom, I believe?) walked us around and had amazing story upon story of great engineering feats and musicians and athletes from the area. I just stood there listening with my mouth open for an hour and it was hard for me to want to leave our discussion, he was so interesting! My 7 year-old really enjoyed the little archaelogical dig site with brushes and trowels. All in all, this is an incredibly well-run museum to showcase an area that has an astonishing number of accomplished people. I highly recommend it.

I love music, sports and history - so the Museum of the Gulf Coast was a perfect place to spend…read moreseveral hours on a rainy day in Port Arthur. The museum is part of the overall Port Arthur downtown revitalization program, and is a key lynchpin. This modern facility has two stories, with the lower story dedicated primarily to the history of the Gulf Coast Region - while the second story is broken down into specific sections of interest like music, art and sports. The collections are impressive and the staff amazingly friendly and helpful. Overall, this place is well worth your time.

I visited the museum today for the second time. It's really a great place. They had a special…read moreexhibition called Branding the American West. I thought it was very interesting, but I love paintings and sculptures that feature lonely landscapes and typical North American animals. This did not disappoint. The museum itself isn't so big that you're overwhelmed. In fact, an hour or two is sufficient to take in what's on display. The bookstore is also good, with lots of interesting books and a couple of comfortable chairs to sit in for a brief read through. Admission is free and parking is plentiful. So, there's every reason to enjoy this Texas gem!

My kids and I had a great time. And it was free! The art was all "old west" themed, including the…read moreexhibit of work by local students. Not sure if it changes or if it's a permanent exhibit. We probably spent two hours here.

We went here on a Saturday. You enter through the genealogy library. The History Museum is located…read morein the basement. I didn't have high expectations since they don't charge admission. I was very pleasantly surprised. We were greeted immediately by their very helpful and informative staff. This little museum packs a ton of things in their space. We thoroughly enjoyed it and if you are a history buff stop by if you are in the area. It's worth the stop!

This is a hidden gem in this city. I wanted something to pass the time while I waited in motorcycle…read morerepairs. This place is amazing. They actually have a lot of stuff about Louisiana and the area. I was surprised and be it's all free! The staff were very helpful and took the time to walk me through and show me everything and tell me some of the history. It was amazing how much they knew. I know Alexandria doesn't have much going on for it but this museum is worth a day trip. Very happy I made the trip.