Small, but one of the best Childrens museums I have been to for a long time. We often travel as a…read morefamily to my husband's performances (he is an actor) and so I have time with the kids in the new location to fill in, and I tend to do this with children's museums. I have a 9 year old and a 6 year old and was a little concerned that it wouldn't have enough things for the older one to do - especially given the photos on Yelp are nearly all of 1 year olds. I couldn't have been more wrong and actually this is one of the best children's museums for both my children. There was SO much stuff for them to do. The museum is sectioned up into small ares all with different projects and art to play with. Just really really well done! We spent an enjoyable 90 minutes there and likely could have been there for about 2-3 hours if we didn't have to leave. Great place to visit!

Wonderful children's museum. We spent two hours here, but our 8 and 5 year olds, could have lasted…read moreanother three hours. Great staff as well!

First of all, the lady at the front was so nice, because we're trying to use a card to get it…read morecheaper, but I had forgotten mine. She was very friendly and gave it to us anyways. Second of all, the second floor with all the maine things was hands down my son's favorite. The fire truck with the pole, the train that we just rode on to get there, the fisherman boat with the lobster, they definitely need more food for the diner. We love the water thing upstairs.It was very different than the one in boston

Amazing fun children's museum! There's something fun for everyone! They have an incredible craft…read moreroom where we make everything and get to take it home! We can decorate a boat! We even made a few cool jellyfish!! There's a cool water station, light room, firehouse, pilot, boat ramps and such! Honestly LOVE how this museum has a theatre - Finding Nemo but it's sold out! It's great for small kids and young families! We had our newborn and she still had fun- even watching the bee hives and pet hospital! Empowering little kids and making science fun for them! Love this place!

What a cool experience! This museum is a historic neighborhood called Puddle Dock. Nearly all the…read morehouses and buildings are in their original location, and then decorated and furnished inside to represent different time periods. The buildings have interactive exhibits, and wonderfully knowledgeable docents and staff who are excited to tell you about the buildings, the people who lived or worked there, and answer your questions. We arrived just after opening at 10 today. Two school buses of teens were also there (free onsite parking lot for guests). The buildings that are open each day have American flags out front representing the appropriate time periods. Staff are inside to give you an intro and answer questions. At the Revolutionary war era Pitt Tavern (built c. 1766), I learned that taverns were required to provide housing for people and horses, and to act as community centers that could house overflow hospital patients during widespread emergency situations. We saw a demonstration of cooking a rotisserie chicken (all day) in a reflective rotisserie by an open fire in the Wheelwright House. (Built c.1780). Just a couple of the historical highlights of this remarkable museum! A worthwhile visit when in Portsmouth, NH!

Strawberry Banke Museum was wonderful place to spend a few hours. There was a charge of $25 for…read moreadults. It's a self guided tour of original homes in area. The museum shows how the people lived from the late 1600's to mid 1940's. Set in the puddle dock neighborhood. A strawberry Banke Museum site is the earliest European settled neighborhood In Portsmouth. Many of the homes had people in them explaining who lived in the home and what they did for a living. They do have several events so check their calendar.

This place exceeded our expectations. Whoever created this place understands kids and their…read moreinterests. I was interested but thought there wouldn't be much for our 18 month old to do. Boy was I wrong! From the golf ball science room, to the water play, and Arthur room. This place is so cool! We also really enjoyed the planet/ Dinosaur room. We got lucky there weren't many ppl when we went and it was half off.

Excellent children's museum. Definitely worth every penny. So much to see and do. It's hard to get…read morethe kids away from each activity to see the others! Everything is so clean and organized. I love the bathrooms easily located in many places close to every activity.

This memorial is great for the price and truly shows how submariners lived and functioned in this…read morewonderfully sub.

A fun and interesting way to spend some time in Portsmouth. I visited town during off-season and…read morethis was one of the few tourist attractions still open. Touring the actual sub can be done in 20-30 min. If you're claustrophobic, the first couple areas are tight but it soon opens up. If you have mobility issues, it'll be tough to maneuver. This doesn't take away from my experience but something to consider for others. The attached museum/gift shop is nice and packs in a lot. It's a one time visit for me but glad I went.

This place is super cute! I've been to all the popular aquariums in the US (Atlanta, Monterey,…read moreetc.) and this might actually be my favorite. While the entire exhibit only takes place in one room, the amount of hands-on experiences and knowledge offered by Ellen is next level. My daughter greatly enjoyed the experience, and I did as well!

What a great experience for my kids (6 and 13). Read the website for details but there's something…read morefor all ages in this tiny little place. Both kids were engaged and Ellen did a great job of doing so at the proper level. Highly recommended

I was seriously considering a lobster tour during our stop at Portland, however the timing just did…read morenot work as I didn't make my way through the immigration inspection onboard, and onto land until 11:30am. But my sister had recommended Maine Narrow Gauge, so I made my way over to the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co & Museum (note: I wouldn't call it a museum... more like a gift shop, but they have bathrooms!) to purchase a ticket. The train rides are 40 min round trip and take off at the top of the hour (on days they run) at 10am, 11am, 12 noon, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm (yes, note that they skip the 1 o'clock hour, probably for lunch). If you were planning on picking up a snack and a drink, you might want to consider the First Class seat more seriously as it comes with both, AND a padded reserved seat for $23.50. My Coach Class ticket was $18.25, but I kind of appreciated the open air car, and didn't mind the wooden seats. The tour itself was recorded. We rode back and forth on the same narrow tracks, but paused and stretched our legs briefly at the other end, and took some pictures.

Great scenic train ride. Good narrator…read more Relaxing and comfortable seating Enjoy this great tour ride

My two boys (ages 3 1/2 and 6) and I visited the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center in late…read moreOctober. It was a crisp and cool Saturday morning, and we had the place nearly all to ourselves. I wasn't expecting much beyond a few caged native New Hampshire wildlife and a good walk. Instead, we were totally blown away. First, the nature center is organized in such as way that it really is a walk through the woods. Paths and boardwalks wind their way through the compound, preserving the natural environment as much as possible. The animal displays themselves are first-rate. The enclosures are well designed to allow for both easy viewing and a sense of the animal's natural environment. The displays also include both information and activities for the kids. My boys enjoyed seeing the big cats, the deer, the raptors, and most of all the bears! Because it was a little cold we didn't have a chance the hike the trails, but when we go back in the spring we will take a picnic lunch and make a day of our visit.

Serious Concerns About Emergency Signage and Safety I…read morevisited the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center on August 2, 2026, with my 9-year-old daughter. This was our first visit, and before entering I asked the staff if there was anything we needed to know. I was simply told, "Just enter and follow the signs." About halfway through our visit, we stopped at the Gordon Interactive Playscape: A Predator-Prey Adventure. After about 15 minutes, I looked around and suddenly couldn't find my daughter. I immediately began searching the indoor play area and calling her name. No answer. I went from one section to another, becoming increasingly desperate. Then I started looking for an exit sign so I could figure out how to get out and find help. I couldn't find one. When you're looking for your child and don't know where they are, every minute feels like an eternity. After approximately 10 minutes of searching, I finally found my daughter. What a relief! At that point, I decided to leave. On my way back, I started paying attention to the exit signage and counted only one clearly marked exit sign. At the gift shop, I explained my experience to a staff member and asked how many exit signs there were throughout the park. She told me there were two. I asked, "Do you believe that's enough, given the size of the park?" There was no response. My concern isn't about blaming an individual employee. It's about emergency preparedness. If a parent is desperately trying to locate a child during an emergency--or if another emergency requires visitors to leave quickly--people should be able to immediately identify where the exits and escape routes are. Clear, highly visible emergency signage is not a luxury. It is indispensable, vital, and essential. I strongly encourage the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center to revisit its emergency escape routes, exit signage, and wayfinding system. I hope the center takes this feedback seriously and makes improvements before another family finds itself in a frightening situation like the one I experienced. Thank you for your time. Eds Santiago

I don't have kids but I went with my mom, sister and nephew. It was so cool to see what kinds of…read morebusinesses and opportunities there are for kids to receive enrichment beyond the home & classroom (e.g. daycare). It sounds like this is a popular place in the winter given its wide range of indoor activities. It's organized very well and provides different types of stimuli for children to choose from. The staff inside support and encourage parents & guardians to utilize the Discovery Museum's facilities to the best their kids are able to. The outdoor areas & trails seemed fun, as well as the giant chair and swing set.

The Discovery Museum is a hands-on museum for families that opened in Acton, Massachusetts in 1982…read more It was founded by math teacher and naturalist Donald B. Verger. The museum blends science, natural and play. A second museum building opened in 1987. After an $8.8M expansion and renovation, the museum reopened as a single-building museum in March 2018. A 550 -square-foot tree house and accessible nature playscape were also added to the campus in July 2016. The current museum now has twice the exhibit space of the original museum and includes significant galleries for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) experiences including water, air, tinkering, design, engineering, early brain development, math, light and color, and sound. My family and I recently visited the Discovery Museum while we were visiting the area. We visited a local brewery for lunch and my wife and I were interested to see if there was a place nearby that we could take our sons. The museum came highly recommended. We're glad that we heard about it because we all had a blast. The whole campus was beautiful! There are a variety of different interactive exhibits devoted to topics such as math, airplay, water, music & sound, illusions, simple machines, light & color, and Leonardo da Vinci. My sons never wanted to leave. After exploring the museum, we all headed outside to explore the Discovery Woods. My sons really liked checking out the tree house, the nature playscape, Adventure Hill, the slap-a-phone, the outdoor da Vinci exhibits, and Bessie the Dinosaur. Overall we had an excellent experience at the Discovery Museum and we highly recommend it to families who are visiting the area!

It is never open and the phone number is never working. I've taken several trips here and been…read moredisappointed each time.

I went here 2 weeks ago for their Lilac Festival, which to be honest, wasn't much of a festival due…read moreto the lack of lilacs. One of the exhibits had guided tours, but due to the event, there wasn't enough staff to handle all the tourists. Speaking of not enough, I can't speak for regular days, but during the events, parking is going to get crazy. There were cars parked on the right side of the trail leading up to the mansion. The mansion's backyard (I don't know what to call it) is quite big and you should bring the family to just play around there. As far as I can tell it's free, and they do take donations to preserve or revive the lilacs.