We love going here on the weekends! Their membership is such a great deal if you live nearby and…read morethey always have new exhibits so it doesn't get stale for the kids. They also have a great outdoor area.

We visited the Kohl Children's Museum and had a good time. There are lots of different activity…read moreareas for kids to explore, and it's a fun place for children to learn through play. Admission is $20 per person. However, I also visited about four years ago, and I was surprised that almost nothing has changed. Many of the toys, exhibits, and play areas looked the same and felt quite worn from years of use. I would recommend visiting at least once because it's a nice experience for kids, but I don't think it's a place I would return to regularly unless they update or refresh the exhibits.

This exceeded my expectations. I'm an experienced VR gamer so I was concerned that it would seem…read morelike something I could just download and do at home. But this is a bit more ambitious than that. The "play" area is very large, way larger than any of us normally has access to for any kind of indoor recreation. Once you've been waiver'd and orientated, you will wear a VR headset similar to the kind you might have at home. No hand controllers though. You will be immersed in a situation and directed to walk around, with some degree of freedom to inspect your virtual surroundings more closely. A story of some sort plays out, which you simply observe without any interaction, but you are fully immersed; it's like you're there. We had booked the Egyptian pyramids experience ("Horizon of Khufu"), and we enjoyed it enough that we reupped for the second experience they had at the time with the dinosaurs ("Life Chronicles"). Again, as someone experienced with VR gaming, the quality of the graphics was not particularly impressive but it got the job done. And I can tell that some impressive under-the-hood logistics worked well to allow dozens of concurrent people to use the same space. You see "ghosts" of others that are nearby to help you avoid bumping into them. I was impressed that it knew one of the ghosts was in a wheelchair; it seems like very thoughtfully-designed tech. If immersive educational exhibits interest you, you will probably quite like this. If you are turned off by VR, you might be pleasantly surprised. The discomfort that is sometimes experienced with at-home setups is greatly offset by the fact that you physically walk around in a large space.

I had never had a virtual reality experience before going to EXP. EXP provides a variety of VR…read moreexperiences. We went to see the Pyramids of Khufu with some friends. When they say they open at 1:00, they open at 1:00 sharp. We arrived a little early and found the doors locked. We went to another business across the parking lot to kill 1/2 hour before we could get in. The first thing you do when you walk in is watch a brief video explaining what you will experience and how to use the VR headsets. Then, you must sign a waiver of liability before you are allowed to continue. Essentially, you waive any liability of injuries caused by falling, vertigo, epileptic seizures due to strobes, etc. I actually read the waiver before signing. It seems pretty iron clad. When you start, you meet your virtual tour guide. They walk you through the exhibit, which is really one big empty room. My one issue is there are multiple groups that go through at the same time. There isn't any way to keep from running into other groups and we almost collided with other groups several times. The program is well done. We had a walking tour of the exterior of the pyramid and surrounding places, as well as the interior of the pyramid. The resolution of the VR was excellent. I wouldn't say I felt like I was actually inside a pyramid, but it was well done. Pay attention to the warnings you receive. I felt dizzy a few times and almost fell once. I found myself shuffling my feet to avoid stepping on VR obstacles (yes - silly, I know). But take seriously that you need to pay attention. They have ways for you to let them know if you need help, which is good. Fortunately, I didn't need any help. So, in all, it was a good experience. They have other exhibits, too. But given the dizziness, I'm not sure I would go again. But some of the exhibits look interesting so I may give it another go.

Two days in a row now, this place is closed when it should be open, with nothing other than a…read morehand-written note on the door saying "closed at 4pm." My children and I are disappointed, and angry, and confused.

My video game loving children have been eagerly awaiting for this to open. It's finally open and…read morehas some great kid friendly neighbors- a toy store and ice cream/gelato parlor. Kid heaven! When my kids first walked into Games on Lincoln they were a little disappointed by how small it is, especially in comparison to places like Nickel City. That being said i like that it's small because it's a great way to kill a bit of time, but also easy to get out of there within the hour. I usually have to bribe my kids to get them out of Nickel City within a few hours. And because it's new Games on Lincoln is very clean and due to the size should be easy to keep clean! Fingers crossed. You put money on a card and like all arcades you go thru money pretty fast here. I loaded up my kids cards with $10 several times and they seemed to run out fast- a combo of the games being a little expensive and I think they may have swiped a few extra times (so teach your kids to just swipe once). The machine itself is a little glitchy, but the staff was helpful...and can also take cash up by the cash register. I do think some sort of unlimited game card would be great- whether it's for one specific time or even a monthly membership. The games itself are perfect for my 8 and 6 year olds, but my 3 year old is a little young for it (although they were nice to pull up a chair so he could play his favorite game, pac-man). They didn't get enough tickets to get any cool prizes so are keeping their cards for next time. And I'm sure there will be a next time since it's an easy way to kill some time after dinner in the area (Stacked and Folded, Little Rickys, etc) before or after ice cream. Speaking of ice cream seems like a no brainer to get rid of their crappy prizes and let people redeem tickets at the ice cream parlor and toy store...also a great way to drive business to those businesses as well. According to the staff they may be taking over the hair salon next door and making this way bigger, which would also give the ability to host birthday parties. My kids were excited about the possibility of even more games. And if that happens there goes my ability to get them in and out fast, but then again always looking for good places to kill time with the kids in the winter.

This is a great asset for the neighborhood. There are better children's museums in the city for…read moreout of towners looking for a destination place, but for locals this is a great place for kids. Place was empty when I brought my boy in, so he had the run of the place. Some cool interactive exhibits representing life in Sweden and the U.S. for Swedish immigrants 100 years ago. Price is on par or better than neighborhood play rooms ($10 for family or $3 for kids over 1 and $4 for adults) and annual memberships are reasonable (family is $50, which includes admission to the regular museum also). The museum has child focused activities (story time, etc.) occasionally also. Free parking is available in the museum's lot but it is up the street from the museum itself (an easy walk, but not right next to the museum so look up where it is located if you are driving). Only major drawback is that the hours are a bit goofy and not the most convenient for two nap kids.

This is a separate, hands on part of the Swedish American Museum in traditionally Swedish…read moreAndersonville. Although I think that it has interesting exhibits, it has different hours than the bigger museum (after school hours), and can sometimes be inundated with excited kids, so factor that in. The kids I brought got a lot out of it, but it may not be a destination spot for you without the rest of the museum's exhibits.

The manager on duty was very thorough with the axe throwing demo. He provided different game ideas…read moreas well, all very fun and challenging! It made the experience unique and memorable. He not only provide thorough training, but checked back in frequently with every team playing- very helpful because I was about to throw in the towel because I kept missing. He showed me some minimal changes and that made all the difference. He was as detailed with the set up at the splash painting portion! Very great experience overall!

First axe-throwing experience. Went out for a work team outing and it was fun, but also a little…read morefrustrating. It took us a while to get our form right but then found some consistency. The place was empty for awhile until another group came in. I felt like it was really pricey at essentially $35/per person for an hour- over $100 for 3 of us. Also, the lanes are really short and we had the axe bounce out of the enclosure more than once. I would definitely try axe throwing again, but maybe somewhere else.

I used to go here when I was little. I thought ice skating would be like riding a bike. Nope...not…read moreat all! This was the first time my 6.5 year old son tried it and he was able to use a skate assistant sled. Unfortunately, the usage time is limited for others to use as well. And if a person didn't return theirs in the 20 minute slot, noone bothered going out to get it. So we patiently waited A few weeks later we go back here for a birthday party. I think we had an hour in the room and another hour on the rink. Not bad, but we felt rushed in the room eating & cake. Then, at the ice rink they had FOUR skate assistant sleds for us to use. Now, it's a party with about 20 kids, most of whom haven't skated before. So 'sharing' the sled was an issue. I asked someone that worked there if we could borrow more (because I know that had more & they weren't being used on the other side), but she said we are only allowed 4. Boo!

I came here to try ice skating for the first time in 25 years. Open skating fees and skate rental…read morefees are comparable to other arenas in the area. But, the perk here is that they don't charge more for non-residents to skate, so if you're bringing non-local friends, they won't have to pay more than you (unlike Evanston and other skating rinks). I do wish that they had some sort of pass card though like Evanston and Wilmette rinks both offer. Their website is a bit dated and confusing, but I sent them a message on Facebook to confirm their public skate hours and they got back to me within minutes, which was nice. They also have skate sharpening, which I definitely need before I try skating again (but haven't used that service yet). The rink itself is nice. It wasn't too crowded when I went during the week a week before Christmas, and the skaters I did meet were friendly. The woman at the desk was helpful as well. I'll definitely come back.

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this museum yet, I've been here 2x now but it had been a while…read morein between so it was so fun to see the different friends that I didn't get to notice last time. When driving by it's a rather unbecoming home that is actually the home to over hundreds of sock monkeys. You can either come in and enjoy the activities like build a sock monkey, or shop around and visit the longest resident sock monkey. Or you can go upstairs and visit the museum for a small fee and learn all about the history. You also get the opportunity to complete the scavenger hunt which is no small feat once you start staring at them for a period of time. We had a great time and can't wait to come back and see the new sock monkies that still have yet to be displayed!

I wasn't sure what to expect from this museum but it was so fun! I made my friends do the…read morescavenger hunt so we were searching for monkeys for the better part of an hour. I learned so much and had such a great time. The team working was so passionate and even though I can't say I thought much about sock monkeys before this visit, I am now a fan!!

When we get to Navy Pier in Chicago, we always make time for the Children's Museum…read more There's a fire engine climber and pole that we love to play on, with hoses, a fire-station-pole, and a fire-targeting game. The fire engine includes uniforms, and there are some other costumes. There's a bulldozer with moving levers to play with. There's climbing ropes. There's a log-cabin to play in, and a colorful steam-punk horse-sculpture made of gears and gadgets. We play here every time. We never get tired of it.

We had a great time visiting here on a vacation with family. We were not sure about the age range…read moregoing in but this is a big enough museum/play space that it will appeal to a pretty wide variety of ages. Our kids are 7 and 9 and while many exhibits are geared for younger children and we skipped (such as the seemingly favorite water play space and the little pretend village) these, there are a number of building/tinkering as well as climbing spaces that our kids really liked. You could spend probably a whole day here but it's fair to budget just a few hours to a half a day too depending on how much playtime you want to give them. The games area is fun too. They have bowling, giant dominos, checkers, and corn hole. My daughter also appreciated the tiny room with miniature versions of everything. A lot of the tinkering and building stuff relied on recycled materials which you could easily find at home so the experience maybe could inspire for after visiting creative projects. I actually myself enjoyed the painting lab. Since the exhibits change from time to time I think I would come back. I understand that kids must have an accompanying adult, but when you add the non-local pricing up, it's $100 for a family with two kids. I guess everything is expensive in touristy areas like this but it does make this visit somewhat prohibitively expensive when you could, for example, visit the zoo for free. Obviously that's hard to compare and we did have a good time here but that might be my one hesitation.