Nathan R.
Yelp
Very nice place. I visited on the last day of their Christmas exhibit with my family (two kids, one and three, and two adults). The big attraction was the model train exhibit. If you have a young child who's into trains, this is not to be missed. It's in a big, dimly-lit room on the second floor, maybe 40'x25' or so, with a massive, complex track that fills up most of the space. It's full of unbelievable details but still, I think, completely hand-built by hobbyists. (Someone even made a miniature drive-in theater using the screen from a portable DVD player.) And yes, they have Thomas the Tank Engine, not to mention Mavis, Gordon, Toby, Percy, and (I think) James. (That's right, my son loves Thomas.)
There's a fair amount of other stuff that's appropriate for young children. Some of the Wyeth collection, which is truly spectacular and gives you a sense of the range of the family's work over the generations, can actually be appreciated by little kids (there are some full-face portraits of young people and plenty of images of animals). There are also some engaging craft exhibits. The other seasonal display is a massive Victorian dollhouse and a large winter diorama made up of old dolls. Other kids might have loved this stuff but my son only had eyes for the trains. If you are bringing a kid to see the trains and you want to see anything else too, look at the other stuff first.
The setting, the building, and the grounds are gorgeous. Save a little time for a stroll around the parkway.
$8 for adults, free for kids under six. Easy to get to from Rte. 1.