Niantic Children's Museum

A sweet and happy place for children to play. The staff member, Rachel, was super friendly and helpful. She answered all our questions and engaged the kids in conversation. We had a wonderful time and highly recommend this place for families with children.

My daughter (2 years old) and I went a few months ago. It was so fun, alot of things to do there. The small size is great and not overwhelming. The out door play area was great as well.

Nice play area for kids. It is a little bit smaller than I expected. They do a free day on the 3ed Friday of the month. Get your tickets early. They have a inside and outside play areas. Cool science stuff like the indoor/outdoor bee hive. The outdoor foam blocks were fun.

We used library passes to get inside so entry was free. There is a lot to do here for kids ages 2-8. My daughter is 8 and she was almost to big for the activities. Pack your lunch and drinks. They have drinks there but you need to have a minimum purchase with card. Staff is friendly and the place is clean. There are outside and inside activities available. Also, a place for just the little crawling babies.

Love the children’s museum. My grandparents used to bring me here when I was a kid 30 years ago and now I’m happy to say I’m bringing my own. The place is really wholesome and special. They are always moving things around and adding new fun things for the kids.

Took my kiddos to this spot on vacation. Few different rooms for kids to play in. They do have various age rooms. Kids had fun in all of them. One of the area are for older kids that you can do crafts (making bumble bee) and arts. The surprise thing was their beehive that you can actually watch them in their nest. Also they have an outdoor playground. It's not very upkept but still usable. Few parking spots in their side street was a bonus. 10/10 will go back again if we visit the area.

We went here for the first time a little over a year ago and visited again this week. Toys and exhibits were pretty much the same. $12 p/person for entry. Honestly, the toys and play stations were a little long in the tooth, especially the room where a game is projected onto the floor and the kids jump on numbers or aliens or whatever the game may be. It didn't even work. If you've never been before, it's probably a good thing to do on a rainy day. Other than that, really nothing special.

It’s a nice place, with few interesting activities for children. But compared to Kidcity Children’s Museum in Middletown, it’s much less impressive. Kidcity is by far a much larger, more interesting, and more beautiful place, with many areas to explore and learn from, at a price similar to Niantic.We have been a bit disappointed.

What a nice place for kids. This wonderful place has a lot to offer for the children and families. The museum offers outdoor activities but because of the weather today was closed. The museum also offers a place to celebrate any birthday parties. Place was very clean and the bathroom is equipped with changing table. Definitely if you have kids and need to entertain them for a while go check this place in Niantic.

The older woman running the front desk on 10/9 was about as icy and rude as you could get. Not helpful. Judgemental. And was almost enough to make us turn around and leave as soon as we walked in. The plush foods in the play garden are grey with grime. Nobody seems to wash any of the plush items. Overall, the concept is wonderful. But they need to choose better staff who aren't grossly cold and inattentive, and who actually take time to sanitize and help disinfect the place. And maybe be positive when you are working with children? Oh, and Bring cash if you plan to spend less than $10.

Great place for the kiddos . Like that, there is a smaller room and a much larger crazier room and then the outside as well. We went for a bday party but thought that it was pretty fantastic for an any day activity. Kiddos loved the boat and climbing around ... my little one did fall off the steep stairs for the light house on the way down, so parents need to supervise closely. I'd go back !

We took our son here while in the area and he had fun. It's definitely worth going to if in the area. Sadly we didn't get to check out the outside area which seemed fun too.

Great place for toddlers and young children IF you can find a space to park. Parking is horrible.

Very small, overcrowded. Toys were in poor condition & dirty. All the parents looked miserable being there to be honest. Advertised as a museum, but more of a small activity center. Not worth driving to it if you're more than 30 minutes away.

First of all it is way too expensive for adults and children over 12 months at $12 each for such a small place. The receptionist was a little rude at check-in. The place was extremely crowded as they don't limit the amount of people in at a time. It needs to be refreshed as a lot of the activities are old and outdated. Our two-year old grandkids had fun but I would not recommend it to ages above that.

Horrible customer service. Complete waste of money and time. Free would be overpaying. Large woman behind desk was too busy stuffing face to attend to people. Will never recommend. Zero educational or cultural value for kids. Stay away if your child requires more than a silly air ma home to keep them entertained.

Love this place! My son is ten months old and I love watching him explore and play here. So many different sensory experiences and play areas. He had a blast! Very reasonably priced too. We are members and I think we paid $100 for the year. My only issue is that sometimes there are older kids in the infant section but it's okay. Parents do a great job ensuring that their kiddos are gently with my baby. Sometimes it's a little crowded. Especially on rainy Saturdays.

Yes it's a small town children's museum, but when the beach is too much or the weather isn't working, this place is an absolute treat! Our 2 and 4 year olds went and had an absolute blast.

My son loved it here! Especially the fire truck and outdoor area. We also enjoyed the live animal exhibits.

Took my granddaughters and they had a fantastic, in fact they wanted to go back the next day, their ages are 4 and 2, it was perfect for them. We spent close to 3 hours in the two areas along with the outside. Perfect place for such a reasonable price.

My 3 year old loves this place & has to be dragged out against his will. He'd give them 5 stars while I'm thinking more like 3.5 My son loves playing with all their toys here. His favorite areas inside are the restaurant & fish market. He definitely had a blast playing outside & it was tough to get him away from the bubble table. I guess the main gripe I could find with the place is that it's small. I think it's the perfect size where you're not overwhelmed. There's enough to do in a day so you don't feel like you missed out on something. Some of their exhibits are a bit worn but at the end of the day it doesn't matter much if your kids enjoy themselves. I think the normal cost is $7 per person which doesn't seem too steep considering the alternatives. They do offer different types of memberships that also include free/discounted admission into other children's museums in the country. We come from RI & plan the whole day around our visit to the museum. There's some cool stuff to do in the area (restaurants, Book Barn, beach & outlets) if you plan on making the trip.

This was a really fun place to take my 2.5 year old while in town visiting family. My son spent a lot of time playing in the room with the organ and vegetable garden. I've never seen such a cute pretend vegetable garden. There is a real wind organ for the kids to pay with as well! In the main area there are several themed play spaces. There is a cool boat, a fire department (with the front of a truck as well as a fire hydrant), a grocery store with a lot of play for variety, and a few other neat areas for the kids to use their imaginations. Since this is New England, there is a tank with a pet lobster!! I highly recommend this place for young kiddos.

Great place for my 4 year old twins birthday and 23 of their friends. The staff set up party room and okie Ty of activities for all.

This is NOT A MUSEUM. This is an indoor play space for younger kids. So if that's what you have in mind, then it's ok. They have nerve charging $8 per adult too since there's no value for adults; we're just watching our kids.

Smallest Children's museum I have been to, looks like a repurposed old church. Person at front register was a bit rude, place was over crowded, the tortoise looked like it severely needed a beak trim and it had an enclosed bee hive that seems a questionable practice.

Such a cute place for kids of all ages. Went with my 2, 7 & 9 year olds while visiting the polar express nearby. We only needed a few hours to go through the activities but the play store, light show and workshops kept the kids busy.

The little museum that tries. This museum is truly a labor of love by the volunteers that run it, and I am grateful for their efforts. This is a fun place if you have toddlers. I really do not see kids over 7 having a lot of fun here. The exhibits are imaginative, and there is a lot of hands on activities, like magnets, building, making music (outside)/ Given the fact the only other decent kids museums are about an hour away (Providence and Kid City) from Groton, this place filled a nice niche for when I did not feel like going for a long drive, but it is not too good for many repeat visits as my kids would get bored easily. They do host birthday parties so that may be fun,. Tuesday - Saturday: 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sunday: Noon - 4:30 p.m. 1st Friday of month open until 8 p.m. (Hours change slightly by season.) Tip: there is a beach within a short distance of the museum. McCook's Park Beach has a playground, as well as Hole-in-the-Wall Beach with direct access to the Niantic Bay Boardwalk!

My 1 year olds LOVE this place! There's plenty of room for them to wander, but it's not so large that one adult can't watch two children. The staff are very friendly and helpful. They are adding new exhibits currently. There is a baby room, just for kids under 3. Plenty of things to keep older kids happy, too. Come down to Niantic for the day! While you're here, check out our beaches and lovely Main Street area. You won't be disappointed.

Ok, I'm going to start off with...it's small space. But for a SAHM, it's a great place to take my toddler during the cold winter. It has just enough things to keep him entertained again and again. Since we started in the fall, we haven't taken advantage of their outdoor activities. I'll have to update my review when that happens. We've taken advantage of the toddler classes. The teacher is awesome and it's a great way for the kids to socialize, learn, and make some cute artwork. I also think the membership fee is very reasonable. And, if you have military ID, the discount is even better.

I was there yesterday with my girlfriend and our daughter. I almost decided not to go in after seeing the exterior condition of the property but our friends and their daughter were already inside so I decided to make the most of the situation. The woman at the front desk was very friendly. We stayed for about an hour and, after spending some time inspecting the premises, almost everything seemed to be in some state of disrepair through either neglect or wear and tear. It makes me sad because the organization seems to be trying but they don't seem to have the ability to keep the exhibits in good working order.

Took my 2 year old son for the first time today and he had a blast. Yes the place is a little on the small side but there's a ton for young kids to do. Well worth the membership fee to have a place to bring my toddler to play in the winter. He loved everything, the garden, toddler space, light station, organ, loved playing with the big blue blocks and I barely peeled him away from the bubble table outside. It's similar to kid city but not as big - if you've been to a kids hands on museum, (which clearly the lady who reviewed yesterday has not) I think you will enjoy the creativity that went into this place. It's cute and worth a visit

This place is AWESOME! The staff is fantastic, and my kids had the best time! Geared for kids under 6 or so, but my girls who are 6 and 8 had a phenomenal time. When you arrive, you'll see that the museum is housed in a converted house- don't let that dissaude you. The exhibits speak to kids' interests perfectly. LOVED the beehive display and the Xrays, and the playspaces. Thanks!

I went here with my son. I guess the best way to sum this visit up was.... Dirty and gross. I could only stand it one hour, and that was too long. Don't get me wrong, my son goes to a streamline daycare and I am a teacher...germs don't bother me. There should be a bit more to do... It just seems run down.

I was surprised at how small this museum was.. I have been to probably about 5 museums and have to say this was probably the smallest. There wasnt really alot to do, not alot of interaction for my 3 year old. The rooms were to simple. The nicest thing in the museum was the boat the kids could climb on, but because it was the only thing 20 kids would always be on it and it was just chaos. There was an outside area with a nicely built tree house but a little to advanced for my 3 year old.. It was $7 for each of us and we spent about two hours there wandering around.. I probably wouldnt return but it was a nice morning activity..

My kids love this place. My 3 yr old takes a few classes and he loves them. The teacher is engaging and very friendly. There isn't much to do for older kids (10+) but their science section is interesting, the bees especially. Everything is very clean and well maintained, the outdoor area is cute and kid friendly as well. A smaller place but we easily spend an hour or two here each time we come.

My 2 year old loved it! The museum kept us busy for 3 hours, no small fat for this toddler attention Spanish.

My daughter Grace loves it here! She loves dramatic play! We go here all the time. Thank you for everything !

We love this museum! It's a great place for a play date, especially if you have a membership! First Friday of every month, 4:30 to 8, is dollar night!:)

I was so disappointed!! I brought my grandson and it looks worse than it did when my daughter was young. For the price it was sad. None of the toys had batteries and there just was not a whole lot to do.

Not really sure why everything thinks this is just a place for toddlers & young children. Our bright, curious, fun-loving playful 9 year old loves this museum as well as our 3 year old. There's tons of role-playing type areas: the Mexican cantina, the ice cream cart, the boat, the Chinese area, the weather station... On the other side they have more "science"-type hands-on activities: circuits (used to be magnets), floating a ping pong ball with a hair dryer, the foam board with plastic pieces you can stick in to make a "track" for the ping pong balls, the organ, a giant light bright, microscopes, bees, etc. And outside there's a zip line, bubbles, a giant sand box, a "rickshaw"-type of thing that an adult or older sibling can pull a younger child around in, a giant xylophone, a giant drum, a huge "tree" house, a climbing wall where kids can boulder, a small playhouse... There's a small area inside for just little ones under 3 years old. There's a train table with the classic Brio trains & tracks. And the areas are always being changed. The Italy/pizza area is new. The giant light bright is new. The boulder wall outside is new. And they do hands-on activities in a separate room & you can also rent it out for a party. Our kids LOVE this place. It's just the perfect balance of things for bright, curious kids with imagination to enjoy for a few hours. I've been to other children's museums too & this one is the perfect balance of fun for the kids without overwhelming the parents. It's never packed, I never feel like I'm going to lose one of my kids if I look away for 1/2 a second - other places are so jam-packed with kids, parents, & stuff that the kids get a little "manic" at all the stuff & just end up running around like crazy trying to make sure that they do everything. Here, kids with imagination can take the time to engage in each area, everyone enjoys themselves, & no one feels overwhelmed - it's great!! But hey if you like feeling rushed, don't enjoy sitting down & watching your kids imaginations work, like jostling with other kids & parents for an inch of space, & like insanely loud, crowded places, this is not the museum for you! ;)

Great distraction for small children. There's not enough for older kids, but for 5-and under it's a very nicely kept little museum with some neat hands-on exhibits and puzzles. We loved the beehive! For the long drive with the under 5 set from NY to Cape Cod, this is a perfect spot to stop for a couple hours. Nice ice cream afterwards up the street.

It just gets better and better. We occasionally stop here on our way to grandma's house and from the time they were babies (to now ages 6 and 9), we keep finding more to explore! The zip line was an unexpected and delightful surprise on our latest visit as was the meteorologist station. Super fun for all!

Good little place to spend a couple of hours with children under 4!! Not high end, but entertaining to watch the little one walk around while her imagination runs wild!!