Providence Children's Museum

Excellent experience with plenty of highly interactive exhibits and play areas. Our 8 and 10 year old kids both had lots of fun. Basic tickets are $17 which is pricey for the whole family but several discounts are available for active duty military, students, etc. Parking on site is limited and difficult to navigate but metered parking is available on streets nearby.

We visited with two adults and two kids - tickets came to $64, which felt a bit pricey since we only had about 45 minutes before closing. That said, the museum is really well-designed with tons of fun, hands-on activities for kids. The water room was definitely the highlight! Our kids could’ve stayed there for hours! The upstairs area also has plenty to explore and learn from. Overall, it’s a great spot for families, especially if you have more time to spend. I just wish the admission were a little more affordable for short visits.

What a great place! Friends recommended to us and was a great way to spend a few hours getting out of the house! My son loved the water play area especially. Highly recommend getting library or discounted passes where available though as it cut tge cost of admission in half

Plenty of sectioned spaces for toddlers and young children to explore including markets, historical village exhibit, treehouse with a slide, water zone and a reading nook. Would return with the little one.

This place is what dreams are made of. Slow down and enjoy each activity. It'll bring out the child in you while you transform your little cyber child into a creator. Thank you for the many wonderful, crafty ideas!

Fun and engaging kids musuem and well worth the visit. individual areas are fun and engaging for the kids but not as big as expected. About 1 to 2 solid hours of fun is what i would expect from any visit.

Nice little children's museum. We've been to children's museums all over the country and this is pretty standard. Smaller but they utilize the space well. My son appreciated the amount of puzzles and building opportunities that were available, along with the free-play/imagination space.

It’s a nice children’s museum and it is clean inside. It is popular and a lot of children inside, the parking is limited and not much left to park. The staff are very nice and keep this museum safe and comfortable, there are a lot to play . Including the water area, historical area, scientific area, etc. it’s a good place to stop and let the children to play around 1 hour.

We had a wonderful visit to the Museum and would definitely recommend it for families with young kids. There are tons of interactive exhibits including water play, climbing structures, pretend play areas, and building activities--that kept my toddler engaged the entire time. One of the highlights for us was the special area just for ages 0-4. It's such a thoughtful addition because it gives younger children their own safe space to crawl, climb, and play without being overwhelmed by the bigger kids. My toddler loved it, and as a parent, I appreciated that it was clean, well-designed, and developmentally appropriate. The superspace jumbo magnets were another hit amongst kids and adults alike. The parents got so invested into it and were building tunnels for the kiddos. Great fun for us too! Overall the space is very thoughtfully designed, and you can tell the staff really care about creating an engaging environment. They have a new craft activity everyday as well. Everything felt safe, clean, and inviting. It's easy to spend a few hours here without the kids getting bored. Another bonus is that the museum is in a great spot--there are a few restaurants within a block or two, which made it perfect to grab lunch right after all the fun.

What a great place! Friends recommended to us and was a great way to spend a few hours getting out of the house! My son loved the water play area especially. Highly recommend getting library or discounted passes where available though as it cut tge cost of admission in half

The museum is cute, but my kid is quickly outgrowing it. It's pretty small and the exhibits do not seem to change very much from visit to visit. The craft room always has a new activity, but these often aren't that engaging. We received a membership for a gift last year, and I don't think I will be re-upping because it's just feeling a little stale. I wish there were more community events on site and that the team was more engaging, especially in the craft/activity room. It's a fun place for a quick visit here or there, but you don't need a membership to get the full experience.

I love spaces where kids can just be kids. The staff are so friendly and considerate with kids. I also appreciated how helpful the front desk was, my friend with a season pass (who was bringing me as a guest) got here before me and told the front desk my name and the staff member let me in right away when I told them who I was and who I was meeting. We were visiting the childrens museum on a week day and there was a school class visiting so it was quite busy but the kids were doing an excellent job of sharing the space and toys. I love that they have smocks for the water tables - so the kids only end up mildly wet. Overall, a great place and a Rhode Island staple!

This was a great experience for my 6 year old nephew. He loved the water room on the first floor. We were exceptionally grateful for the smocks, otherwise he would have been soaked. Next were the air tubes with the scarves, he had a blast guessing which would come out first (we were racing). On the second floor, he enjoyed all the rooms with the different time periods, he climbed up and down more times than I could count. The only thing I would like to see more of would be hand sanitizer. We all had some nasty colds a few days later.

Great place a must see for any kid. The only problem is getting your kid to leave. The staff is great and most parents do a great job of taking care of their children but some don't which is annoying if your one that does. Not a big enough issue to not go here though. Great place love it.

My kids had fun but I feel that this museum is meant more for younger kids, like under the age of 6. Friendly staff and lots for the kids to do both upstairs and downstairs. We loved the big puzzle upstairs because we worked on it together as a family and was for all ages! We spent about an hour there and then we went to the park since it was such a beautiful day out!

We loved everything about this museum! It wasn't too big so our toddler had enough energy to do everything available. It was a quiet day when we went, but we enjoyed spending time outside in the caves and the open "field". Our toddler loved the water room!

I love interactive museums and this one in the Jewelry district of Providence is all about using your hands and mind ! The museum is very much geared towards toddlers and young ones until about 11 years old. There's a lot of things to see, discover and learn at this museum. The story of this museum started in the mid 1970s, when a group envisioned a lively learning center modeled on the established children's museums of Boston and Brooklyn. In June 1977, the museum opened in Pawtucket and it began welcoming excited children and curious adults. By the 1990s, the Museum had outgrown its space and its leadership began planning for expansion and relocation. They entered into a purchase agreement for a 17,000 square foot former factory building in Providence's historic Jewelry District and launched a $3 million capital campaign. The building was renovated for its new function as a learning center for children while its historic character was preserved. Museum designers and educators created 8,000 square feet of new interactive exhibits. In October 1997, the renamed Providence Children's Museum opened its new quarters at 100 South Street. With its move to the Jewelry District, the Museum tripled its physical space and audience numbers. I enjoyed my time here, with many areas for reading books (in English as well as other languages), learning about the history of four immigrant children and their ancestors, touching exhibits, learning about water and its positive force, etc....It is smaller than other Children's museums I have been, but still a great place for those in the area to bring their young ones.... There's free parking right next to the main entrance.

Wow, memories. So much has changed from when I was little. This place still has the same amount of space, and it seems as though they cater to all ethnicities and I love that. I brought my niece with me and she had a blast. They have an indoor and outdoor area, equally both fun. She's 5, and it was the perfect age for her. There was educational stuff, just fun and a lot of running around. The water area was fun and interesting learning how to build and learning about water. There was a lot of things to do here like dress up from past time. And they even had an area just for the younger kids with slides, it reminded me of a forest, I even read her a book there. There's just so much to do. If you have EBT you get a discounted rate so take advantage of that. But otherwise I would give it a go. People do wait at the door for it to open, so be mindful of that. But you and the kiddos will enjoy. Everything seemed clean, they are employees around to ask questions. Oh, and they have coat racks and lockers you pay for to store your stuff.

There's a free parking lot that fills up quick. We needed to find street parking a block away that was metered. We went on a weekday during the summer and it was packed. There wasn't a lot of space to move around and it felt like there should have been a lower cap on how many people there should be. The museum isn't very big. It's two floors but a lot of the first floor is office space. It feels squashed though. There's not a lot of open area so everything is packed in. I like that there's a space for art projects to be done. And a specific toddler area. A lot of adults didn't pay attention to the littles running around which was frustrating when in a children's museum. Our kiddo definitely had fun and enjoyed the different exhibits but especially the giant lite brite. We only spent about an hour there but we'd probably go back on a day we think it won't be as busy.

A great time filled with fun and information! We really enjoyed the art and interactivity. I wish we could return. We were also greeted by friendly staff who were very accommodating and kind.

This is a great museum for toddlers. I went during the week so it was not very busy. Parking was a breeze, and my almost two year old stayed occupied for almost two hours! We traveled from Massachusetts to visit, and we would gladly make the trip again. It was much less overwhelming than the Boston Children's Museum.

My toddler loves coming here, my only reason for not 5 stars is that it's $$$. It is $16 per person, that includes adults. So it can get expensive quick even for a family of 4. The adults can't actually climb or go into most of the areas so I think there should be a different charge for adults. Especially since you can only play for 3.5 hours max as they close 1230-130 so you need to either choose morning or afternoon session. Other than that, the stand out area is the water room. What kid doesn't love it! And they have really good aprons so your child doesn't get wet and they're constantly cleaning the floor so there's no slip issues. Upstairs is a small playground area for kids under 4, so far that is where we spend most our time. It tired my kiddo out and it's a fun way to spend a morning!

Great kids museum for young ones. Not a ton to do for probably over each seven. They do shut daily between 1230 and 130 which can be tough. On a rainy or cold day it will get really busy, but there are lots of areas to play and staff constantly enforcing rules. Overall great museum but a bit pricey! From memorial Day to Labor Day free admission for military families normally two dollars up to five people with ID, also discounts for ebt holders

My daughter loved the Boston Children's Museum, so we promised to take her to the one in Providence. Unfortunately, this museum is a LOT smaller, with limited activities. We went on a Tuesday morning assuming it would be less crowded, but surprisingly, the parking lot was full and the museum was occupied with quite a number of kids and parents. There was barely any space for me to walk and stand around indoors with a stroller, so I couldn't tour the museum alongside my husband and daughter (not that there was much to see). The space was uncomfortably tight. Moreover, I had set aside about 2 hours for the museum, but my daughter was done in a little more than 1, which says a lot. We're glad to have checked off this children's museum off the list but likely will not return.

I have to admit I was very apprehensive due to both COVID and because my amazing son is disabled and I'm not always sure how welcoming an environment will be for him. On both notes, PCM has completely wow'ed me over. The anti-Covid check-in process is amazingly easy, compliant, fast, and disability-welcoming (the fact that they have two options for temperature checks really amazed me and made things that much easier for us). Staff is consistently monitoring cleanliness as well as capacity in key areas. It's the most impressive anti-Covid response I've seen thus far. What they're doing should be used a model in the future. On the disability note, I couldn't ask for a more friendly staff. I was worried because my son is just a little older than the usual age but we've been made to feel VERY comfortable and like we are welcome. Staff has even gone out of their way to offer extra masks should they be needed due to wetness in the water room -- and they have worked to engage our kiddo and relate to, and interact, with him personally rather than just through us. That's so awesome and rare. My only wishes, and these are maybe a little in-a-perfect-world of me, are for one table station upstairs that requires less fine motor skills and not as much executive cognition and larger smocks for the water room. Due to COVID protocols etc, I haven't asked if there is a quiet space available should we need it -- but there is so many staff available that I can't see that being an issue. Seriously, what an amazing place doing all the right things.

This place is fun! Great place for kids of all ages. There is a locker room upon entrance (with a small fee) to leave your things and bathrooms on first floor. Large room dedicated to water table activity and other water games (apron provided, bring appropriate shoes as floor does get wet). Upstairs is just as fun and overall educational. A great way to spend a few hours!

Visit Date: May 25, 2018 This children's museum is so awesome. Our son loved it. He loves water so when we found the water room he was in heaven. He ran around touching the water, throwing balls into the water, sticking his hands in it and all he wanted to do was play with the water. We eventually coerced him into other parts of the museum which he liked but he wanted to go back to the water. We took a photo on what we called the big booby couch, it was a couch that was draped in clothes & foam to look like a very big lady. We ended the visit back at the water and now our two year old keeps saying "children's museum" and "waterfall" because he wants to go back.

I love coming here with my toddler who loves to explore the different toys and exhibits.

What a sweet place. I spent three hours with my 3 1/2 grandchild enjoying his exploration of the many areas in the museum. When we first arrived the entrance was somewhat crowded, we spent a short while playing with the spinning animal puzzles and then went upstairs. The ramp was lined with the fun mouse rooms, as a dollhouse maker I enjoyed the quirky rooms and my grandchild enjoyed them at his level. On the second floor there's a special space for four year olds and younger. The gated space is monitored for age appropriateness. Inside are a treehouse and cave. My grandchild really enjoyed the space and as I sat and watched his imagination ran wild. At one point he was "swimming" in the steam that ran through the floor. Later we moved to a room with magnets as the focus. He fished and solved mazes with magnets. This experience spilled over into more exploration at home after our visit. The sailing ship was a great hit. When we had exploded the top floor and were heading home,my grandchild kept saying he wanted to play with the fluffy balls....the air vacuum system on the first floor. When I understood he spent twenty minutes following the movement of his yarn ball through the clear pipes. There is much more that we experienced, definitely a great way to spend the day. We will be back!

This place is a hoot! Our children love coming to visit. The staff here are very friendly and helpful. There is free parking in the adjacent parking lot, which can get filled up on weekends. If you have young children, this has to be a place that you check out!

Came here for the first time in many, many years! Last time I was here, I was in middle school and now I'm 35 - anyway, we figured we would check it out with our toddler (18 months) which was her first time. It's a bit different than I remember but still very neat! I love that it's fun for a variety of ages. My daughter didn't know half of what she was playing with or touching/seeing but at least she was exploring and discovering! There's also a great area geared towards children under 4 that's gated in and has sort of a forest theme. One other plus side of our visit was that it was Bank of America weekend which the front desk mentioned to us first timers so upon showing our card, we didn't have to pay for us, just our daughter. I'm glad that there were two of us adults and would definitely go back with two adults as it's easy to load a rambunctious little tot in the mix of all of the parents and other children running in and out of rooms.

I came here with my friend and her son for some fun. I think I had something different in my head. The museum is in a gorgeous brick building, like most of gorgeous providence. The museum is big but not really up to date. Everything for the kids is kind of out dated and not really new. If you don't want to get sick don't come here because it's like Germ a palooza. The bathrooms were horrendous. You would think with the amount of staff walking around one of them would take a stab at the bathroom. I didn't even want my Godson going in there but we had no choice. I didn't even want to touch the sink handle that's how bad it was. My Godson has fun in the water room which I found cool too. The look on his face made the trip worth it. They had different rooms for the kids with only one way in and out. So that's peaceful on the parents mind. They had plenty of things to climb up and slides to go down on. I wouldn't run back to it with my Godson but I'm glad we did it. They have discounts so ask at the desk. For $9 with no discount it was still worth the experience. My only advice is if you have that many staff on they should be cleaning too. I was there for two hours and didn't see the staff clean anything or check the bathrooms.

Great Children's Museum! Perfect for children from toddlers and older. Ideal place for wintertime weekends, but gets VERY busy & there is limited parking, so get there early to get a spot.

Every city needs an awesome children's museum, and this one does not dissapoint. It is also FREE for military and is apart of the ASTC program, so if you are a member elsewhere, it is free. Just check the astc website. Where to begin? Downstairs is the water room. which is massive. With 3 large water tables, there is plenty of room to play on crowded days. My littles personal favorite was the water tornado that was spitting out all of the toys she was plopping in. There are various sizes of waterproof aprons to wear, and two hand drying machines (no paper towels, I'm cool with that though) to make surr you don't leace soaking wet. Upstairs has a maze of rooms with fin things to explore and build...we headed over to the 5 and under caged area for most of the time where there were was a slide, climbing tree, a little rocking boat, and a few other things to keep toddlers entertained. I cant wait to go back with the older kid, will add more after he has had a chance to have some fun as well.

The museum and staff were fine. The problem was that they allow too many visitors entry at one time. Therefore the exhibits were crowded and the children in our group did not get a chance to enjoy them.

Even if you have to pay, or have your kid's grandmother pay, this museum is well worth the price of admission. The little one LOVED it. And unlike a lot of other kid centric attractions, it was not too overwhelming. The scale was right on, and there was plenty for him to do. And in the 3 hours we were there, he got to do most of it. My personal favorites were playing in the water room and on the outside percussion sculpture. The kiddo really loved the crane, steamroller, store, boat, water room, and animal hospital. He could have stayed forever. But I was getting a bit tired of the repetition of exhibits after a few hours. Still, I have a funny feeling, this place is going to be a de facto mandate every time we roll into town. Next time though I may leave the kiddo with his grandmother, and work on my drum solo outside in the playground.

My toddler loves this place! However, it is now August 2022 and children two and up still have to wear a mask. This is a total bummer as it is very very challenging to get a two year old to wear a mask. Please drop the mask mandate or raise the age for mandatory masks!

Great spot for kids. Tons of hands-on activities. Lots of room for imaginations to run wild while touching, seeing, and even smelling. While nannying for a 7 and 9 year old, the "water room" was a hit. The kids get to put on little smocks to keep their clothes from getting wet as they play. There is plenty to see and do. A great rainy day activity to fill up a few hours. Definitely worth the trip.

Last time I went to the province children's museum at first I was like ew but when I got inside I was shocked to see so many people and toys best place ever everyone should go there.

A great learning resource, my son had a blast here on our first visit. He's 3 1/2 and I felt like this place was a perfect fit for his age. He loves building and imaginary play, and it's pretty much everywhere you turn in place. We especially liked the Iway construction area, water table room, the tubes, and outdoor play area with ant tunnels. We spent about three hours here and while I was exhausted , we experienced a fraction of what it has to offer. We'll definitely be back. I also learned from staff that hours are extended on Fridays in the summer and free 5-8pm. Note: There is also an area specifically for the four and under crowd. It's designed well, but a little germy. If you don't mind getting your baby sick then go for it! I won't deduct stars from my review!

What a great place! My aunt took my 3yo here for a day when the weather wasn't so great. They have endless amounts of amazing tactile fun great for toddlers all the way through early school age. The water stations were great, my son loved playing with the ice! I love how so much of the museum focuses on tactile experiences, and learning through building. They also have smaller rooms upstairs that bring you through different historical periods making it playful and fun and educational all at the same time. The outdoor area was fun as my son was able to crawl around different tunnels and explore in new ways. Parking was confusing and a total pain, but that's all part of it being in the city. You can inevitably find street parking and it's not too bad of a walk.

This place cost $12/person (over 1yr age). We did however get a discount of $2 for checking in on Yelp!! My wife actually found this place on Yelp and wanted to break up our drive and let the kids run around, so I just went with it. It turned out to be way better than I expected. They have a huge water play area that was pretty cool & gave me a chance to do a couple science experiments with my older daughter. We even discussed why it's a bad idea to flush toys down the toilet & that discussion alone could save me hundreds in the future. They have a second floor full of interactive play books with ships and stores and different jobs. Our kids usually fly through museums but we spent more than 2 hours inside before they wanted to run around in the outdoor area. Outside they have "underground" tunnels under the building. They also have a huge climbing area and a small mud play area. The mud looked like fun but my kids luckily weren't interested because we still have a few hours of driving to do & that wasn't something we landed to deal with in the car. They do not allow outside food at this location but, we had just eaten so for us that was not a problem.

Great museum. Not so large as to be overwhelming. Interesting exhibits. Children become immersed.. Healthy mix of science and history and diversity. Children will be ready for a nap after this We came on a Sunday in June is not too crowded. Easy to reach not far from the highway. This is

This really is a cute museum for the kids. To me this is just the right size, not too big and not too small. It has two floors with plenty of Activites for the kids to explore. They also have a very nice water room and outside play area. They are located right off the highway and unfortunately have a very small parking lot. This place gets packed fast so I recommend coming as soon as it opens. It's always clean for being a place for kids (my thoughts always : germs germs germs). Really enjoy this place.

While visiting family in Rhode Island we needed a fun place to take my nieces who just turned 3. It was super cold outside and there was snow on the ground so we needed an indoor spot to keep them busy. The Children's Museum was just the place. My sister, her husband, my twin nieces and I arrived around 11 on a Friday morning. When we arrived the place was packed and there wasn't much parking available. Lucky for us we spotted someone leaving and so we waited patiently for the spot. Since we were from out of town we didn't know any other parking lots available to use for the museum so we wanted to play it safe and park in their lot. So glad it was free to park! We made it inside and the girls wanted to play immediately. My sister paid for all of us while I ran with my nieces to the play room. It was nice to be able to move so freely inside (at first). By the time we made it to the 2nd level it was packed and very hard to find a safe place to play without knocking into other adults and/or children. I guess everyone had the same idea we had to play inside. Thankfully there were some cool spots we found to allow the girls to sit and play and then they were able to run in circles between the exhibits. I know they had a good time running around. We learned about the history of Rhode Island and even got to read about and listen to stories about the first settlers. It was a nice history lesson for the adults...the girls just wanted to throw things and make noise. it was perfect. The best part about the museum??? The playground area indoors that was for 4 and under only. My nieces had a great time in that area just sliding, running through caves, and playing with the toys. I think having that playground is a perfect addition for any museum. We even found a play room where we could play with lincoln logs and other toys at tables. It was less crowded in the play area which we all liked. After being upstairs we made our way back down to the main area. The best part about this area???? The giant light bright! Seriously-just like when I was a kid-I loved it. We had a nice time playing with the colors. Not sure if the girls enjoyed it as much as my sister and I did...but they were having a good time handing us the pegs and telling us what to do with them. It was fun. I think we stayed at the museum for about 3 hours and it really did help the girls get their energy out. They loved running and playing. It was a good spot for everyone.

Cute, decently cheap and fun. :) Often referred to colloquially by kids as "the toy museum"... there's not a *ton* to do here but what there is to do is quite engaging and stimulating. Makes for a nice little afternoon out with whatever gaggle of kiddos you're in charge of.

Super friendly staff that start from the entrance- my daughter had such a nice time Vivian (another great staff member) managed to to a great job with her on the measurement station All in all great time that involved fun

Awesome museum! One of the best I've seen so far. Located in the industrial Jewelry district, the old brick factory building added some charm in itself. Great interactive divided play areas for all ages. I felt like a kid there myself. Especially, we loved Discovery Studio and Water works which were imaginative, yet entertaining for kids of all ages. Also, the outdoor climbing sculpture is not to be missed. My 3 yr old climbed almost to the top and was very involved. That was a highlight of our visit to Providence.

What a cute place to take the kids. We stopped here on on our way to cape cod to give our toddler a break from being in the car. He had so much fun at the various play stations. Cons: The parking lot is a little on the small side, so be prepared to park on the street. ::it's metered parking on the street:: It was very busy ::which makes sense as it was pouring:: so I would have assumed that they would have more then one person available to purchase tickets. We had to wait a while to even get in Prices are $12 for adults and any child over 12months. Pros: right off the highway Interactive and engaging for children of all age groups There is a small section for children specifically ages 4 and under You can bring outside food in and have lunch there.

Wonderful museum for families. Being from out of town, this was a great place with incredible artistic and STEM activities. Has an outdoor park that is pretty cool. Bring your own snacks, lunch and/or coffee.

My daughter absolutely loved this museum. My husband was in the are for work, from Dallas, so we had some time to kill. I expected to be here for maybe an hour or so before we were ready to leave. We stayed for three hours and were busy the entire time. My three year old had the time of her life. There is something here for kids of all ages. Great place for a field trip as there is a lot of history as well.

This is my favorite indoor play place to take my kids. We go to this place a few times a month. There are lots of fun activities for children ages 3 and up. They were very intentional about designing every station to make it fun and educational for Children and their parents! Kids learn new things using all types of learning styles. They recently remodeled some parts and it's even better than before. Our favorite room is the water area, please check it out! This place is perfect I have no complaints.

This was our first time coming to the place and there was so many activities for all ages. They even had a designated spot inside for children 4 and under.

I take my nephews every once and a while as they immensely love it here. The staff is very friendly and accommodating. The activities at the museum can be easily modified on the spot to meet the needs of any child. Big hits are water works, the construction exhibit and the outside garden. What really stood out for us at Providence was the water exhibit! Multiple employees interacted with us in a genuine manner and did minor maintenance throughout the day.

I love love love this Museum!! Small but a LOT to do.. good for all ages but youre really getting all the activities in for 5+. Prices are decent. Cant wait to go back.

Cool place for our three kids. They enjoyed several hours of fun. They also learned quite a few things as well which is always a plus. Our kids are 4 to 8 and they enjoyed it. If your kids are over 8 it might not be as fun.

Fun for small kids. They have a great water room with whirlpools, waterfalls and fog! Lots of toys to float, pipe water and build dams. The pirate ship is great and there's an imitation masonry/brick room that my four year old grandson loves. His favorite exhibit is, sadly, only available rarely. (Hence, the four stars.) It's the "Imagination Playground" which consists of huge blue foam blocks for stacking and building. I'm not sure why access to it is rare. We'd probably go more often if it were available more. In general though the price is good @ $12 per person (there are library passes and specials too.) Parking is free, close and easy. There are several (maybe all?) family bathrooms; not the usual stalls and rows of sinks which don't work well with little ones. It's a great place to hang out for a few hours and play on a rainy or snowy day.