Santa Fe Children's Museum

A great place for kids to blow off steam. I went during the free hours which I appreciate. There are so many hands on activities and play sets that allow for problem solving and imagination to go wild. It appears very well maintained and the outdoor garden is well kept. Staff are friendly and facilities are clean.

My toddler LOVED this museum. It is perfect for younger kids, with a good mix of hands on and pretend play. The space is large enough to not feel cramped by all the people running around, but small and accessible enough to not be overwhelming to young ones who are more shy or easy overstimulated. We went during some free hours, but to me it would be worth the price of admission if your kids love to play and explore. My toddler never wanted to leave.

This place is small for a children's museum, but is almost better because of its size. When we visited, the outdoor area was closed for renovations (totally fine, it was broiling outside), so my son played inside. I liked that I could see almost all the areas from a central location, but did notice there was a lack of seating for adults. Definitely a place where you chase the kids around rather than hang back and relax. The staff was also super accommodating of my son's needs and, when the toddler area was slow, allowed us to play in there with the toys that are more developmentally appropriate for him even though he was technically too old to be in there. It did, however, have high ceilings and an open concept that made the noise of dozens of kids and adults reverberate. Not the most overwhelming place I have been, but definitely consider headphones if you or a family member has auditory sensitivities.

We regularly attend the children’s museum. The staff has always been very friendly . While they have a lot of really great activities, there is a lot of room for improvement. We used to love our experience here. Lately though it seems like they are taking many of the toys and activities away. For example, the cash register at the little market is gone. One of the big slides was removed and the big bubble maker was also recently removed. It seems like things are being taken away and nothing is being added. This museum could really use more gross motor activities, such as a climbing wall or ball pit. It could also really use a café! The outdoor space is beautiful. Last year they had a variety of fruits and vegetables growing, which was very engaging for the kids, but this is also currently undergoing work so there are noisy stinky vehicles driving around in the back. The plus side is that membership is very affordable... but I'd rather see prices go up so the museum would make improvements. Overall a decent place to go with kids in Santa Fe but could be much better!

Very clean and well maintained, super friendly staff and hand sanitizers on site for cleanliness and prevention. They have everything from water games to gardens & a terrarium as well as a hydroponic setup. They have multiple types of games for kids and a neat little gift shop that has a little of everything. The staff was great! Especially the newly hired woman, she was very nice and really neat to converse with!

Perfect museum for my three and a half year old boy. The inside is full of different activities for kids and it has a beautiful outside garden with play area. We could have spent all day there!

Very welcoming employees stationed regularly throughout to oversee safety/cleanup/converse. The water/bubble stations were clearly hits with everyone of all ages and had optional aprons to protect clothing. There’s something for most everyone, but I’d say the primary target audience is the 8 and under crowd. Plenty of picnic tables outside as well as an indoor family break room.

The Santa Fe Children’s Museum is absolutely fabulous, and a perfect spot for kids to explore, play, and learn. There’s a great variety of hands-on exhibits, and the dedicated toddler area is such a thoughtful touch for little ones. The outdoor space is especially wonderful, with plenty of room for open-ended play and discovery. It’s well-organized, engaging, and welcoming for families. A must-visit if you’re in Santa Fe with children!

My five year old twins who both enjoy different things had a grand time here playing inside and outside for 4 hours. They enjoyed the outside area the most with logs and the giant climbing cube, but the water tables and bubbles inside also captivated them. It was easy to see all the areas and keep eyes on them. Wasn't too busy on a Sunday.

This place is like 1/4 of the explora museum in abq. This museum has improved in its exhibits and attractions but still is very limited. They do offer discounts to military and healthcare providers. They have a little gift shop at site. Most of the activities are indoor and they remodeling the outdoor. It's somewhat crowded and limited. Staff are not that welcoming and I caught of the staff members yelling at my kids for accidentally wearing shoes in the kids aisle and were told that only babies are allowed on the gated area. Which in fact is very limited and children want to explore every aspect of a museum. Water activities are limited.

Bring a change of clothes for the kids ( and maybe adults). There are these really fun water tables where you can play for a long time changing the direction of water flow, or creating dams. On our child (4), everything above the knees was thoroughly soaked. They have an area where they demonstrate the action of pulleys - always packed with kids. Lots of locations for climbing and also an extra large Lego like block set. They were doing an interactive exhibit where they were extracting strawberry DNA. It was mind blowing. We live in the future! Great fun for kids. We spent 2 hrs there and our 4 year old would have stayed longer given the chance.

We've been to several children's museums over the last 14 years across the US. I have to say that this is one of the smallest one I've ever been to and it was a bit disappointing. The other one was in Oxnard, California (Gull Wings). This museum is geared more towards the much younger age group. I'd say that the oldest would be third grade with a majority of activities geared towards toddlers. My fifth grader was underwhelmed but we did find some things to do - the bubbles, magnetic wall to build a track, and the seat where you pull yourself up. We were bummed to see that the outdoor space was shut down for renovations but I think it'll be great once it opens up. I would recommend going when they have an event. We went when they had a fine art Friday event so my son was able to do a quick painting. They offer a military discount, which was nice. I think I'd be bummed if I had to pay full price for what they had there. Overall, it was good but again, I'd only recommend for families with really young children.

Everything in this place was broken, dilapidated, or completely closed. They had what looked like a cool water feature-- no water. Dried up art supplies. Outside was closed for construction. One accessible part outside (the Rubik's cube) had tools and open paint in it. Nothing to say it was off limits. The play areas were missing things to play with. Even the carpet is threadbare. The parents are all sitting on every available surface with few actual seats. This place could be entertaining for a toddler with low expectations.

Highly recommend! Our almost 2 year old had an amazing time (and so did we) and we spent about 2.5 hours there, which was plenty of time. The bubbles, water table and grocery store were some of her favorite activities there. Very clean and staff was extremely friendly. We went on a Thursday morning right when they opened, so it was relatively quiet. While we don't live in the area, if we did, we'd be regulars. We hope to visit again soon!

My son loved visiting here everyday during the summer + both summer camps. The director and staff are total gems. Beautiful, caring people! I feel so blessed that my son was given the opportunity to learn so much!

Very small facility with outdated or non functioning exhibits. Sorry, but I would not recommend.

This place is an absolute gem, and I can't wait to come back with my kiddos on our next trip to Santa Fe. The staff was incredibly patient and engaged with my four and two year olds. The indoor exhibits are super fun; we spent a long time at the bubble table and water zone, as well as the old fashioned toy train, which my 2 year old LOVED turning off and on. The outside is absolutely incredible -- just an amazing variety of activities and a huge amount of space. I'm so glad we were able to visit and see the inside and outside, but even if you're only comfortable outside, it's totally worth a visit. My only regret is that we didn't bring lunch with us! (Though the staff assured us that if we wanted to bring lunch next time, or just come back after lunch, we were welcome.) Getting the kids out was a bit of a challenge, but totally worth it.

I was a bit skeptical of this place because Trip Advisor had mixed reviews. But one Sunday in our 3 days stay in Santa Fe, we found ourselves with one hour to spend. So we took our kids here. My kids had a blast. I think this place had lots of interactive things for kids to do. My kids' favorite was this rectangular table, hung on ropes on four corners. There was a metal arm with a hole that you could a marker on and the marker would touch the table. You put a piece of paper on the table, shake the table and put the metal arm + marker down, then let go of the table. The movement of table would draw patterns on the paper. My 8 years old and 4 years old were fascinated by this and drew lots and lots of patterns. What a cool idea! Three stars because the lady at the cashier tried to charge us $36 for the four of us. On Mon - Sat, the entrance fee to the museum is indeed $9 for everybody over 12 months old. A bit pricey compared to other children's museum we've been. But for Sunday, it's supposed to be only $5 per person. This cashier lady actually charged the mom in front of us $18 for her and her kid. Having read the reviews from Trip Advisor, I asked the cashier if Sunday rate was $5. Only then she told me I needed to pay $20 for the four of us. Maybe it was an honest mistake. But man... what an expensive honest mistake, had I not known about it. Later on, I saw the $5 price was actually displayed behind the cashier. My advice to all parents with children: go on Sunday!

This is a great place to spend a couple of hours with your kids, whether you're locals or visiting Santa Fe. The place features a full body-size thing where you can press your body into little pins and it makes the impression on the other side. I know it sounds insane, but check out the photos posted, and you'll get what I mean. There's also freewheeling with magnets, bubbles, drawing, playing in fountains and water, face painting, a rock climbing wall, a place to bake stuff and a quiet corner for reading. There's also a full outdoor area with plants to explore, a working well and pulleys and a water wheel and a full greenhouse with earthworms and other fun stuff. It appeals to a wide range of ages too, since my son is 3, and there were definitely some older kids there too. He had a fantastic time and was able to learn some stuff too. It's a complete free-for-all and unstructured, so plan to do a bit of running around if you're with a young one. I didn't feel like the place was particularly cordoned off or supervised if you have a child wander off (know what I mean? gotta keep an eye out.) Admission for kids over 3 and adults is $8 ($4 for NM residents, $1 on Sundays,) which seems steep, but my husband read that it doesn't even come near helping them cover overhead costs, so they encourage donations. They are closed Mondays and Tuesdays, except during the summer June-Aug. where they're open Tuesdays. Definitely a great place to hit if you're in town with your kids, have dragged them all over Santa Fe to museums that have nothing to do with them (say...Georgia O'Keeffe?) and are looking to do something that's completely kid-oriented.

Here in Santa Fe on vacation with four kids - ages 9,7,5 and 2. We bought a membership so we could have the kids relax here and come and go as we wanted. Our kids never want to leave - not much more review need than that... Sure they could clean a little better and could fix some of the broken water play stuff, etc. but these are thing the adults are noticing - the kids are just busy enjoying some seriously free play in a really great environment.

Kids had fun but that isn't the only barometer. I found the place a but small and not particularly educational or incentive. I guess my expectations were too high. It's a good indoors playground. No more than two hours if entertainment.

My husband & I took our two year old here off a whim. People in the ratings say it's dirty, but it's an interactive museum and I don't think any less of it. Plus I grew up in the country, sand & water & grime don't bother me. My daughter had a blast, she loved the bubbles out of everything! My husband is a science nerd he loved it as well. I can say it's still being built up, it has so much more hidden potential! Hopefully then they can extend the time. It's Saturday and they close at 5.

My boys have a blast here every time. Wooden train sets, water tables, things to climb, hop, explore and be wild, loud and learning kids. Bubbles, lizards and a toddler play area. As locals with littles, we love it.

Love the mirror triangle and the chair lift. This place is creative and has many nifty things for little kids to try. It was perfect for my 4 year old, but probably a push for kids over 8. The bubble area is really fun, check it out!

A great place to pass some time in Santa Fe with your kids. We thought our toddler needed a break from the hiking and art galleries so we visited the museum one morning while in town. It was a great place for her to get hands-on with all sorts of activities. For $20 she was able to stack blocks, splash around on some water tables, use legos, and much more. My wife and I even found some games to make it fun for us too.

Freaking unconditional five stars! This place is a testament to the creativity of the citizens of Santa Fe. Along the walls is the most awesome insect collection I have ever seen: butterflies the size of my hand, huge and minuscule beetles, millipedes, stick bugs. There's DIY face painting, which my five-year-old used with gusto. There's a huge pile of magnetized bolts and washers that you can stack and arrange. There's a basket of cue balls that you can roll back and forth on plastic rails. I can't describe every cool, interactive gadget in the museum, but there was enough for a generous hour of entertainment and exploration. And outside they were still in the process of building a garden/play area that looked both beautiful and fun.

A great stop if you're in town with younger children. When you walk in, it appears to be a large random space, but in fact, they have a toddler section with a climbing gym, bubble machines, aquariums with fish, turtles and snakes, and a water feature that they can send little rubber ducks down. For older children there are arts and crafts, the infamous pin machine, clothings to dress up in, a kitchen set and other great features for the kids. Now it's a spendy $9.00 per person so definitely not a drive by sort of place. Make sure you're kids aren't wearing their Sunday best, and think through your exit strategy.

Went here for the second time this past weekend. $5/each is a great price, they were having a birthday party here so there was lots of excitement. Huge Bubble area: create these gigantic bubbles with their wands Water flowing area- rubber duckies, plastic boats and a tiny waterfall make this a favorite for my daugher Sun room- with everything growing in this sunny room: catnip, oregano, asparagus plant, spider plant, geraniums, taro... Aquarium with tiny fish Aquarium with pretty pink corn snake Art room with glue (it got everywhere) and bits of fabric, cardboard, and other trinkets for creating climbing cubes- clear so you can find your kid triangle mirror tent- just like it sounds NASA exhibit outside- touch a moon rock, get your picture taken in a spacesuit (well, behind a space suit with the face cut out) All in all she had a blast and after 2.5 hours wore the both of us out- nappy time! We are thinking of becoming members, it's $90 for a family for one year - I'd like to support this place, they are supposed to have lovely outdoor areas with more activities in the summertime.

Went with my youngest kids during our spring break. I thought the place was cute with a lot of interactive opportunities for playing and learning. Unfortunately the place was not very well kept and knowing these places are ran mostly by volunteers, I suppose they are lacking them. A lot of potential but needs sprucing up. At the end of the day if you need a place to go with the kids for couple of hours that will take them off their screens and give them a chance to be creative, this is a good place to br

Loved this place! It's small, but it has some really unique things for kids to do. They had a life sized bubble maker, paint-your-own-face station, stage with costumes, and a really neat outdoor area. I highly recommend this if you're visiting Santa Fe with kids.

The Santa Fe Children's museum is a great place to play around with your kids! Although they offer a variety of things to do and learn about, some of the highlights that stood out for us were: face painting station, pulley chair that allows you child to manually pull themselves up while sitting in a chair, magnet collection where you can build anything you want from magnets, large bubble station where you stand in the middle of a hoop that creates a bubble around you, and the beaded jewelry station where you can make whatever you can imagine with various beads. In addition to the activities inside there was a small area outside to run around and play. I'm not sure if you have to pay to go this section as anyone can just walk into it. Although my kids enjoyed the visit, the entrance fee for adults should be reduced. Granted, we get to play too, but almost every adult I saw was sitting on the sidelines while their children ran around. I understand they need those admission costs to keep the place running, but it was just my opinion. The interior was also much smaller than I would have expected. I kept looking for another room. I would rearrange the dress up area to add something else and expand the overall museum if it at all possible. I'm sure they are already aware of that though. If we lived in Santa Fe we would be members of the museum...a place for kids to have free rein and learn at the same time is a great thing. All in all, it was a great time and my children left with smiles on their faces.

Great little Santa fe gem. Their outdoor area is huge. Cant keep my kids away from this place.

Wonderful, amazing and inspiring place. Very hand on. The kids will love it (my newly 2 year old did!) I remember coming her myself when I was 8. Great facility and a fabulous director, Ariel! She is doing such a wonderful job engaging the children's in educational science activities. She is super friendly and terrific at her job! I highly recommend this place!

This was a great stop for hands on fun. Affordable and engaging. The museum is geared more towards toddlers, but my 8 year old and 5 year old both had a great time. Also, it's an open area so they could be at different activities and I could still see both kids!

Took the grandkids here, 3 1/2 and 1 1/2. Very clean and well maintained. Nice outdoor area and exhibits. The kids loved the water play area and the bubbles.

The museum was filthy, absolutely filthy on May 17, 2012. I brought my 14 mo old to the toddler's area and it didn't look as though it had been cleaned...ever. It smelled like mildew and dirty diaper, there were leaves and debris from outside within access to small children that are putting everything in their mouths. It was disgusting. They had a ton of staff that were seemingly doing nothing, I know it's a hippy town but with multiple exhibits dirty, out of order or broken (their water feature was not working), they should be putting them to work. There was no staff supervising parents that were not following the rules (wearing or allowing their children to walk all over the mats and play equipment w shoes on). We'll never go back.

More expensive than comparable children's museums. However, the facility of the museum was adequate for a small town and very attractive. Sadly, most of the staff appeared to feel visitors were a nuisance, especially the child visitors. There were almost too many rules to assimilate , but if you forgot, a surly staff person was there to harshly remind you. My granddaughter duly noted that people should be nice to children in a children's museum. I have never before felt that I was imposing on a museum for just existing. It was a uniquely unpleasant experience for a place that was supposed to be fun. Please note, we were very well mannered and obedient visitors, who ended up feeling like we were very unwelcome. The museum's stated mission is to build upon a child's natural sense of joy and discovery, but the actions of staff eliminated any chance of that. Who runs this place?

I took some friends here for Mother's Day and I was saddened by how poorly taken care of this place was. I really want to change my review...and I hope to do so sometime soon, since I have a little one that will eventually be old enough to visit. There were several things that weren't working, the staff looked very young and somewhat clueless and not very engaging...they were pleasant and not rude, but it looked like they had their own agendas instead of interacting with the kids. When we walked outside, one of the gates were open to a bunch of broken tables, fixtures with sharp edges that could pose as a threat to any parent that takes their eye off their kid for a second...plus, it lead to the street. Paying a cover isn't a big deal to me, I'm glad to help...however I hope they use that money to fix the many things that were broken and get the place back to better shape for the summer. Until then, I can't recommend the place. Maybe we'll volunteer or something to throw some safety ideas into the pot. I'll try back later.

Very average. A lot of the stuff does not work or needs to be cleaned or reset. And there is a lot of science projects but not a single explanation about how or why something is happening. People working there are friendly. I would bet it is better in the spring or summer.

This place is cool for very young children that don't mind that they are playing with recycled garbage. My two year old seemed to like it. I wish Sante Fe would invest in an Explora museum like Albuquerque. You won't find any high tech or any tech for that matter entertainment here. The place seems to have stopped mid construction in some areas. I guess it's really just a byproduct of the city it resides in with all it's dilapidated glory ready to underwhelm you and your family on a weekend afternoon.

Burned a good couple of hours with the toddler here. Our guy was hopping from one thing to the next with frenetic energy the whole time. He totally loved it. The magnets kept him for a little while, but never underestimate the power of running water and floating toys to fascinate a toddler for a LONG time. He really loved the whole-body bubble-making setup, too. Don't forget to take the time to wander all around the outdoor sections, too. Way cool!

This place is great! I wasn't expecting much from some of the reviews, but I found it to be very clean. The employees were helpful and friendly, and there were no ill-behaved kids around. Lots of involved parents. My favorite part was when they took Sugar the Guinea pig out for petting. My kids loved the giant blue blocks and the bubbles. If you're a germaphobe, you'll probably complain, but that'll be true everywhere you go.

I have visited kids museum all over the country. this was one of my favorites. Perfect for my three year old. Big open space with water play, ball runs, building, trains etc. Really enjoyed this museum.

The girls had a great time, the staff was super friendly. Small place, but it is always a good experience if the kids are having a good time, after a lot of "do not touch" and "quiet down" places in the area that "the adults" wanted to visit, it was great to let the "kids out to play and create". Thank you all for a great experience! And thank you Smaug for being cool about all the touching

My kids who are 11, 6, 4 and almost 2 loved this place and spent the entire afternoon exploring the outdoor area and checking out all of the interactive exhibits. It's rare to find something that keeps them all engaged and happy with such a wide range of ages, but this place exceeded my expectations. Totally recommend it.

My name is Izzy and part of my high school graduation requirement was to complete an internship of my choice during the last month of Senior year. My internship at the Children's Museum is truly an experience that I will never forget. The staff was so enthusiastic about what they were doing and the children were so excited to be there; the positivity exuding from the museum is infectious and I got bit with the bug. I really feel like I was part of something greater and that each child I worked with gained knowledge or an experience by working with me. It was so amazing to see how much a child can learn through stimulated play, and the Children's Museum really fosters creativity by allowing kids the freedom to explore. Whether you are looking at yelp to find volunteer opportunities or a place to spend quality time with your children, I would highly recommend checking out the Santa Fe Children's Museum.

I think this is less of a museum and more of an education-based play space. "Play is the highest form of research." is the motto, and that was so true! This place was hopping with children and families! Lots of indoor experiences, but definitely do not overlook going into the outdoor space! My 7 and 12 YOs loved it!! We only had about two hours, but they could've easily stayed another two.

Unfriendly staff. Dirty play area with many of the features not working properly. Adults and children are charged the same admission price of $7.50. Yup that's $7.50 for an 18month old child, needless to say the facility is way overpriced & not taken care of very well.

I have small kids and I've been to A LOT of kids museums in big cities all over the country. This was by far the best kids museum we've ever visited. It was huge and accessible. It had things for all ages. The manager put out hot cocoa and cookies for us since it was near Christmas. We loved this place. If you're in Santa Fe with kids, you should definitely make this a stop.

Plenty of things here to keep young kids busy. Bubbles, magnets, crayons, water activities, trains, building blocks, mirrors, and many other engaging activities for young children. Our plan is for both under age 5 and they enjoy it every time we visit.

I went to Santa Fe (60 miles from home) for the second time this year to take my granddaughters to the children's museum. Some of the exhibits had been rotated out for new ones, and the girls loved them. We spent two hours there and could have spent twice that amount of time because there was so much to do. I found the staff engaged, and they showed us how to do the activities we weren't familiar with. The backyard is a little rough to me, but the girls didn't notice. They had fun outside also. We'll be going back.

We took our four boys to the Childrens Museum today and it was fun for them. They enjoyed it for the few hours we were there. However we feel that being from out of state we were over charged. Not only did they charge an additional $3 per person versus the local rate, but they also charge for the adults. Other childrens' museums we've gone to have only charged for children, the ones actually playing at the facility. Other than being over charged, the facility was fun.

This place is so wonderful for kids! We love going to the Childrens museum for face painting.

This place is honestly the #1 kids destination for kids in Santa Fe. When my family comes from out of town (too often) with their kids, the first question they ask is: what's there to do for kids? I send 'em over and every time they come back giggling like fools, saying what an awesome time they had, that it was better than the other museums like it, and how they can't wait to go back. The addition a few years ago of the outdoor dirt-n-worms-stuff is pretty neat as well. The only complaint I heard was that they can get kind of crowded on Sundays, which I guess is their locals-discount day.

I live in Albuquerque in the Old Town are and often take my grandchildren to Explora which is a 5 star museum with so much to offer. We decided to visit the Santa Fe Children's Museum as I am always impressed by the cities wonderful museums. It was really a poorly designed museum, it had one big room with different small areas. One area where my granddaughters wanted to play was the puppet and dress up area. It looked like the clothes had never been washed and the puppets were so dirty and worn out that I would not let them touch them. The outside had nothing for the kids to do other than really walk around. I can't believe I spent money taking my grandkids to this museum. I would have taken them back to Mow/Wolf or stayed in Albuquerque and taken them to Explora. This museum needs to upgrade and invest in new exhibits. Take the drive and take you kids to Explora a much better value and fun for the kids.

this place hasn't been open for awhile and people say they won't because there are so many structural problems with the building and no money to repair them and it is unsafe for kids to be playing there. too bad because my grandkids will be visiting soon and I was hoping to take them but the llast time we were there my windows got smashed in the parking lot - so I would prefer to go to the zoo in Albuquerque because it is safer. lol. Maybe some new owners will tear it down and make a public park that doesn't cost 9 dollars admission.