Nothing beats a children’s museum for hours of interactive fun with little ones! With spaces thoughtfully designed to engage kids in playful learning experiences, museums for children are such a treat to visit. We LOVE the Thinkery and are thankful to have such a gem here in Austin. But when we’re looking to venture outside of the city limits, there are a handful of children’s museums that are well worth a trip.
— McKenna Children’s Museum, New Braunfels
801 W San Antonio St
This fun children’s museum is located about an hour south of Austin in New Braunfels. The museum is designed to help children use all their senses, with exhibit areas including the Grocery Store, Hill Country Campgrounds, Wonder Shop, Destination Space, Amazing Airways, Lend-a-Hand Ranch, The Great Outdoors, Town Square, Kid’s Clinic, and Aquarium. Kids will love their outdoor water play area! Click here to check out their website for hours and admission info and to learn about special events.
— Science Mill, Johnson City
101 S Lady Bird Ln
Just an hour outside of Austin, you’ll find this terrific science museum in Johnson City. It has more than 50 interactive world-class exhibits, a 3D theater, and a huge outdoor space with an impressive kinetic sculpture. Old silos are transformed into exhibit spaces featuring things like The Fractalarium. There are also many “maker stations” where kids can play a banana piano, play with “critter bots”, or play with sand to form mountains, rivers, and lakes. The Science Mill provides hours of fun for all ages. We love it, and you can read our review here. Visit their website for information on special events.
— DoSeum, San Antonio
2800 Broadway, San Antonio
About an hour and 20 minutes from central Austin, this museum is awesome and a “must-do” in San Antonio. With three levels, 26,000 square feet of indoor exhibit space, and an additional 39,000 square feet of outdoor exhibit play space, it offers unique exhibits unlike any other children’s museum in the U.S. There’s a spy academy filled with math challenges, a huge outdoor space filled interactive exhibits and a water feature, a mini town that includes a grocery store, airport, construction zone, trolley, post office, etc. for young children to explore, and more. Plus, there are so many hands-on activities, perfect for your tinkerers. Click here for all the latest about DoSeum events as well as hours and admission info.
— Mayborn Museum, Waco
1300 S University Parks Dr
We had the best time visiting this museum on the Baylor University campus, approximately an hour and 30 minutes from Austin. If you haven’t been before, be prepared for hours of enjoyment. The Mayborn Museum features a natural science and cultural history museum with really cool walk-in dioramas including one on the Waco Mammoth Site, and exploration stations for geology, paleontology, archaeology, and natural history. Your kids will be in awe of the fossils, historic Texas homes such as a grass house, and more. In addition to the natural history exhibits, there are two floors of discovery rooms for hands-on learning for kids. Make giant bubbles, have a tea party, play dress up in clothes from cultures all over the world, see model trains, pretend to be a meteorologist, and give a weather report against a green screen. SO MUCH hands-on fun for kids. You can also check out an outdoor historic village behind the museum, located on the banks of the Brazos River. Click here for more info about this museum complex, including hours and admission fees.
— The Children’s Museum of Houston
1500 Binz St
While this one is certainly more of a distance (approximately 3 hours), it’s a great stop for anyone planning to travel in or around Houston. Known as “A Playground for Your Mind!”, The Children’s Museum of Houston is packed with 90,000 square feet of interactive exhibits including the Tot*Spot, for kids up to 35 months old, which is complete with mirrors and a ball and pillow pit. Older kids will enjoy a mini engineering workshop in Invention Convention or EcoStation, an outdoor and indoor area where kids can do leaf rubbings and collect bugs. For all the details about this museum’s exhibits, events, and admission, please click here.
What is your favorite children’s museum? Have others to suggest?
Please let us know at [email protected]
More to Check Out:
