Great Lakes Children's Museum

$8 per person, regardless of age. This is a small little play place with set hours for play. They close a couple times a day to clean. We were able to walk in mid week but they suggest reservations. They still have covid rules so the toys are basically all put away and you have to ask for them at the front desk. Not very conducive to creative, child led play. Overall, it didn't feel especially welcoming for children.

We had a great time today at the Great Lakes Children's Museum. We easily reserved tickets online prior to our visit for the 12:00-2:00 pm time slot. Their sanitation and cleaning protocols are efficient and appreciated. Upon entry I immediately could tell how clean and organized everything is. So many activities for our 3 year old son to enjoy. We spent our 2 hours there easily and our son remained entertained and stimulated bouncing from activity to activity. Being a Coast Guard family, we thoroughly enjoyed the various Coast Guard stations and helicopter. Our son especially loved the flowing water table, wooden boat magnet wall, and vegetable garden. Visiting from the U.P., the museum was a great way for us to spend some time between appointments. Only wish we lived closer so we could come more often - especially during the long winter months.

Absolutely amazing children's place for both kids and parents. Plenty to occupy a baby, toddler or even an almost teen. My only suggestion would be adding some sort of discount or maybe a prize pack to parents who stay off or store their phone somewhere. Was sad to see dozens of parents glued to their phone missing out on their children.

We visited during our vacation to keep our son active during a rainy day. You can tell Tom and the team were very enthusiastic about the space and the kids. We loved how clean it was and how taking the toys to clean them in between plays was encouraged. It also was a good way to ensure fair play and that kids learned to use manners and take turns. We felt that they did a great job not over crowding their space and offering story time and crafts helped break up the time. We’d definitely recommend making a stop here next time you’re in town!

Great for kids who love imaginative play. My kids are 4 and 6 and they really enjoyed themselves with all of the imaginative play stations they have. If your kids have outgrown imaginative play they probably won’t have fun. Make sure you reserve tickets in advance! We didn’t and we’re first denied entry until a family happened to leave early. It was luck. They could improve by putting more information about maritime for parents to share with their kids at each station. At the helicopter add a short video or some interesting facts about helicopter rescues because to my kids it was just a helicopter to play with until I started to play with them a rescue. Same goes for the ship cabin area, to my kids it looked like a play kitchen not a part of a ship or boat. Add some information about who does the cooking in ships, how good is stored etc. Overall, my kids had a really good time for an hour. Admission prices were reasonable as well.