Brooklyn Children's Museum
4.4(3,641)4.4 out of 5 stars, 3641 reviews New York, NY
About Brooklyn Children's Museum
The Brooklyn Children's Museum offers a highly interactive experience, blending physical play areas reminiscent of a water park, beach, and climbing gym with unique urban-themed exhibits and a STEM lab. It's designed to be a full-day event, providing opportunities for learning, socialization, and hands-on exploration in a clean and spacious environment, notably without the distraction of a museum gift shop.
What parents should know
Summarized from real visitor reviews.
Best for: Families seeking a full day of diverse, interactive play and learning.Parents with autistic children looking for sensory-rich and social environments.Toddlers and young children who need a spacious, clean, and engaging place to explore.Kids interested in hands-on STEM activities and urban life themes.Indoor activity on cold or rainy days.
Why families love it
- Super interactive exhibits, often compared to a water park, beach, and climbing gym.
- Unique urban life exhibitions including model NY shops (pizza, grocery, bakery, clothing stores), a model construction site with scaffolding and foam blocks, and a model city bus.
- Engaging STEM lab with fun experiments and helpful, interactive instructors.
- Specific holiday classes and activities are offered (e.g., during Kwanzaa).
- Opportunities for developing hand-eye coordination and general learning through various activities.
- Features live performers like dancers upstairs when weather permits, and themed events in the park.
Insider tips
- Wear comfortable shoes as there is a lot of walking involved.
- Highly recommend purchasing advance tickets to avoid potential waits and delays, particularly on weekdays.
- Plan for a full day's visit (e.g., 3+ hours) to experience everything.
- Consider visiting during holidays for access to special classes and activities.
Good to know before you go
- If you expect highly modern, cutting-edge, or deeply interactive educational exhibits, especially if you have high standards from visiting many other children's museums.
- Visiting without advance tickets if you want to ensure smooth entry and avoid potential wait times.
- If your child requires detailed, technologically advanced, and contemporary learning experiences from every exhibit.
- Some exhibits are described as 'old and grungy,' lacking modern interaction and learning potential (e.g., non-working cash registers, toy food dumped in carts).
- Outdated explanatory elements, such as videos from the early 90s.
- Crowds
- Can get quite crowded, but diverse activities might spread people out, making it less noticeable.
- Value
- No specific pricing is mentioned, but reviews suggest good value for the range of activities and duration of visit for those who enjoyed it. The lack of a museum store can lead to savings by avoiding impulse toy purchases. However, one reviewer found it 'underwhelming' compared to alternatives, implying perceived poor value for those seeking more modern engagement.
- Accessibility
- Recommended for autistic children as it provides opportunities for connection, socialization, and engaging sensory experiences (water, sand, climbing).
What parents say
"The Brooklyn Children’s Museum is such an amazing experience! From the moment you walk in, everything is super interactive, packed with knowledge waiting to be discovered. It feels like a wonderful blend of a water park, a beach, and a climbing gym all rolled into one delightful adventure. I love taking my autistic children there because they genuinely enjoy trying to connect and socialize with other kids. Plus, there are plenty of opportunities for great photos and moments to learn, all while honing their hand-eye coordination skills through the various activities offered. Make sure to wear c"
5 months ago
"So fun! I went for the first time with my son the other day and we didn't get to spend much time here. We actually ended up in the toddler zone even though he's ten and we had so much fun with the sand."
2 months ago
"It’s a whole day event, it’s clean, big and spacious. I love that during kwanza holiday they has list of things to do such as classes and activities. I loved this place especially for my toddler."
a month ago
Reviews sourced from public Google data.
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