Hands-on House, Children's Museum of Lancaster

Our children really enjoyed this 'hands on' place that is just their size! They have a nice variety of things to do from being a "doctor" to molding things with playdoh. Older children might get bored a bit quicker but can also find it interesting.

We recently visited Hands-on House, and overall, it was a mixed experience. The outside play area was fantastic — lots of space for the kids to run around and explore, and it was clearly the highlight of the trip. Fresh air, creative play stations, and a generally well-thought-out layout made it a great spot for families. The inside, however, was a different story. It felt stuffy, poorly ventilated, and honestly, kind of stinky. It made it uncomfortable to stay inside for long, which is a shame because there were some cute exhibits. A little better air circulation would go a long way. One thing that really rubbed me the wrong way: charging $10 per adult. Are you seriously making me pay $10 just to supervise my own kids? I’m not there to use the activities myself — just to make sure my kids are safe and having a good time. It feels like a cash grab and made the overall experience a lot less family-friendly than it could have been. Bottom line: Great outdoor area, disappointing indoor environment, and a questionable pricing policy.

Hands on house is basically a large indoor kid’s playground with a variety of small “hands on” activities they can do. With the use of a little imagination, there is a good amount of things to play with and experience. As you enter, there are a bunch of market/fair exhibits such as a post office, ice cream truck, vets office, etc etc for the kids to play and explore. Next there is the tech lab, with an interactive oversized piano, robotic arm, projection floor games and more. The last room, helps kids envision a construction site, with interactive exhibits. There are fake cinder blocks and bricks to move around or stack. And the piece de resistance is the amazing airways wall, where you put in a scarf on one end and you get to control the air current to make the scarf travel different paths to an exit. It is well priced for a smaller museum and a great place to be when the weather doesn’t permit you to be outside. Lastly, there appeared to be an outside playground portion too, but it was too hot outside for us to comfortably explore.

Visited Sunday 3/30/25 at 12pm, 1 hour after they opened for the day, and the last stop on our Lancaster trip. The whole experience was lackluster. The ball wall and construction crane were not working, the staff didn't feel very welcoming. I expected a lot more during my visit with their social media and website. The play lab wasn't opened. I felt like there wasnt much going on, but seems like there is potential. There was a birthday party leaving, and 1 coming in. So people obviously love the place, but I'm not sure I would recommend or return. My kiddo liked the outside area alot more, seemed more interactive then the inside area.

I went on a Friday at 4pm and left at 7pm. This was my first time visiting with my kids (1 1/2 and 3) they had a blast and honestly I did too, with them. Reminded me of my childhood. I think I went at a good time because it wasn’t packed. There were about four families there. It wasn’t packed the whole time I was there. I wasn’t told I only had “one hour” either. I was a little ehh before I went because of some reviews. Everything was clean and neat inside. I noticed workers going around to clean up and disinfect. It wasn’t hot inside either. one area that is getting fixed wasn’t available (scarf shooter) but as any other place there is always something that has to be fixed. Which didn’t bother me. I love that both the men and women bathrooms have changing areas. the women’s bathroom was very clean. The outside play area was great as well. Clean and lots of things for the kids to enjoy. Overall, the inside area was my kids favorite. I will be going again with them. This is a great place for children to be creative with their imagination and be super interactive. I recommend this place for children ages 1-6.