KidsQuest Children's Museum — Attraction in Bellevue

-1 star for parking, and an overly technical play structure compared to Imagine Children’s museum and the Children’s museum in Tacoma. Also the outdoor area is not covered and feels like an after thought. Like they just threw some stuff out there for the kids to do and that’s it. While Imagine Museum in Everett goes above and beyond with a rooftop play ground and more.

Kids Quest is built out beautifully but they really dropped the ball on the play structure. Not only is it difficult for younger kids to climb up to the top, but it is also very difficult for a parent to retrieve their child should they get stuck or be stubborn and not be ready to go when it’s time to go. There is also a part on the very bottom where kids can get stuck in and be afraid to come out because the step down is a little high.

Other children’s museum do a much better job at providing a play structure for kids to use to work on their motor-skills and coordination.

Now for the positives, they have a water table section, a wood working/craft room, an art room, a toddler section up stairs that is gated, a reading area with a treehouse, a farm exhibit, a play table with trains and tracks, a semi truck and shipping exhibit and a very unique Bee hive exhibit.

The Bee hive exhibit is a rooftop bee hive with a window to be able to see inside the hive from inside the museum. It is really neat. There is a small hole at the bottom for you to put your ear to and you can hear them buzzing! I really appreciate this part of the exhibit. Educating the future generations about bees is crucial for our ecosystem. Without bees, there is no pollination of crops. The presence or lack of bees on this planet has a direct influence on our food supply.

So bravo for that part kids quest, teaching the littles about bees is very important.

Kids Quest is worth a visit despite my criticisms. They just need to slightly remodel the...

I used to love visiting this place, but recently, it seems like hygiene management has deteriorated.

When I visited on a weekend morning, there weren’t many people, and we only stayed for an hour. However, after my child took a nap, I noticed that their eyes had turned red.

We went to urgent care, and the doctor diagnosed my child with conjunctivitis.

Since we arrived right at opening time, proper cleaning and disinfection from the previous night should have prevented any major issues. However, it didn’t seem like thorough cleaning or sanitization had been done—just basic tidying up and organizing.

If my child had caught a cold, I would understand, as this is a public space. But developing conjunctivitis raises concerns about the hygiene standards here. I hope this can be addressed to ensure a cleaner and safer environment for children.

UPDATE: Thank you for replying to my review.

You’re right, conjunctivitis could have had an incubation period. I was also concerned about this, so I reached out to the people we had met over the past week, and fortunately, no one else got sick. Over the past week, my spouse did the grocery shopping, and my child’s schedule was consistent, which led me to believe that the infection most likely originated from Kid’s Quest.

Additionally, I was informed by a doctor that strong chlorine or contaminated water can irritate the eyes and cause conjunctivitis symptoms to appear more quickly. Since a lot of water splashed around during playtime—enough to soak my child’s head—I believe there was a high chance of infection.

I understand that infections can occur in any environment with many children. As long as Kid’s Quest is confident in its sanitation practices, there shouldn’t...

We renewed our membership for the year after spending tons of hours in this museum. It may not be big in square footage, but it is very dense in fun activities! They rotate table top activities for the older kids. There's a small fridge at the gift shop where you can buy food and drinks, in case you forgot yours. Chairs and tables are available to eat your own snacks.

The water room is always fun!! There's also an outdoor area for sand, sticks and stone play and huge foam blocks that would occupy bigger kids. My son has been coming here since he was 3, and though the membership is a bit pricey compared to other museums, the quality is top notch.

Other children's museums in the country are larger and have more things to do, however, I can't fault this museum for having less due to the price of square footage in the area. Overall, I think they did a great job maximizing every inch of space in this building. Prices are reasonable. Cleanliness is observed. Lastly, the parents who accompany their kids actually LOOK AFTER their kids. These days, a lot of parents leave children like wild animals in a safari, but here, kids are provided guidance by like-minded parents. Attempts will be made to let kids be decent little humans. This, I believe, makes the museum one of the best museums in the Seattle area. Sometimes, it's not just the place, it's the people who visit the place that makes a difference.

Oh yeah, big con, the parking lot is small so plan accordingly on weekends and school breaks.

Update: starting Sept 2024, parking now...