Buckeye Imagination Museum — Attraction in Mansfield

Today was my 3rd visit in a year. We are not from around the Mansfield area and make an hour trip each way to visit. With that said, my daughter who is 7, loves this place like crazy. You ask her where she wants to go on any day and she’ll say here. However, today, she left a little sad.

If you’re traveling from out of town, I don’t suggest going on Saturdays. They’re crazy busy and there’s not much room to play.

Parents-please watch your children. Yes, it’s okay to be messy, while learning, but it’s not acceptable to leave your mess for the workers to clean up. I watched the older man who works there clean up rubber wood chips from the dinosaur dig that were thrown all over the floor. Within an hour they were all over the floor. It’s borderline vandalism to me. How on earth did they get out of that exhibit? Teach your children to enjoy AND take care of the exhibits. Poor parenting and supervision. Not Buckeye Children’s Museum’s fault. I applaud the workers who continually clean up after children who leave their messes all over the place.

Also, I caution visiting on a Saturday. My daughter’s favorite exhibit is McDonald’s. She couldn’t wait to show her dad, who’s never visited, the cute drive thru McDonald’s that’s upstairs. We arrived at noon and it was booked for private parties all day. Not once could we play there. I understand the need for business, but felt it unfair for those of us who were looking forward to that. Multiple children and families were crushed to learn they couldn’t play. Not the fault of the parties. Please change your policy to after hours only, even if it means charging more.

I know my review seems negative, but I want to help those out there that travel distances to this awesome children’s museum. We’ll be back in a few weeks, but never again...

Disappointing Experience with Rude Staff and Unfair Rules

I visited Buckeye Imagination Museum with my parents, spouse, and three kids (8, 7, and 2). While the museum itself has potential, the experience was deeply disappointing due to the rude staff and rigid, unfair policies.

My 8-year-old was allowed upstairs to enjoy the real games, but my 7-year-old was denied access because he wasn’t 45 inches tall, leaving him stuck with infant and toddler games on the first floor. He was in silent tears, heartbroken to be excluded. When I tried to take him upstairs, a staff member coldly told me to either go back downstairs or leave the building with my entire family if my child couldn’t stop crying.

This treatment was unnecessarily harsh and lacked any empathy. We paid full price for everyone, yet my 7-year-old was excluded and humiliated. If you’re traveling with KIDS AGED 6-8, BEWARE: they might face exclusion and an upsetting experience if they don’t meet the height requirement.

While the museum has nice features, the staff’s Rudeness and Unpractical rules make it a place I cannot recommend.

PS: Thanks for the paper plates. I did pay full price for all totally $112. I still can’t figure out why do you charge the full amount of $16 if someone can’t use most of the museum - why is height requirement not...

I brought my 2 year old here, and she had fun. IMO, this place would be better suited for kids at least 3 years and up since they have more of an imagination at that age. Some of the things there, my daughter didn't really know what to do with since she is still kind of young. I do think they should have a rule or age cap on kids playing with things here. I saw some older girls in the areas that were at an age where I honestly didn't know if they were working there or playing with siblings. It is a loud place with most of the stations all in 1 room. So this could be overstimulating to some. We drove an hour to visit, and we were done after about 1.5 hours. They don't really have an infant/toddler area here. We are from Cleveland, so I have the Cleveland Childrens Museum to compare this to. There's no comparison. Cleveland sets the bar really high. And the price is about the same for admission. You can bring your own food and they have a snack and coffee bar where you can purchase those things. My daughter had fun, but we likely won't be back unless we are...