Gilbert House Children's Museum — Attraction in Salem

When I first learned about Gilbert House, I knew it was a place that my toddler son would enjoy, and resolved to someday take him there, even though it was an hour's drive south to Salem. This last Saturday was his 2nd birthday, so I knew the time had come: it would be a perfect place to hold a party for him!

We arrived around 2pm, leaving us three hours to explore the place before it closed, and let me tell you: it wasn't enough! Although we were able to make it through just about every room in all of the houses that were open, plus spend some time in the outdoor play areas and structures, there were some places he didn't want to leave, so we had to coax him into the next room or towards the next feature, so he could experience as much as possible! And even though, by the end, it was apparent that he was totally exhausted, he still wanted to see and do more!

As it was his birthday party, we had all the other boys with us, which included a 13-year old, a 10-year old, and an 8-year old (all boys), plus my wife and I, so it wasn't the cheapest outing at around $80 for admission for everyone, but the other boys loved their time here as well! Our 13-year old tried to "play it cool" and pretend he was too old for it, but was caught on multiple occasions goofing off with the various exhibits, so it was definitely just posturing on his part. And my wife and I, kids at heart, also enjoyed several of the attractions, as well as just absorbing the joy of watching all the boys have a blast!

It was incredibly obvious that our toddler's favorite exhibits usually involved bright lights, pretty colors and music, as well as any sensory or fidgety elements and contraptions, and things/places he could climb on. The bubble shed was also a big hit, as were the ball tubes and "Plinko" board at the base of the outdoor Erector Set maze and slides.

Private rooms can be booked for birthday parties and events, which can be cost effective if you are planning on having on hosting a large group of people here, which I would highly recommend for anyone looking for a fantastic birthday venue for kids aged 2-12 (right before they start becoming moody disaffected teenagers), as well as any adults whose inner child is still intact, or capable of being reawaked in the right environment. Parking is free on the weekends, paid during business hours, but there seemed to be plenty of it, and we had no issues finding a spot. There is a also little gift shop near the entrance with toys, snacks and beverages in case of an emergency tantrum. Our son also received a little gift bag with stickers, temporary tattoos, a pin, and some bubbles, which was a nice little touch as well!

It's a shame that Gilbert House is so far from home for us, which means we probably won't come out here as often as our son would like, but I'm immensely glad it exists, and that it is engaging, educating, and exciting as it is, because I get the feeling that our son's time here will become a core memory, as the happy look on his face will do the same for his parents! Gilbert House is truly a wonderful place for kids of all ages, even ones with gray...

We’ve come here 4 times using my OMSI membership our first visit being in May. When I called the very first time back in May (which at the time of this review was only a month and a half ago) I was told the pass would cover myself, one other adult and 4 kids. This has always been the case until our 4th visit today (8/29/22) we walked in and told the person I had the usual 2 adults and 4 kids. She told me the second adult needed their ID. I said it was my membership so I went to hand her my ID. She said the membership over covers adults that are on the membership so we would have to pay. I didn’t mind paying that’s not the point of this review. The point is that I did my due diligence and called the first time to ask the policy and was told what I mentioned above (4 kids and 2 adults and only I would have to show ID proving I was the membership owner). She told me that I was wrong and basically sent us on our way. I told her this was our 4th time at the museum and this was never an issue. I just showed my ID and everyone got their wristbands. Another family saw what happened and said other people have had issues with this particular person as well.

I’m not upset, I’m just annoyed that I try and get information because it’s an hour drive from Portland and we have had 3 visits with no issues and then all of the sudden we have an issue. If both adults on the OMSI membership have to be on the membership and show ID then this needs to be clearly written on the website or a clear understanding of ALL employees so people coming from out of town don’t have to deal with this. I want to reiterate that we had 3 visits within the last month and a half where this was never an issue. It was just as the original person I spoke to on the phone said, show ID to show it’s your membership, then you, 1 UNNAMED adult and 4 kids (family or not) get in. Again not upset but the whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth. She made me feel like I was being untruthful and then when I was asking for clarification she talked to me like I was stupid. I never got the answers to the questions I asked either. I just wish the things had been more clear because I was super proactive in getting information but apparently that information was wrong now. This place isn’t worth the 1 hour drive if you have to...

Visited 3 separate times, each worse than the last. First visit was obviously fun and fine enough for a return visit, second visit was mid, but that third visit could have ended BADLY and we won’t be returning. Bringer of littles beware of the giant play structure outside, as there is NO WARNING OF ANY KIND about the straight drop that goes ALL THE WAY FROM THE TOP TO THE BOTTOM UNOBSTRUCTED AND UNMARKED. Yikes. Nightmare, waiting for someone to fall to their death. Never going back.

Overpriced, insufficient parking, located in the heart of several homeless camps. Shameful that the place is not ADA accessible by any means. There is a ramp out front, which is odd because half of everything beyond that requires a full flight of stairs to access. $16 per person ages 1 and up is steep. It pays for a huge variety of activities & for the entire day, but it’s not even accessible or safe. Another small complaint, is that only one bathroom I have seen that has a proper lock (locks higher up on the door) considering that it’s a place full of small children. How many times I walked past and saw some poor adult on the toilet while their child was able to throw the door wide open / unwilling to...