The New Children’s Museum — Attraction in San Diego

This is an art museum for adults masquerading as an interactive kids' museum. The emphasis is on the art not on interactive play, and the emphasis is on the artists and their vision, not your kids. It almost comes across as narcissistic. The art and artists' vision definitely matter more to this place than the fun. We brought our 3 year old but honestly I think this is relevant feedback for families with kids of any age.

TLDR: We're disappointed we wasted half a day of our family vacation here. For reference for those reading this, our kid is about 3 years old.

Some specific examples to illustrate what I mean:

There are 3 slides total in the place (that we could find). The largest goes from the 2nd story down to the 1st story and is too big for younger kids. We watched a girl that was probably 4 or 5 go down and bang her head hard at the bottom because she came in too hot. The staff at the top and bottom of the slide sat on their phones and didn't look up or say anything. The only way to access the second slide is to climb up a 4 foot tall rock wall and walk 20 feet across an enclosed room to get to the slide, which is a pain in the butt as an adult if you need to go with your kid to the top of the slide. If you want to catch your kid at the bottom you have to run 15 feet, back down the rock wall, and around the corner through a separate room to get to the bottom of the slide to catch them. The 3rd slide is in the theater area which is hidden in a dark maze. Again if you want to help your kid you have to run 15 feet around the corner through a separate room to get to the bottom of the slide to catch them.

Speaking of the theater area- it's a large exhibit with twists and turns. The whole place is dark. If you don't stay on your kid's heels you'll lose them almost instantly. There's a bunch of tiny rooms for kids to hide in, but besides the hidden slide it's basically just a dark maze for your kids to explore and get lost in, with some creepy theming to go along with it.

There's an area with some climbing ropes and tunnels, more akin to a traditional playground. Again rather than being brightly lit, there's places with intentionally dark corners and cubbies to crawl in that were also creepy and claustrophobic. If you have to keep up with your kid(s), you're allowed to crawl up there with them but the whole thing is made out of hard wood and traditional twine rope (rough to the touch and gives brush burns easily).

The toddler area "disco rainbow room" has a brunch of bright colored scarves hanging from the ceiling, a big empty carpet in a big empty room (with 15 foam cubes for them to play with I guess) and no music at all. What's the point of disco and colors if it's a big empty room and we're not even celebrating dance or having fun dancing?

Museum staff (they seemed high level like maybe director or management) were walking around giving someone a tour. They barely acknowledged the kids running around them and didn't interact with them at all. I overheard them stop in one area talking about how one of the words on the wall meant "death" in another language and about the exhibit's connection to the "other side" and the artist's loss of a loved one. That's all fine, but the whole point is that they were clearly there for their artistic vision and the kids were barely a thought. I thought it was a perfect reflection of the thread that runs through the heart of this place.

I want my kids to learn about and appreciate art. Even if it's something that doesn't click with me, I want to expose them to all kinds of new things and experiences. The thing is, an excellent kids museum should be a celebration of childhood, curiosity, and the excitement that art brings with it. This museum has its priorities backwards- it's a celebration of art by adults, for adults, with kids as an...

Best kids museum ever! I spent 3 hours here with my one year old and we could have easily spent longer.

Upstairs is a baby and toddler area with an age limit of 4 years. You can bring your stroller with you everywhere or park it by the entrance or outside each area as you like. Everyone was asked to take their shoes off for the baby and toddler area so the floor is nice and clean.

We took part in a stamping workshop which my baby loved. Afterwards we washed his hands by the sink which has a staircase he could stand on. I think he loved that even more than the stamping! He then played by the buzzy board and in the soft play area. He doesn’t walk yet but had a great time. Unlike other reviewers I would say babies can have fun here as soon as they can sit and play! There is a bucket for “mouthed toys” to limit the spread of germs which I think is a great idea. The soft play area has a giant water tap/faucet and is introducing the idea of conserving water.

Outside the lift was a table with bricks where both kids and adults were building towers. There is also a Rainy Day house which has books and has water dripping on the roof. It is meant to inspire creativity for a rainy day and we saw many parents reading books in there and kids having a great time.

On the main floor was a clay workshop, a superhero drawing (tracing) workshop and more. Everything is included in the entrance fee which is $14 for adult and $12 for kids from 1 year up. They also have memberships which we would have got if we lived in San Diego. They start at about $89 for an adult and a kid per year. I saw they do classes for babies from 18 months and they looked like a lot of fun!

We had a delicious healthy lunch at the Beansprouts cafe in the museum. My baby particularly enjoyed the sweet potato “veggie tots”. The cafe has both adult and kids height table and chairs.

There is a nursing nook for nursing, pumping and bottle feeding and people are also welcome to nurse, pump and bottle feed anywhere in the museum. There are plenty of family restrooms which easily fit a stroller and have tables for changing nappies. There are also water fountains on each floor where you can drink or fill up your bottles. You can rent a locker for $1 next to the cafe.

Downstairs is a sketch aquarium where kids can draw a sea creature and put it under a scanner. It then appears in a giant aquarium which is projected on the wall and they can interact with the creature to make it move. They loved it! There are comfy sofas for the adults to sit and watch the aquarium while the kids run around.

I saw they were hosting a birthday party downstairs where all the kids were dressed up as superheroes. It looked like a lot of fun!

This museum is so well designed and thought out for kids and families! I wish we had something like...

As you enter, you are met with beautiful pieces of art painted throughout the walls with beautiful and inspiring messages. There are so many different things to do with what always feels like so little time. As a resident, it would bring your child so much joy to take them to a place where they can explore, learn, and push their minds to do much more than they thought they could do! As a tourist, if you do have the time to visit this wonderful place to treat your children or child to, please bring them here! There are a good amount of seats for all us adults!

We went on a Thursday and it was not busy at all. With about 2 1/2 hours to explore. Spent about 10 minutes in a new area with hugging pillows and a very calm atmosphere. Afterward, we spent a good amount of time making clay sculptures! Moving on exploring other areas then was led to the GIANT knitted area play area. A good amount of seating on the level for parent to watch their children be children, you can swing on the balls or go in the nets and get lost! Part on that level can be seen in one of the videos taken with the plants. That area is to the right of the giant knitted play area from the staircase and elevator.

The food selection for the kids' meals was adorable. We ordered the grilled cheese, and it was shaped as little monster eating tater tots. My kid also thought it was awesome! The pizza they served was awesome, and the Farm Parm sandwich I had was good but felt like it needed more sauce. The salad that I got with the sandwich was a healthy amount, and it was actually pretty good if you like balsamic vinegarette. Chips, cookies, and a handful of other snacks were available for purchase. I ordered about 7 meals and our order was ready in about 10 minutes!

Tickets were around $20 for children ABOVE 1 and free UNDER 1. $24 for adults 18 and over. $20 for those adults who serve in the military!

Regarding the other comments with the demonic and dark places. I watch my children and keep them close with an eye on them at all times. I don't think anything like that at all, especially when you are the one who took the kids to the museum and is responsible for watching your child at all times. The area in the middle upstairs is a relaxing area and sort of a meditation ground for you, your child, significant other, or anyone to take that second to just relax. I sat my child next to me, and we closed our eyes and just listened to the beautiful sounds. I feel as if it being demonic or something up with the area is a stretch.

Bring out your inner child and play alongside your little ones as they get to explore, create, and smile. This place is a great place to wander....