LaunchPAD Children's Museum — Attraction in Sioux City

My kids loved LaunchPAD. We live in the NW corner of Iowa, about an hour and 40 mins from Sioux City, and planned our afternoon around visiting LaunchPAD. I'd never heard of it until I started seeing tv adverts for their "Sloppy Science" fundraising day. My kids are nine and 10 years old, so when we first walked in, I was a little disheartened that they might think it was a little immature for them and that they'd lose interest in the activities soon after we arrived. After about 15 minutes there, my qualms gave way to relief as I watched them flit from station to station. And after about 30 minutes, my 10 year old daughter, who's a bit reserved in new situations, put on an apron and hat & got to "work" behind the ice cream counter. I watched while my son and daughter role played together and with other kids as I haven't seen them like that in a couple years! They were both so impressed with it and when we were leaving at closing time, my daughter asked if we could come back the following day. Unfortunately, because of the long drive it's not something we can do regularly, but we'll definitely go again before school being in a few weeks, and it'll be a go-to place when needing to break the monotony in the colder months. I thought the admission price was fair, snacks are limited but priced well, and the toys for sale are priced from $2 and up. I just wish I had a few more years than I do before they grow out of LaunchPAD! Highly recommend! Worth the (almost) two hour drive to Sioux City and...

Launch Pad is considered a children's museum. Its family friendly and hands on.

There are at least 12 different areas that kids can explore including a small spaceship, a news room (with functional camera, lights, and costumes), a two story barn (with interactive garden and a hen house with chickens for puppets). Some areas even include videos or posters discussing the ties that Iowa has with certain exhibits such as the farm area. They also show how nature works such as the large running water display which carries toy boats downstream or a little pond where kids can catch magnetic fish with poles. They also have a large scale that kids can stand on that tells them how much they weigh compared to leaves, milk cartons, apples, etc. Another monitor allows you to travel the world and hear how people in other countries greet each other.

A group of ten of us (3 adults, 7 kids) visited and we loved it! The building was clean and organized and the staff was fantastic! At $8 per person this place is well worth the price! They also have season passes if you frequent Sioux City often. If you're taking a trip to a neighboring state you may also come across one of the dozens of other locations they have in other small and...

The bright colors and large amount of space creates an inviting atmosphere for kids and play as soon as you walk in. They have a range of exhibits- some that I haven't seen before at other children museums, including a rock climbing wall as an orchard and a construction site. But shortly after, the disappointments occurred. I was disappointed that there wasn't any dirt in the construction zone with the trucks or any items to manipulate such as letters for the post office or money to store in the bank. The stage also lacked any costumes for kids to put on. Our son enjoyed playing with the train set, but every piece was nailed down so he wasn't able to make his own tracks or change it any way, just simply move the train. There did look to be an art/activity/lab room but it was only open at certain times during this week, so it was unfortunate to see that there were no places for kids to create (art) freely or partake in STEM building such as Lego bricks. It is a well designed building, but the lack of involvement and interaction that kids could do was...