National Children's Museum — Attraction in Washington

The only real problem with this museum is the expectations of visitors. It really shouldn't be known as the "National Children's Museum" because that really sets the tone for something completely different along the lines of Baltimore's Port Discovery or the children's museums in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. This place is nothing like that and the website could do a better job of communicating what this place is and isn't. I think people would enjoy it much more if they knew what they were in for when they got there. Instead they're expecting something much more and feeling let down.

It's a one story museum, with two main rooms, a small "theater" and some activity rooms down a hall. There are no water features, no huge climb through play structures, none of what you'd expect from a larger children's museum.

That said, it's very well done. My three year old had a great time playing with the crane, the fire truck, and the blocks. He loved the preschool area and making crafts. My five year old was able to understand that the crane exhibit was about how goods get to market from around the world, how the fire truck tied into the 911 call center, and how the blocks could be used to create some of the different types of homes in that center.

We were there for three hours and could easily have stayed at least another hour--we didn't manage to see everything, not because there was so much to do (there's not, it is a small museum) but because my kids were so engrossed in the activities.

Two major advantages this place has over other, larger museums--it's easy to find a staff member if you need one and--at least the day we went--there were no crowds at all. Larger children's museums often feel overrun with unsupervised kids roaming free and trampling the little ones. There were maybe a half-dozen or so other families there with us at any time during the day. This isn't a "destination museum;" I wouldn't drive to DC just to see this place, but if you live nearby or are in the area anyways, it's definitely worth a visit. Plus, there's plenty of other things to see around National Harbor--you could easily spend a day with small kids...

An amazing place!!

PLEASE NOTE: Other reviews are not for the DC location. Located at 13th and Pennsylvania Ave NW. They are for other play areas in Maryland. This location opened on February 24, 2020, so these older reviews are NOT FOR THIS LOCATION. We visited the first weekend it opened.

There are ap many activities for all ages. At least 3 separate areas for just wee little ones, including a nursing room! There is an entire room for role playing (pirate ship, space ship, garden, and wildlife vet), all of which have a station where you can put on a little costume to play the part!

We saw a birthday party happening in the huge room, with glass walls. Inside there was food being served and a full wall of crafting and building supplies for the kids.

There were so many unique hands-on experiences, that it's hard to describe what they are. I would say there are at least 15 different stations/sections. There's also a group of about 25 tables for lunch/snack breaks.

The most amazing thing to see was the indoor climbing structure. They are white cylinders made up of weaves of strong rope, hanging from the ceiling. Its unreal! Your kids climb higher and higher to a very tall (30 ft) metal slide. Its truly a sight to behold.

My only suggestion so far would be to add a place to store your belongings, such as small lockers to rent. There is a stroller parking near the entry, but you can also bring your stroller throughout the location. Ample bathrooms (with toddler step stools), and plenty of bench seating as you walk through.

You can park in the Ronald Reagan building (13th and a half St), because street parking is hard to come by. Cost was about $13. We also ate in the food court inside the Ronald Reagan building, lots of options and super convenient. We were even allowed to reenter to museum after lunch, but I could see that changing in the future. We all had an amazing time, well worth the...

Unfortunately, many of the exhibits were disappointing. They were either not functioning properly, were designed for only 1-2 children to use at a time, or were not well thought-out, so that children were unable to complete the exhibits or have them be re-usable to others. For instance, the magnet "jump" board, where the magnets are to be slapped as high as they can go by a person jumping, are quickly out of the reach of anyone else should a tall, grown adult complete the activity. The "testing reflexes" game stopped working halfway through. The disco light show in the visiting exhibit pavilion was non-functional. All of the other exhibits in this area did not allow more than one to two children to use or observe well at one time. The noise level in the museum was extremely high. The main "dream" area felt extremely crowded and chaotic. The "dream" playground is very long and tall and allows for children to climb in and go very high, but does not allow for any stopping or turning around should the children get nervous or scared halfway up due to the height, causing major traffic jams and a stressful experience for all involved.

Further, the "gift shop" was a joke (more like a rack with a few t-shirts and shelf with souvenir mugs). The café was closed on Sunday, the day we were there. There was also hardly any seating in comparison to the number of people in the museum, no visible menu, and the only items that appeared to be for sale when open was coffee, crescents, and beer; hardly what I'd call "family friendly" kid-loved options.

I have been to many other children's museums: Denver, Raleigh, Richmond, Baltimore, and even our local Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum. I was unfortunately very disappointed with this one and it was by far my least favorite in design, as well as price for what you get. We were only there for about an hour with my 4 year old, and it was more...