The FLIP Children's Museum of Hillsboro — Local services in Hillsboro

We made the trek from Vancouver, and it’s totally worth checking out!

I think you can mitigate disappointment by knowing what to expect!

Definitely a smaller space at the moment, so plan to come when it’s a bit quieter. There were around 12-15 kids today and it was perfect.

My 9 month did great crawling around the space. I only needed to put up a few smaller pieces. That being said, there weren’t any “baby” toys and if there were more kids running around I’d be much more concerned about him getting bumped/stepped on. If there was a specific section for crawlers only once they expand, that would be great! My little played with the trains, hot wheels, and the foam block/wall. The super space tiles are so fun! We have them at home and it was cool seeing them “in the wild” My 4 and 8 yr old love building with them; as well as their 10/12yr old cousins. The green screen and dress up area were an absolute HIT! The kids spent a solid 30-40 min putting on all the different costumes and watching themselves on the screen. They put on a play, it was great. Fun learning opportunity as well! He brought out a science experiment with sensory tables and bins and the kids made slime putty. The second room has a projector displaying different scenes with animals. Kids can color the different animals and then scan them into the program and their colored animals will come to life on screen. My boys thought it was the coolest thing ever. Overall I agree with the target age being 3.5/4ish to 10ish. Older kids might not be as engaged if they aren’t strong in open ended play.

Price was so reasonable and we’ll definitely make this trip once every couple months. The guy working was very kind and patient with my inquisitive 8yo. I can’t wait to see how this space expands!

It is downtown so parking is either on the street or there were a few spots in the lot at the end of the building next to...

FLIP is understaffed, unsafe, and poorly located. I've tried to be patient thinking that as they settle in the organization will get better, but if anything it's more dangerous as it's expanded to other rooms.

Chuck-e-Cheese has better safety measures!

Your child's birthday party WILL happen in the unmonitored public hallway. It's ridiculous and totally unsafe. With the media room being a separate door off the hallway it's hard to keep track of your child when it's busy.

During a previous party a little girl slipped on the tile and cut her elbow, FLIP didn't even have a first aid kit. How is that possible?

The doors leading to the street aren't monitored so parents had to take turns to make sure kids aren't wandering to the road, or running up the staircase to the balcony, but we weren't allowed to actually block the doors because the patrons of other businesses needed to get through. Let me repeat that. Random people trying to get to other businesses have to walk through the birthday party to access those businesses.

An elderly lady with a walker needed one of the moms to help her navigate through the party to the bookstore. It felt so dangerous, and I can tell it's become a real problem for the other businesses.

This location is totally unsuitable for a children's museum. This should be in a standalone location with a lobby for safety.

I feel awful writing this but last weekend was too chaotic. I won't be back. Someone is going to get seriously injured or a kid is going to disappear.

Edit- The owner's response to my review lacks any accountability. Letting parents know that they'll need to stand in a hallway to stop kids from running up the stairs or out to the street isn't "online harassment," it's the honest situation, and parents deserve to know.

If you want me to delete my review, add some security measures! Relying on parents to guard the...

My heart knows they are still building etc and so my hope is to later review again! For now I felt 3 stars was adequate. The space was SO CROWDED. Don’t even think about trying to navigate a stroller in this space and don’t expect for baby floor time either. It’s to crowded and busy, also they don’t currently have any baby friendly fidget toys so be sure to bring yours.

I will say my little one enjoyed their time and the different stations provided for the most part… however they even said on a number of occasions “it’s to loud” or “there’s to many friends” or “I’ve waited a long time” as the other thing was some spaces were very crammed and packed. Like the dress up station or the cash register station. Maybe pick just 1 and open the space up some. The drawing/light room was really fun however also a space that became too crowded. Maybe add a “capacity” note to the door so if it’s at capacity others know to wait etc.

All in all we had a super fun time!! But there is a lot of room for improvement as they build and dial in this museum. I’m excited and hopeful for what their future holds...