Austin Children's Museum

The Austin Children's Museum is a great way to spend a hot afternoon - out of the sun :o)  We have been going there since my boys were very young.  There are many sorts of interactive exhibits and lots of ways for curious minds to explore. 

The main hall has a rotating exhibit that changes every couple of months.  You can go online to their web page to see which one is currently in house.  The rest of the museum is static. 

There is the building room, with blocks and bolts.  There is the creating room, that has many different recycled items the children can use to "invent" things.  The train room includes a small train that runs around the perimeter and the cafe area has a pretend playfood area, a milk factory, bat station and more. 

There is a large slide to go down and a crane that can be used to collect balls.

The most recent change was the downstairs back room.  It had been a rather boring room about the history of Austin music, but recently they have made it into a more kinetic room, with lots of interative exhibits.

This museum seems to focus mainly on younger children, with fewer displays and exhibits geared toward older children.  My boys still had a fun time going with a friend, but I would say the majority of exhibits are geared for the 9 and under crowd.

Tips and Thoughts

* At times, two for one tickets can be found online, so a quick query beforehand might save you a few dollars!

* Parking is never fun.  There is a parking garage on 2nd street that is very accessible to the museum, and probably the easiest place to park

* The museum does not offer a cafeteria or any food for purchase (though I did notice a vending machine that wasn't there before)  So plan on bringing a lunch or picking up something before or after your trip downtown.

* I have found that the early morning tends to bring the under 5 crowd.  If you have a slightly older child, you might do well to bring them after lunch.