Children's Museums in Chicago, IL
Looking for children's museums in Chicago? Here are 10 of them, with the details parents check first: price, opening hours and the right age range.
Sorted by distance from the middle of Chicago, nearest first. Those are straight-line miles, so every drive is longer than the number on the card.
Chicago Children's Museum is an arts and learning facility located on Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois, where children and families engage in play-based experiences…
Chicago Children's Museum is a children's museum located at Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois that creates spaces for play-based learning through arts programs, STEM…
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Wonder Works Children's Museum in Oak Park, Illinois is a museum dedicated to spark curiosity and creativity in young children through play-based learning…
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Bronzeville Children's Museum is the first and only children's museum focused on cultural history in the country, located in Chicago, Illinois. The museum offers…
The Children's Museum in Oak Lawn is a hands-on museum designed for children ages 0-8, located at 5100 Museum Drive in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Families can engage with…
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Kohl Children's Museum of Greater Chicago in Glenview, Illinois offers interactive exhibits and programs designed for children ages birth to 8, aligned to Illinois…
Kohl Children's Museum of Greater Chicago in Glenview offers hands-on learning experiences for children ages birth to 8, with exhibits and programs aligned to…
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DuPage Children's Museum in Naperville, Illinois is an interactive museum designed for children ages 0-10 that offers hands-on exhibits where learning happens…
DuPage Children's Museum is a hands-on learning facility in Naperville, Illinois, designed for children ages 0-10 and their families. The museum features…
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Children's Neighborhood Museum is an interactive museum in Round Lake, Illinois, where children ages 1-6 can explore a tot-sized replica town. Kids can role-play…
Where a card says no price or no hours listed, the venue does not publish it. We would rather leave the gap than fill it with a guess. Prices come from each venue's own website, and we publish one only when the figure appears on the page we took it from. Tell us if we are missing one you know.
Which one, by age
Two children three years apart do not have to be a compromise. The age line on every card shows what that venue serves.
Children’s Neighborhood Museum – Round Lake Area Park District
Best here for under 2, 41 miles out, listed ages 0–5 and admission from $2.
Bronzeville Children’s Museum
Best here for two to five, 11 miles out, listed ages 3–9 and admission $10.
Chicago Children’s Museum
Best here for six to nine, 1 miles out, listed ages 0–9 and admission from $5.
By town
Most of these are not in Chicago proper, and the town is usually what decides whether a place is worth the trip.
Children's Museums in Chicago
3 of them: Chicago Children’s Museum, Chicago Children’s Museum and Bronzeville Children’s Museum, the closest 1 miles from the middle of Chicago and 3 with a published admission price.
Children's Museums in Glenview
2 of them: Kohl Children’s Museum and Kohl Children’s Museum, the closest 18 miles from the middle of Chicago and 2 with a published admission price.
Children's Museums in Naperville
2 of them: DuPage Children’s Museum and DuPage Children’s Museum, the closest 28 miles from the middle of Chicago and 2 with a published admission price.
Planning a visit
These run from 1 to 41 miles out from the middle of Chicago. Hours move with the season and with school holidays, so check the listing before you set off. If you run one of the places on this page, you can claim it for free and keep its hours and prices right.
Before you go
Grip socks. Almost every venue requires them for children and several require them for adults. Most sell them at the door for a few dollars. Bringing your own is cheaper and means you are not buying a fourth pair.
Check whether adults pay. It runs from free to full price and it changes the cost of a visit by a lot when there are two of you.
Weekday mornings are the toddler rush. If you want space, aim for after two on a school day. Weekend mornings are the busiest hours of the week almost everywhere.
Ninety minutes is the realistic ceiling for most children under five. There is rarely a gradual wind down. Leaving with time left on the clock is not wasted money, it is a better afternoon.
Call ahead in school holidays. Several of these venues run camps and private events that close open play with no notice on the website.
Looking somewhere else in the metro? Browse every kid-friendly place in Chicago.
Other things to do in Chicago
Children's Museums in nearby cities
Common questions about children's museums in Chicago
How many children's museums are there in Chicago?
We list 10 children's museums within 44 miles of Chicago, IL. Every one is a published listing with an address we checked.
Which children's museums in Chicago publish their prices?
10 of the 10 here do, and each price was checked word for word against the venue's own page before we published it. The rest do not publish one, so their card says no price listed rather than carrying a guess.
Which children's museums in Chicago suit a toddler?
7 of them list an age range starting at two or under. Check the age line on each card, because a place that suits a six-year-old does not always suit a two-year-old.
How did Mini Navigators choose these children's museums?
We list every one we have within 44 miles of the center of Chicago. Each is a published place with an address we geocoded and checked, and the business can claim its listing to keep the hours and prices current.
Do adults have to pay?
It varies more than you would expect, from free to full price, and it changes the cost of a visit by a lot when there are two of you. The price on each card is what it costs to get a child in. Where a venue publishes an adult price it is on the listing, and where it does not we have left it out rather than assume.
Do I need to book ahead?
Usually not for open play, but several venues cap capacity at weekends and during school holidays, and some close open play entirely for private events. Where a venue has its own booking page, the listing links straight to it.
What should I bring?
Grip socks, a water bottle, a change of clothes for anyone under four, and a plan for leaving before the meltdown rather than after it.
What else is there to do with kids in Chicago?
Chicago has 19 categories of kid-friendly places on Mini Navigators, from playgrounds and museums to splash pads and zoos. The Chicago hub lists all of them.
Listings last checked August 21, 2026.