Children's Museums in Tampa, FL
There are 4 children's museums in and around Tampa. Each card below shows what it costs, when it opens and which ages it suits.
Sorted by distance from Tampa, nearest first. Those are straight-line miles, so every drive is longer than the number on the card.
Great Explorations Children's Museum in St. Petersburg, FL is a non-profit children's museum that offers hands-on learning experiences through creative curriculum…
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Recognized as one of Florida’s top museums and one of America’s top museums for children, Great Explorations is the premier destination for families in the Tampa…
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The Dalí Museum, located in the heart of beautiful downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, is home to an unparalleled collection of Salvador Dalí works, with artwork…
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Big John is the reason a lot of families end up at Glazer Children's Museum in Tampa: a Triceratops fossil billed as the world's largest, with clear bubbles built…
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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.
Great Explorations Children’s Museum
Best here for under 2, 7 miles out, listed ages 1–9 and admission $15.
Glazer Children’s Museum
Best here for two to five, 11 miles out, listed ages 1–9 and admission from $22.95.
By town
Most of these are not in Tampa proper, and the town is usually what decides whether a place is worth the trip.
Children's Museums in St. Petersburg
3 of them: Great Explorations Children’s Museum, Great Explorations Children’s Museum^ and The Dalí Museum#, the closest 7 miles from the middle of Tampa and 2 with a published admission price.
Planning a visit
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.
Other things to do in Tampa
Children's Museums in nearby cities
Common questions about children's museums in Tampa
How many children's museums are there in Tampa?
We list 4 children's museums within 44 miles of Tampa, FL. Every one is a published listing with an address we checked.
Which children's museums in Tampa publish their prices?
3 of the 4 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 Tampa suit a toddler?
3 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 Tampa. 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 Tampa?
Tampa has 17 categories of kid-friendly places on Mini Navigators, from playgrounds and museums to splash pads and zoos. The Tampa hub lists all of them.
Listings last checked September 19, 2026.