Visit Philadelphia: Please Touch Museum

We love taking the kids to children's museums on our travels, and while in Philadelphia, we visited the Please Touch Museum, which was a stop on the Philadelphia Trolley Works Big Bus Tour.

The mission of Please Touch Museum is to "change a child’s life as they discover the power of learning through play."

Although the focus of the museum is for kids ages seven and younger, even older kids will find some of the exhibits engaging and entertaining.

The different galleries throughout Please Touch Museum emphasize creativity, imagination, life skills, and critical thinking.

I thought the Wonderland exhibit was really fun for all ages.  The kids went through a maze, worked their way through optical illusions, and even had tea with the Mad Hatter!

Train lovers will enjoy the Centennial Exploration exhibit, which includes a model of the 1876 Centennial Exhibition and a locomotive the kids can hop in!

In Roadside Attractions, the kiddos had fun pretending to drive a bus, trolley, and car, and they dished out treats at a roadside food stand.

Another favorite exhibit was Healthy Me, Healthy Family, Healthy Community, where the kids could dress up and partake in everyday activities in the neighborhood, such as grocery shopping, visiting the doctor, eating at a restaurant, and more!

Through September 3, visitors can enjoy the Hello from Japan! exhibit, in which they can learn about all sorts of aspects of Japanese culture and history.

There's even a working carousel (separate tickets required).

Woodside Park Dentzel Carousel

Whether the kids were constructing buildings in the Imagination Playground, enjoying water play in River Adventures, or launching spacecraft in the Rocket Room, they were not only having fun, but they were also developing skills, such as creative thinking, gross motor, and problem-solving.

Imagination Playground

River Adventures

Rocket Room

Everywhere you turn there is something to explore in this two-floor museum.

Statue of Liberty Torch in Hamilton Hall

If you have little ones, be sure to visit the Please Touch Museum when in Philly!

Please Touch Museum
4231 Avenue of the Republic

Philadelphia, PA 19131
(215) 581-3181

Mahalo to the sponsor for providing complimentary admission for four members of our family. A fifth admission was purchased on my own.

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Visit Indianapolis: The Children's Museum of Indianapolis

When planning our trip to Indianapolis, The Children's Museum of Indianapolis was a must-do on our list.

The enormous 472,900 square-foot facility features 11 major galleries, and welcomes more than 1.2 million visitors a year.

As soon as we drove up to the museum, we knew we'd be in for a treat, as the exterior depicted dinos crashing through the museum. How cool is that?!

Speaking of dinos, The Children's Museum of Indianapolis has a fun Dinosphere exhibit that features dinosaur skeletons under a color-changing sky.  There were several fun, interactive displays, and the kids even had a chance to examine and touch real fossils!

One of the kids' favorite exhibits was the Circus - Starring YOU! They performed a variety of stunts and tricks as they pretended to be a part of the entertainment under the big top.

Beyond Spaceship Earth was another great exhibit.  The kids imagined they were floating through space and performing maintenance work on space aircraft.

The Dow AgroSciences ScienceWorks was full of all sorts of hands-on activities, such as driving a John Deere combine cab, managing a water system to transport materials, and climbing a hillside to search for new species.

In Carousel Wishes & Dreams, visitors can ride an actual carousel (for a fee), navigate through a maze, and play new and retro video games!

There was still so much more to see and do!  The kids learned all kinds of dances in DANCE!, immersed themselves in Chinese culture in Take Me There: China, and solved a mummy puzzle in Treasures of the Earth.

One of my favorite exhibits was Power of Children, which focused on the amazing, powerful stories of Anne Frank, Ruby Bridges, and Ryan White.  

Another of my personal favorite exhibits was American POP, where a lot of iconic toys, comics, and other memorabilia conjured up fond memories of growing up in the 80s.

The kids even got to make their own comic book cover!

In The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, there is a phenomenal Dale Chihuly 5-story piece, Fireworks of Glass, that is in the center of the museum, a Reuben Wells train from the 1890s, and even an Indy Car!

There was no shortage of things to see and do in The Children's Museum of Indianapolis.  The various exhibits were engaging, entertaining, and educational.

If you have young kids, a visit to The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is a must!

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
3000 N Meridian St
Indianapolis, IN 46208
(317) 334-4000

Complimentary admission for four members of my family was provided.

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