We’ve been to 49 states and love a good museum. We’ve been to dozens of museums as a family! Some of those are museums that are geared towards adults and some that are specifially targeted towards kids and families. Today I’m sharing what I think are the best museums for kids in the United States (plus a few bonus museums abroad!). If you’re planning a family NYC trip, check out my post with the best NYC museums for kids.

What makes the best museums for kids?

Okay, so first off — what do I think makes a museum qualify as “the best”? We’ve taken our kids to so many different types of museums: some have been extremely high brow, while some are kitschy or silly. Some are so big you could never finish them in one day, while some you can read every display and only take two hours. Some are very well-known, while some are tiny holes in the wall.

Here’s what I think all of the best have in common:

1. If not targeted towards kids and families, at the very least accepting of our presence
2. Interactive and engaging, not just signs to read
3. Interesting for the adults as well
4. Affordable for a family to visit (or a bucket list experience)
5. Extra points given for experiences that are totally unique and can’t be found anywhere else

Tips for enjoying museums for kids

I truly believe that a museum experience can be fun for the whole family at most museums. That said, we’ve got a few tips for making the most of a museum experience with kids:

1. Choose museums that have something that will appeal to your particular kids
2. Pre-game any museum subjects that will get your kids more excited by watching documentaries, reading books, listening to podcasts, etc. (check our our kid podcasts post!)
3. Go at whatever time of day your kids are at their best selves
4. Bring snacks, water, and appropriate clothing so everyone is set up for success
5. Hit the highlights first so you’re not disappointed if your visit is cut short by cranky kids
6. Be prepared to bail if the kids aren’t up for a long day, and consider any time spent at the museum a great success
7. Check the museum schedule when you arrive for special events
8. Look for homeschool or reciprocal discounts on museum admission
9. Avoid visiting during school holidays if your time is flexible
10. Chat with your kids before entering about museum behavior expectations, especially for adult-centric museums

I’m of the mind that kids and families deserve to be in public spaces, and that includes museums. It’s okay if your kids aren’t “perfectly” quiet, and it’s okay if it takes practice for everyone to enjoy a museum day together. I think it’s worth it for all of the things you’ll learn and experience together!

So without further ado, here’s the promised list of our favorite museums for kids!

Download the FREE list of our favorite museums for kids

We’ve created a totally FREE PDF list of our favorite museums for kids that you can download right now by signing up for our newsletter.

If you do take a trip to a new museum or place, consider downloading our travel journal for kids so they can write about it!

State Worksheet / Travel Journal for Kids

$2.00

If you’ve ever wished for an easy way to capture what your kids learn as you travel, this is it! Forget other state worksheets that require boring, irrelevant details like the state flower. Let’s write about what we learned and experienced! This state worksheet digital product includes leveled worksheets for kids: one two page log…

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Category: Printables, Roadschooling

Tags: Homeschooling, Printables, Roadschooling

For more of our tips and tricks for traveling with kids, check out these posts:

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