stepping stones museum for children

Donna, Thank you for the fantastic review. We are thrilled that you and your kids enjoyed your experience at our museum and that they were able to learn a few things while they were here. We hope to see all of you again soon!

Hi CinDe, thank you for taking the time to leave your honest feedback. We are sorry to hear that your niece was bored. Our website has a full calendar of events, which your niece might find fun and interesting. We also offer some great membership programs, which can be a great value.

Tash – Thank you for taking the time to post a review, and thank you for pointing out the great value offered by becoming a membership. We are so glad to hear that you enjoy our many wonderful special events, and it sounds like your toddler does too! Thank you again, and we hope to see you again soon.

I have been twice now. I joined the first visit because it is very expensive to pay each time. The membership is totally worth it if you're local. The high admission price sticks in my craw a bit on principal (and why i didn't go sooner) but my kids (4 years old and 17 months old boys) love it so much that it's a great destination for us, esp in winter. (There is a great municipal playground adjacent to the museum's parking lot for warmer days, too). We last went on a school holiday and it was CRAZY. Too crowded. The tot area was basically unbearable. They should limit the number of kids allowed in there. But we still had a lot of fun. The water area is a favorite for both kids. We spend the most time there. The construction area is fun too and there is a lot we haven't taken the time to explore yet. The cafe is pretty reasonably priced and has healthy options. You can bring your own food too. Check before you go for special events and craft activities.

I don't understand all the good reviews for this place. Ill start with pros : Its clean. The water room is pretty cool. There is a cafe. On the other hand : this place is WAY OVERPRICED, often crowded & quite small. Stepping Stones charges $15 per person. The BOSTON children's museum - which is several floors of fun - is only $14. The day we went, the traveling exhibit was closed (with no indication it would be so on their website). The tot town is for children only under 3 so that was out for our family. It was too cold to go into the outside play area. Furthermore, the main exhibit room is full of a very uninteresting "feelings" exhibit that has so much reading instructions involved it is pointless for kids under 8. Kids over 8 would find it incredibly boring. This place is incredibly overrated, especially when you factor in the ridiculous admission price. I would highly recommend KidCity in Middletown over Stepping Stones. Incredibly creative and fun place - chock full of interesting adventures for kids, art and fun -- AT HALF THE PRICE. Also the Connecticut Science Center in Hartford - Four floors of exhibits, a water room and kids 2 & under get in FREE!! Much better places. Much better value.

I went to Stepping Stones with my husband and 15 month old daughter. It seemed like a nice way to spend a wintery Saturday and let my daughter get some of her energy out. We knew going there that it would cost us $45 as a family to get in but I had never been and hoped the trip would be worth the (very high) price tag. We started off in tot town which states is for children 0-36 months of age. I understand if you’re a family with multiple aged children that there would be a few older kids there but half the place was occupied with kids who looked 5 or 6 and weren’t playing very well with the little ones. Most of the parents were more interested in chatting with other moms and checking out their phones then they were in watching their kids. One child who looked about 4 kept snatching toys out of my daughter’s hand and by the third time, I got so angry I intervened and told the child “She was playing with that, you don’t take things from people.” My husband even asked the dad (who was intently watching his fingernails) “are you working on sharing with him because he’s not doing a very good job.” One older child tried to push my daughter down a slide and another kid almost slammed my daughter’s fingers in the play oven because the child didn’t want to share. I understand kids will be kids but I thought the purpose of “tot town” was so the little ones could play and have fun with peers their own age. I was so concerned for her safety and so angry at all the uninvolved parents that we left after only 30 minutes. The place looked like a lot of fun so I was really disappointed that we weren't comfortable letting her check it out more.We walked through the rest of the museum but there wasn't a whole lot else my daughter could do. She enjoyed the light table in the auditorium as well as the book nook area. We took her into the wind and air movement room but nothing seemed to be working. We hooked the hose up to move the pinwheels and covered the other air hole but nothing happened.The final disappointment was the bathrooms. It’s a museum for children and kids so you would think they would have more than one changing table right? Wrong. I waited in a line 2 people deep to change my daughter. Not a huge deal but bad planning on the part of the museum that didn’t help the sour feeling I already had about the place. I wouldn’t come here again unless my child was 5 or older and even then I’m not so sure. It was overpriced and unenjoyable for all of us.

We took our 20 month old grandson. What a beautiful museum. Plenty to do, something for all ages. The museum is well planned and organized. I plan to return again soon. If you live nearby it's well worth buying a membership.Helpful hint- bring an extra set of clothes for your kids. There is a water play room. The kids will love it but they get wet!! Be prepared then you can enjoy watching them have fun, change into dry clothes for the ride home and everyone's happy.

We visited this museum this week with our kids (5 years old), and they had a great time. The brightly coloured and lit museum made a great first impression. My kids loved the many hands-on activities and creative play at the museum. I liked that many of the activities were open-ended, and allowed the kids lead their own playing/learning (and also reached a wider age range). We spent a lot of time in the energy lab, with the water tables. We've been to a lot of science/children museums in the past 3 years (20+), and this is probably the best one I've seen. They incorporate a lot of teaching about energy into this area, and designed it in such a way that a young child could interact with the activity and at the same time engage an older child, playing at a different "level". They provide "lab coats"/jackets for kids, but I would suggest bringing an extra change of clothes. My daughter's favourite area was the art area, where they had various recycle materials for the kids to make different creations. They also had a fun demonstration with milk/food colouring/soap, which my kids still talk about. We went during the holidays, so it was very busy. However, they kids had a great time, and of the 3 children museums we visited on our Connecticut roadtrip, this was the best one. It's part of the ASTC reciprocal membership program, so we were able to get in free with our local Science Centre membership.

Just recently my husband and I had a baby, this has been a great place to take our son on rainy days. It is the perfect setting for keeping baby calm and then, when he is awake great for visual stimulation. Wonderful hands on exhibits that are often changing and keeping fresh! There are several classic exhibits; sea lions, sharks, mini boat building class that make the Maritine Center a great place to frequent!

We used a Groupon and it was worth it. There was plenty of room for the kids to run and enjoy exhibits. The best part was seeing the seals!

We signed up for a year at the Museum so my grandson could use the facility. Every time we leave the Museum he cries because I doesn't want to leave it. I think that is the biggest recommendation.

Children love the Stepping Stones Museum for its entertainment. But behind the fun, there are educational value unconsciously absorbed while they play. In taking our grandsons to the museum was indeed good fun. The trip itself reminded the enjoyment we treasured over simple toys. To visit the museum should be viewed as an outing of such by spending leisure hours without limited the time. It is best to put yourself in the kids' place and enjoyed the museum with them. Maybe both the kid and adult can learn to enjoy the museum together hence form a tighter bond after the trip.

Such a fun, open, bright, and engaging space! I miss coming here all the time-- now my children are older, but last time I took them they had so much fun.

That is what I call an awesome, hands-on, museum for children. Very interactive, fun and educational.

Great museum for kids 0-5. A special room especially for babies and toddlers plus many exhibits and play areas for 2+. My older child especially loves the indoor water area. We live nearby and go almost weekly. Perfect for both a one hour trip or a full day excursion.