Even the outside of the building is fun, bright purple and neighboring a skateboard park, my daughter literally squeals as we pull into the parking lot! You will need a ticket to park, but parking is free if you are visiting the museum, just validate it at the front desk when you leave. The Mid-Hudson Children's Museum was voted the best indoor venue for 2017 by Hudson Valley Magazine and it does not disappoint! Full of imagination, physical climbing areas and a real Hudson Valley mastodon, your children will never want to leave!
The Mid-Hudson Children's Museum is two floors of imaginative play and fun. The lower floor mimics a play village with train station, mechanic, fire station, school, restaurant, grocery store and post office. Each area is full of pretend play items that your children can use and interact with. A water painting area, real fire truck with sirens and lights, train table and a broken race car all inspire lots of interactive play!
The first floor also has a closet for hanging big winter coats or diaper bags, a stroller parking area, a snack area with tables and a healthy vending machine. There are also family-friendly bathrooms on this and the top floor. The museum allows outside food so our family usually packs a lunch and spends the whole day! If your family has a crawler or wobbly walker there is an area dedicated to the very small. All enclosed and full of soft, squishy toys, it's perfect for those who need a safe play space all their own.
Upstairs is such an exciting area, I am not sure who loves it more...me or my daughter! As you walk upstairs the head of a mastodon overlooks the staircase, there are tunnels, climbing areas and slides all built around the fossils of this massive beast. This front room, upstairs also boasts a pirate ship, puppet nook, stage with costumes, sandbox storytelling area and lots and lots of sitting areas for adults. Your kids can run around till their hearts content while you safely and comfortably watch!
The back part of upstairs is full of STEAM activities and it is a science and technology smorgasbord. A light cave full of things that glow, building areas full of all types of blocks, magnets and other materials that only need hands and imagination. Feel free to build skyscrapers that can be knocked down with wrecking balls, marble runs that are 100 feet long or how about trying to construct the lightest object to see if yours flies higher than all the others!
There is literally no end to the possibilities and discoveries at this museum. Your family could go everyday and still find something new to do or play. Make sure to check your local library for memberships and your family can go for free just using your library card. You can check out the membership for 24 hours and then you can play for free, what could be better!
Tips for this visit:
- Adults: 9$, Children: 9$, Children under 1year: free. They also offer year round memberships, for more admission information visit here.
- Tuesday-Saturday: 9:30am-5pm, Sunday: 11am-5pm. Open Mondays in July and August, check here for holiday hours.
- There is a private parking lot which is free to museum guests, just pass through the gate and validate your ticket when you leave for free parking.
- The museum is located within walking distance of the Poughkeepsie train station.
- The museum has public bathrooms upstairs and downstairs.
- The museum is not stroller friendly and they are only allowed in the stroller parking area, so I suggest not bringing one unless it's absolutely necessary.
- There is an eating area, food and drinks are not allowed outside this area. The museum allows outside food and drinks to be brought in.
For more information visit the Mid-Hudson Children's Museum online.
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