Why We Love The North Carolina Children’s Museums
If you have kids and live in or are visiting our beautiful state of North Carolina then this list is for you! As parents of preschoolers we are always on the hunt for kid friendly things to do on our North Carolina road trips. These NC children’s museums make perfect family day trips and there are a ton of children’s museums in North Carolina to choose from.
We have visited many wonderfully curated children’s museums throughout our family travels and we want to share our favorites with you! That’s why I have created this list of NC Children’s Museums. Not only will this list save you the time and effort of finding the museums yourself (which we all know how precious time is as a parent!), but we have also included a brief overview of each museum along with pictures so you know exactly how much fun you are going to have!
*This list only includes NC children’s museums that we have personally visited and they are in no particular order as we love them all!
Miriam P. Brenner Children’s Museum (Greensboro, NC)
Address: 220 N. Church St. Greensboro, NC 27401
The Miriam P. Brenner Children’s Museum is the only children’s museum in Greensboro, NC and it is a blast!
This children’s museum has been set up like a little town where children can explore and recreate the world they see around them. At Miriam P. Brenner Children’s Museum kids are encouraged to explore through touching, playing, building and asking questions. Not only does the Miriam P. Brenner Children’s Museum have the town area, they also have a thirty foot tall Neptune XXL Climber outside along with an edible schoolyard where children can learn about how food is grown and then prepared. Overall we LOVED our visit to the Miriam P. Brenner Children’s Museum and cannot wait to visit again!
The Miriam P. Brenner Children’s Museum is suited for children of all ages. On our visit we often saw adults playing alongside their kids.
Miriam P. Brenner Children’s Museum Website: Click Here
Nido and Mariana Qubein Children’s Museum (High Point, NC)
Address: 200 Qubein Ave. High Point, NC
The Nido and Mariana Qubein Children’s Museum in High Point, NC has two stories of unique kid friendly exhibits along with a beautiful outdoor playground and double decker carousel! It first opened in the Fall of 2021 with a vision to create a space that will nurture a child’s wonder and discovery through play.
This beautiful children’s museum in High Point, NC houses the city’s first STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) area. This space includes many hands on opportunities in which children of all ages can learn about the different areas of STEAM under the guidance of young student teachers.
High Point, North Carolina is the first certified destination on the East Coast for visitors with autism and the Nido & Mariana Children’s Museum is at the forefront of that. We witnessed this first hand, as our girls were playing we watched numerous therapists working with autistic children.
We highly recommend visiting the Nido & Mariana Children’s Museum on your next visit to Hight Point, NC.
The Nido & Mariana Qubein Children’s Museum Website: Click Here
Marbles Kids Museum (Raleigh, NC)
Address: 201 E. Hargett St. Raleigh, NC
Marbles Kids Museum might be one of the most popular NC children’s museums in the state. Located amidst the hustle and bustle of downtown Raleigh, NC it has been open as Marbles Kids Museum since 2007.
This popular children’s museum has multiple kid friendly exhibits throughout it’s two stories. These exhibits encourage intellectual, social and physical growth through play. Some of our favorite exhibits are Around Town, Splash!, Power2Play, Moneypalooza and Imagifab.
We highly suggest if you are road tripping to Raleigh, NC to add Marbles Kids Museum to your North Carolina travel itinerary!
Marbles Kids Museum Website: Click Here
Imperial Centre for the Arts and Science (Rocky Mount, NC)
Address: 270 Gay St. Rocky Mount, NC
Did you know that one of the first children’s museums in the country was the Rocky Mount Children’s Museum? Me neither! This well kept Rocky Mount, NC treasure is located in the Imperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences. Founded in 1952 this amazing little NC children’s museum has been serving the city of Rocky Mount and surrounding communities for generations.
The Rocky Mount Children’s Museum is made up of two stories. The ground floor is a traveling exhibit along with their animal exhibits (they have iguanas and and alligator!). The second floor is designed like a typical children’s museum, but just smaller. They have a farm area, puppet show area, doctor area, building blocks and an interactive game that my girls love.
Imperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences Website: Click Here
5 Tips for Traveling with Kids to These North Carolina Children’s Museums
Traveling with kids can be daunting, trust me, I know. As a mom to two young girls I often find myself in charge of the planning of our trip. Doing all of this on my own is exhausting which is why I wanted to share my top tips for traveling with kids. This list not only applies to visiting the North Carolina children’s museums, but can also be used when visiting the North Carolina Zoo (Asheboro, NC), the North Carolina Aquariums (Roanoke Island, Pine Knoll Shores, and Fort Fisher), the WNC Nature Center (Asheville, NC) along with the numerous North Carolina State Parks and beaches!
Our 5 Tips For Traveling With Kids
- Research the places you are visiting. Can you bring lunch? Where will you park? Can you use a stroller? Do they have strollers available? What are the hours? Are there extra expenses beyond admission? Most websites for the children’s museums of North Carolina will answer these questions quickly for you.
- Create a list for what you will need on your trip. Having a list of everything you need prior to packing helps take the stress out of packing.
- Pack snacks for the car trip. Our favorites consist of apple sauce pouches, already individually portioned bags of chips, cheese sticks and fruit.
- Bring a lunch. I know this sounds like a simple tip, but it will save so much time and money! Just remember to do your research ahead of time as some places (such as the Nido & Mariana Qubein Children’s Museum in High Point, NC) ask that you don’t bring outside food.
- Communicate where you’re going with your children. I have found that letting my kids know our itinerary for the day has helped us with curbing the constant “What’s next?” questions. The endless questions can get overwhelming for you and your kids.
Overview
We know that traveling with kids isn’t always easy, but we hope this guide makes it go a little bit smoother. We know you will enjoy one of these North Carolina children’s museums on your next North Carolina road trip.
This list is always changing and if you see a children’s museum that isn’t included please comment the museum name and location below so we can visit it in the future!
If you enjoyed this guide then you’ll also love our article “A Day at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (10 Exciting Things To Do While You’re There).