Great Explorations Children's Museum

Great Explorations Children's Museum is a great place for kids to run around and interact. Although learning is key here, it feels more like a playground for toddlers and smaller children. The exhibits are aimed at children up to seven years old. Great Explorations Children's Museum is a very popular museum, mainly because it is so much fun.

Great Explorations is designed for children to learn about nature and science while enjoying fun activities, so they won’t even realize they are in a museum. Though most exhibits are self-explanatory, staff are on hand throughout the museum to help out.

Help your children “cultivate” crops at Kane’s Great Beginnings, or head to Beth’s Beach to learn about creatures of the deep. Navigate through the dark in the exciting Touch Tunnel. For a bit of creativity, make towering magnetic sculptures together at the Express Yourself Art Studio. Find out how a pizza is baked in the miniature St. Pizza restaurant or learn how to care for animals at Be A Great Pet Vet. Kids who want to star as a TV news anchor can get “Live and on the Air.”

Don’t miss browsing through the well-stocked gift shop. Many of the toys here relate to the actual exhibits, which helps the children to remember what they learned when they play with the toys in the future.

Great Explorations Children’s Museum is located next to the Sunken Gardens, just north of downtown. The two attractions can be viewed in a single morning or afternoon. There is free parking and Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) buses stop nearby.

The museum is open daily but not on Sunday mornings and national holidays. Be aware that this is not a child-care facility, and you need to accompany your kids at all times. Because of the hands-on nature of the museum, it’s a good idea to bring a change of clothes for your child.