great explorations children's museum

What a great place for kids and adults. When we arrived, we were told that a field trip group was there for another hour or so. It was quite loud and crowded for small children. We decided to take a detour and return later - and were so pleased that we did. The crowd was gone and so was the din! Thanks to our greeters for the suggestion to come back later.It's a very uncomplicated, hands-on experience for children, allowing them to use their own imagination within the environment provided. We could linger in each venue as long as needed to satisfy little fantasies! We will return often. It' a super value.

It was our first visit and it happened to be the day when the Lowry park zoo, sunken garden and the museum were in one! There were animal shows, many activities for the kids, there was lots to learn and do!

The grandchildren ran from one activity to another (2 & 5); so much to see and do. They were thrilled with the small area for 5 and under; loved making meals in the nutrition section and playing dr. Craft area; newsroom.....Membership at Clearwater Aquarium gives a reciprocal admission to this. We will go back.

My grandkids (ages 4 & 6) love Great Explorations! They spend the weekend with us about once a month and we nearly always visit the museum. They have not tired of visiting - there's so much to do! The membership is definitely worth it for regular visits. The change of exhibits is nice and offers new opportunities, plus the interactive specials such as when the staff recently did a financial game with the kids.. The staff is AWESOME and really make the visit complete. You can always find someone to help and they are very friendly. Can't say enough good about Great Explorations!

My kids always have fun here. There is so much to do and explore. Make sure you do the "touch tunnel"

My kids loved this place they played for hours with the different play houses. So cool. I wish they had this when I was a kid. Make sure when you are there to check out sunken gardens.

I have three kids, ages are 16,11, and 9. The yougest loves this place the two older ones are over it lol.

My wife and I have four children. They are 6, 4, 3 and (almost) 2 years old. I have had my eye on this museum for several months now. At $10 per person, it would cost my family $60 per visit. That hurts. In cases like this, we typically look at memberships which make better sense. Here are the current memberships. Basic - $100 (admission for 5 people)Great - $150 (admission for 5 plus reciprocal to 1,200 museums)Explorer - $250 (admission for 6 people, reciprocal & 10 free guest passes)Lifetime - $1,500We ended up getting the Explorer membership. In fact, we got it for 50% off. Hard to pass that up! I went to the membership page to fill out my name, address and other info like I had seen before. Instead, I was immediately taken to the payment page. I made my $125 payment through Paypal and then... nothing. I was redirected back to the home page. Never asked for my name or any other information. Never even got a confirmation e-mail from them. A week went by. At this point, all I know is that I've randomly paid $125. I've received no communication whatsoever. Finally, I e-mail them asking if they received my information. A day later I got an e-mail back that they did. They mentioned they do not send any e-mail confirmation and they are behind mailing out membership cards. However, if you bring your Paypal receipt and ID they will grant you access.Here is what else we found:1. The parking lot is shared with Sunken Gardens & Carrabbas. It is not only plentiful, it's free!2. The main building lobby is also shared between Great Explorations & Sunken Gardens. If you are ONLY going to Great Explorations, walk immediately to your left and enter the gift shop. It is there you will check in and make payment. If you want to do Great Explorations AND Sunken Gardens, you can get a discounted combined ticket at the desk of the main entry.3. The Great Explorations Museum was smaller than I expected, but it's packed with hands-on exhibits! We previously had a membership at the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia. That museum is housed in 156,000 square feet compared to the Great Explorations at 24,000 square feet. However, Please Touch has a lot of open space and things are spread out. Great Explorations is more compact, but offers a lot too!4. Most of the staff and volunteers seemed friendly and interactive. I was impressed by how many were present. Likewise, most of the other children and parents were delightful as well. 5. The facility is very clean and fairly well maintained. There were a few broken exhibits, but nothing too major. However, I think it's only right they either fix what's needed or replace them. Not sure if I see that happening though.6. A few times per day, the "Touch tunnel & critter cave" doors are opened for 30 minutes. The touch tunnel is a 100' long completely dark tunnel. The idea is for children to use their hands to feel their way through and make a proper exit. Make sure you're children are prepared for this. If they get scared easily (especially in the dark) this might not be for them. Parents are allowed inside with their children (have your cell phone handy to use for light just in case!). An employee monitors the children with cameras. I believe there are emergency lights and exits too. Since there are only 4 allowed in at any given time and the hours are limited, make sure you get in line as early as possible as there could be a moderate wait.The Critter Cave is a collection of about 15-20 small aquariums filled with snakes, spiders, turtles, etc. Thankfully this is in a well lit area! :)7. There is only one set of restrooms in the building. They are in the lobby behind the reception desk. You'll need to exit the museum and re-enter to use them.8. Our children thoroughly enjoyed their time. After 2 1/2 or 3 hours they were not ready to leave. However, it was getting past lunch time and we needed to get something. There is no food served here.9. There are a few benches scattered for parents to rest, but they could use several more. Wifi would be a bonus too. Finally, if you're a parent, please be considerate with the props! Put things back where they go! Children naturally make a mess. We have 4 small kids, remember? Unlike other museums, the employees here do not clean up exhibits. After a few hours there are piles of toys sitting around. Teach your children to clean up what they play with! Also, don't allow your children to take one of the mini grocery carts out of the grocery area and push them all over the museum! There are only a few to begin with and it makes the grocery store nearly useless without them! You are the adult! Step up and act like one!I've included a bunch of pictures from our recent visit including parking, entrance, exhibits, etc. Please let me know if you have any questions. I would be happy to help!If you found this review helpful, please let me know by clicking the button below! I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you!

I researched places to take my son during our holiday visit to Tampa. I found this online and it didnt dissapoint! Its absolutely perfect for toddlers and young children. Our two year old didnt want to leave, there was so much he could do and touch. Paint, music, rubber sand pit, huge blocks; it was a toddler paradise lol. Great learning experience for older kids, too. The ambiance is nice for adults since they had jazz playing softly in the background. We could also play with him in every area, which was great. However, I wouldnt charge adults $10, since its not for us! Also its complicated that there is no food sold there; we had to leave for lunch. Thankfully they let you back in as long as you keep the sticker. An excellent place for tots.

The museum staff are very accommodating to my child every time we visit. We have their yearly membership which is great because for 100 dollars a family of four can visit the museum for an entire year. They have a lot of hands on activities and plenty of interactive things to do. For my child who is in the Autism Spectrum this place is full of opportunities to learn and explore new things.

Excellent children's museum. Rich diversity of activities, interactive and exploratory.My granddaughter loves this place. Awesome! Will go back many times.

Interactive kids museum that is a delight! Nice gift shop, too! It wasn't crowded nd the parking is free. Very easy access from downtown St. Pete!

This is a very hands on Children Museum. Plenty of hands on activities to do with the children. They can build, pretend to shop, exercise. The staff was friendly and informative. My son enjoyed himself here. But because of the small size he became bored after about 2 hours. Great to go to on a rainy day

A truly wonderful experience for children up to, perhaps, 10 or 11. Virtually all are hands-on, no holds barred activities at a relatively low cost ($10pp) will keep children busy for many hours. Check published schedules for special exhibitions and demonstrations.

My 4 kids (at the time their ages were 4, 5, 7 & 7) love this place. There is so much to do. When we first walked in, I thought it looked small, but there are so many areas to explore. Our favorite is the grocery store where the kids can pretend to be Publix workers or shoppers. There is an entire 2nd floor too. We love it. We have been 3 times and my kids really want to return. Skip the dark feel tunnel thing. I did that and it was just too pitch black.