Kohl Children's Museum
About
This hands-on museum in the suburbs is designed entirely for younger children to learn through play across 17 interactive exhibits. Kids can shop in a realistic Whole Foods replica, become construction workers, vets, or artists, and splash in water play areas. Unlike downtown museums, it's spacious, never feels overly crowded, and every exhibit is built specifically for little hands and big imaginations.
Highlights
- ✓The Whole Foods Market where kids can shop, scan items, and run their own checkout
- ✓The water play area with boats, dams, and water tables (bring a change of clothes!)
- ✓The construction zone with real tools, hard hats, and building materials
Pro Tips
- 1.First Sundays are sensory-friendly mornings with reduced noise and lights for children with special needs
- 2.Members get in an hour early - if you're local, a membership pays for itself in two visits
- 3.The outdoor Habitat Park is included with admission during warm months and is excellent for active kids
Best Time to Visit
Weekday afternoons (after morning preschool programs end around 1 PM) or right when they open on weekends. Avoid Monday and Sunday afternoons when it's most crowded with birthday parties.
What to Know
Play Cafe exhibit has play food, but the Museum Cafe serves real sandwiches, snacks, and kids' meals. You can bring your own lunch to eat in designated areas. Large free parking lot - parking is never an issue here, which is a huge relief for parents Excellent family bathrooms throughout with changing tables and child-sized fixtures Stroller parking at entrance recommended; the museum is easy to navigate without one and gets crowded. Cubbies available for storage. Completely accessible with ramps, elevators, and sensory-friendly accommodations. Very special-needs friendly.
Seasonal Notes
The outdoor Habitat Park with gardens, water play, and a climbing area is only open May-October. They run special themed programs during school breaks. Note the shorter hours on Mondays and Sundays.
Nearby Eats
The Glen shopping area is right there with tons of family restaurants including Wildfire, Cooper's Hawk, and Pinstripes. Westfield Old Orchard mall is 5 minutes away with a full food court.
More Activities Near Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago is one of the world's greatest art museums, featuring iconic works like Grant Wood's 'American Gothic' and the massive collection of Impressionist paintings that fascinate kids when they learn the stories behind them. The Ryan Learning Center offers hands-on art activities specifically designed for children, making this world-class museum accessible and fun for young visitors.
Griffin Museum of Science and Industry
The largest science museum in the Western Hemisphere transforms learning into adventure with over 2,000 hands-on exhibits spread across 14 acres. Kids can descend into a real German U-boat submarine, explore a full-size replica coal mine, walk through a 40-foot tornado, and watch baby chicks hatch, making science tangible and unforgettable.
Field Museum
Home to SUE, the largest and most complete T. rex fossil ever discovered, and Máximo, a 122-foot-long titanosaur, the Field Museum brings 4.5 billion years of Earth's history to life. Kids become explorers navigating through Egyptian tombs, encountering mummies, examining real dinosaur bones, and discovering gems that glow in the dark in one of the world's premier natural history museums.
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
This Lincoln Park nature museum brings the outdoors inside with its famous Judy Istock Butterfly Haven where hundreds of live butterflies land right on kids' shoulders and heads. The hands-on RiverWorks exhibit lets children play with water, observe live animals native to Chicago, and learn about local ecosystems through interactive displays. It's the perfect size for younger children who might get overwhelmed at larger museums.