marbles kids museum

This place was a great find. When we visited Raleigh it was very cold outside and my son needed a place to run around and get some energy out and this was the place. Great exhibits and family fun for all

Went with a two year old and she had a blast. We had a blast watching her. There is so much here that is unique for a children's museum that I haven't seen before. Veterinary station with crates for dogs, table to examine dogs, place to bath them; farm area with cow to milk, chickens in coop laying eggs, pigs, etc; Stage with costumes for kids to wear, puppet theater with puppets; Firetrucks with hoses and valves to spin hats and coats to wear; Water play area with waterproof aprons for the kids; Submarine with science stuff to do experiments; Pirate ship with costumes several levels; way to much to list here. Plan to spend several hours! So much fun!

My 4 year old grandson loves it. So many activities. I love it too. We have gone many times. Food not so good,

The museum is geared towards 18mo-up, I think to maybe age 8-10. A wide range of hands-on experiences and activities, including quieter areas for young or overwhelmed children. No matter your child's interest, there's an area at Marbles that explores it. And it is the CLEANEST museum, child or otherwise, I've ever seen. There are covered bins for "tasted toys" so that germ sharing can be kept to a minimum. And the roaming museum staff interact with visitors in play and asking them questions to further imaginative thinking. Keep in mind that on Mondays they are only open from 9-12.

This is not a museum about marbles. This is the MOST awesome interactive/play/creative/science/social experience you and your children could ever hope to have. If you are visiting Raleigh with kids, this is a MUST stop!! I only wish every city had a place like this for kids. And only $5 admission!! We go day after day every time we are in Raleigh.

My friend and I took our two daughters (ages 18mths and 4 1/2) to Marbles on a Wednesday afternoon. When we arrived (1pm), there were four school groups just getting ready to leave. We were extremely hesitant with the school kids present...they were running, pushing and none of the teachers or Marbles employees would say a word. Then, all of the school kids left, and we had the museum to ourselves and maybe 20 other young kids with their parents. This was an extremely pleasant way to spend the afternoon. We spent two hours on the bottom floor and the kids were still having a blast. There is a pet clinic, kitchen, grocery store, fire truck, farm, ambulance, stage with dress up clothes, etc. and this was just the bottom floor. We went upstairs and even more fun stuff to do! I will say, the bottom floor is more focused on young kids. Upstairs, the activities probably would benefit ages 5 up to about 10. Definitely worth the $5/person admission. Parking is expensive at $2/hr and you can easily spend 2-4 hours here. As for the employees, while the admission gentleman was nice, every single employee I saw did absolutely nothing when children were pushing directly in front of them. I understand parents are suppose to control their kids, but with the school groups, there were 20+ kids in one area and I saw one adult. Everything was also very dirty, the costumes were so gross and toys were spread everywhere. Not that my kids cared, but if you are a germaphobe, you will probably have a heart attack when you see what your kids will touch while here. The bathroom is also disgusting and smells like urine. If you can go on a late weekday afternoon like we did, and ignore germs and chaos, you will have fun watching your kids play.

We were there on the first real day after the "snowstorm" was over and everyone and their kids were there- it was crazy but everyone was having fun. They have lifesized helocopters, ambulances, a huge water table, and more, tons of fun for the little ones. They get to play the part and put on costumes if you want. The kids will get so excited they might walk off on you if you dont watch them closely, but they will wear themselves out with all the fun to be had here. Definately going back!

Marbles is a great, interactive children's museum in downtown Raleigh. You can easily spend the entire day here and your kids won't get bored. The IMAX theater is also right next door. As it's downtown the parking can sometimes be a little hectic but the museum itself is wonderful. In contrast to similar museums in Durham and Greesnboro, most of the attractions at Marbles are indoors, while those other two have extensive outdoor areas, with live animals, gardens, etc. So if you're looking for a lot of outdoorsy attractions you might look elsewhere. But that's not a knock on Marbles; it's great.

It is a rare occasion that it snows in North Carolina, and yet rarer to have a week off from school.Cooped up with kids all week in freezing temperatures is enough to drive any mom or care giver close to nuts....not to mention the kids (who by this time have surpassed the state of insanity).So, that is where Marbles Kids Museum comes in. It was 17 degrees outside and a blasting 87 degrees inside Marbles Kids Museum! A welcome warmth. We have been annual visitors of Marbles Kids Museum in downtown Raleigh, NC for 8 years now. Living about an hour south and being in full time school with all those extra curricular activities makes it difficult to visit much more, but a snow day with bitter temps outside made it a perfect time to visit. And must I say, boy has it evolved!!! I would have recommended Marbles to anyone with kids ranging from birth to 7 years of age at anytime before, but I am going to extend the age group to 10 possibly 11 with all the things they have added. There are hands on building stations. There are hands on learning stations, and there are hands on imagination stations. Check out their website for details. They also have an IMAX theatre showing both educational and recreational films. The parking is close by and at around $12.00 for 4 hours is a bit steep, but entrance to the museum is only $5.00 per child, and of course, infants free. You will see moms and dads and care givers all over with strollers interacting in the fun, so go ahead...indulge! You need the stress release as much as your kids! There isn't a restaurant or café here, and no eating throughout the museum, however, they do allow you to bring food and picnic in the front lobby on the large stage they have with oversized foam building blocks. They have a coat room and lockers, but feel free to keep your stroller with you to hold all your stuff, no one objects to that. There is tons of room, and a water play area too, so you may also want to consider bringing an extra set of clothes for your kids...incase of extreme saturation! I cannot think of anything "unsafe" about Marbles, but I would recommend you stay with your kids at all times, because, after all , they are children, and the unexpected could always happen. I do, however, have one complaint. The bathroom are dreadfully stinky. It seems every time we go it is the same complaint. They do not look dirty, but they smell as if they are an open sewer with urine flowing continuously. So be warned. Other than that small issue, Remember not to loose your marbles, take my advise and get to Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh, NC. You won't regret it!

Marbles, in downtown Raleigh, is a fantastic place to take children and grandkids, ages 3-8. They have such a wide variety of hands-on activities that it almost helps (but is definitely not essential) to have more than one adult with many kids so they can gravitate to activities that most interests them.....and they will have many, many. If they have been there before, they will know what they want to do and see, for starters. We have taken 9 grandkids over the years and they have ALL asked to go back.They can "drive" a school bus; dress up and play doctor, postal worker w/packages, ambulance medic, actor w/costumes, etc. They can play w/water, do science experiments, be a pirate on a two story ship, make race cars and race against others, jump, climb, and so on. One can easily spend most of a day at Marbles.In addition, Marbles has movies (included) plus an IMAX theater next door (separate charge, of course).Our grandkids say it's their favorite museum in Raleigh.

This place is an excellent type of indoor educational park. There are lots of things for your kids to do and they can stay entertained for hours on end. Why I am giving this place an average rating is based on two issues.1) My wife got stuck on the elevator with our two children for about 20 minutes. She was going from upstairs to downstairs and got stuck part of the way. She stayed calm as best as she could because she had our two children with her, but she called me crying and panicking. It did not feel like the facility was doing much about it and after she was removed, there was no follow up or check up of any sort from the facility. If someone had gotten stuck in an elevator in my building with two children, I would have at least asked a Paramedic to take a look at them to make sure they were medically okay. My wife left without so much as any word of apology from management, although the regular staff was very empathetic. 2) We tried to hold a birthday party here and were told we could not bring our own food. We have lots of vegetarian friends and Chef friends so we wanted to cater it ourselves. They told us we could not bring in outside food due to them having restaurants on hand and for "liability concerns." So we decided to see what was on their menu since they offer food for Birthday parties. Finding many healthy choices was difficult. Finding a variety of food for different preferences was also difficult. We decided it was best we just do the birthday party somewhere else that allowed us to cater it ourselves. We went with Pullen Park instead. It was cheaper, had a train, and we could serve whatever we wanted. Overall, think of this place as a great educational indoor play room. Do not think of it as a full service type of facility and you'll be fine.

It is a great place to take kids and have them run around. It is a very safe place and there are always good extra activities set for kids on weekends. every year they seem to update some area.

there are different areas to meet the needs of the various ages..lots of hands-on play so engaging that the children don't even realize how much they are learning.

Really not much of a museum, this is more of a big playground. It is great for young children and parents that want to get out of the house and socialize, but do not expect much in the way of unique or innovative learning experiences. Location is great in downtown, but parking can be tight if there are other big events going on.

Many things to do - the IMAX is an added bonus. Fair price for admission. Parking can be difficult at times, but there is a parking deck a few blocks away.