Jacksonville's "Hands On" Children's Museum

If you ask me personally, this place is the best bargain in Jacksonville for toddlers and little ones ages 2-6. I've never been here prior to the party I threw here for my now 5 year old daughter. First things first, I called about 3 weeks in advance to book. The process was so smooth!! Basically telling them the "expected" amount of guests, including adults, and they will tell you how much it will be and the deposit required to book the room. The party is open to the public meaning everyone has use of the museum while your party is going on which was not an issue for us at all. We had an expected amount of guests being 15 so the deposit was $50 to hold the date and time. The day off the party, the balance is due. We in total paid $125 for 15 guests which includes 2.5 hours of total party time. The first 1.5 hours are spent playing around at all the fun, creative play areas they have which totally kept all the kids and their parents busy for the whole 1.5 hours and the last hour is a dedicated party room that is huge!! Easily could hold 50 people. It has two sets of long cafeteria style tables that you can bring your own decorations and decorate with or buy one of their decoration packages if needed. The room itself is well air conditioned. We had a blast celebrating with cupcakes, fruit and juice. ** They do not have a refrigerator. You have to bring a cooler for anything you want to keep cool.*** Overall, it was totally worth it! My daughter and friends had the best time making memories 💓 We will be back for her 6th birthday so Mark us down for October 25th, 2025!!! I'd give 1000 stars if I could honestly.

Nov 05, 2024

Stopped here to let my daughter get her wiggles out on a very long road trip. There was endless things for her to do and she had the time of her life. Very cheap entry fee such a cool place for little kids. Definitely stop here !!

Sep 13, 2024

We spent a week in Jacksonville. My kids enjoyed exploring the different themed areas, like the firefighter station and grocery store, which kept them entertained for hours. The facilities are basic but clean, and the staff is friendly and helpful. It’s not a big-budget place, but for what you pay, it’s definitely worth the visit. If you’re looking for an affordable way to spend the day with your kids, this is a solid choice. Five stars for the value.

Oct 08, 2024

Went here to give our 3 year old something to do while being evacuated from hurricane Helene. My toddler loved it. There were so many things to do and you could get involved with your children’s play which most indoor play companies don’t allow you to do. There is a regular bathroom and a bathroom with a changing table which is amazing since we also brought our 4 month old baby. There is a room that I’m assuming is meant for younger kids (6months-1year) since everything is very low and easy to reach- love that. I wish there was an area for adults to sit. There were chairs scattered around but as a bigger girl, they just don’t work. There was no area for rest to eat or drink so kids are resorted to eating and drinking in play areas which leaves a gross mess. The place is a little run down but that’s never been an issue for me especially considering for 4 people (baby included) it was under $19. The issue is how dirty it was. If you can’t keep up with the cleaning as children are playing, maybe putting a child cap limit would be a good idea. After 2 hours of playing, my son’s feet were black. There was also a mop bucket in the middle of the floor meant for catching leaking water, a water faucet being held up by a piece of plywood, and multiple areas where the floor was unleveled only being warned by a sign to watch your step. A big issue I had was how one of the workers spoke to children running around. I tried to keep my child in check and follow the rules but others are not as attentive to their kids as we are I guess. Kids ran around crazy unsupervised which, of course, leads to workers having to reinforce their rules- I 100% understand that. But the way you speak to kids says a lot about your character. The worker, in the nastiest attitude I’ve ever heard a grown adult speak to a child in, says “STOP running NOW. Do you want to meet the big manager of this place?!” Very bad attitude. If you don’t want to work around children, don’t… if it would have been my child she spoke to like that, To put it nicely, I would’ve beat her ass. To sum it up : 4/5 stars. My kid had fun and we had to force him to leave to get food and drinks after almost 3 hours of straight playing. The place needs a little bit of maintenance and a deep clean but it’s nothing to cause us to up and leave. The main concern was the mop bucket used for leaking water, that could be a huge problem for a young kid. It only takes 2 inches of water for a kid to drown. It’s very affordable and can be a good way to waste a rainy day or tire your kids out lol.

Sep 28, 2024

If you want a small place to let your kiddos run out some energy, then this is the spot! My three yr old had a blast running around and playing with the toys, sliding down slides, and interacting with the other kids. Only cost us $12.50 for one adult and one child. Will definitely be going back!

Oct 16, 2024