First-Time Visitors
General Information
Plan your trip to Hands On using the following information:
- Hours and Admission
- Directions and Parking
- Museum Tours
- Museum Maps & Exhibit Galleries Descriptions
- Area Attractions (e.g., restaurants, playgrounds, lodging)
- Sensory-Friendly Guide
- Field Trips & Group Visits
If you have any other questions, please feel free to call us at (360) 956-0818.
Additional Admission Information
What is the targeted age range for the Museum?
Exhibits are ideally designed for children age birth to ten.Are strollers allowed in the Museum?
We provide stroller parking in our Lobby and ask that you not take your stroller into the galleries, except under special circumstances, to ensure there is adequate circulation for all guests.Do you have a sensory friendly guide?
The museum can often be crowded, loud and filled with bright lights. We have prepared a Museum Sensory Guide to help you and your child familiarize yourself with the museum and its exhibits before you visit. Written from a child’s perspective, the guide can be helpful in planning which exhibits to visit and in which order. We also offer sensory-friendly events when you and your family can enjoy the museum with fewer crowds and stimuli. Does your child find the museum too loud during regular hours? We have noise-muffling headphones you can borrow for free at our Front Desk.What about food in the Museum?
The Play Day Cafe is open every day, and offers a selection of sandwiches, soups, salads, grilled cheese and other family friendly choices along with seating for Cafe patrons. If you bring your own food from home, we do have a few tables reserved for this in the Cafe. You are also welcome to have a picnic in East Bay Public Plaza, but please keep food about 5 feet away from the water feature. (Please no outside food from other restaurants or vendors in the Cafe.) We also ask that food and drink are not consumed in the galleries, including the Outdoor Discovery Center. Cafe hours are Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.- 3 p.m., Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m.- 4 p.m.Why is it important to stay with my child while visiting the museum?
Please remember children under age 16 must be accompanied and supervised by an adult. We believe family members are important as a child's first teachers and as a partner in learning. Our exhibits are designed specifically to encourage interaction and inquiry, as well as participation from the entire family. We also take visitor safety seriously and supervising adults help ensure their children are enjoying the exhibits and facility safely.
Photo/Video Policy within the Museum
Each person entering the Hands On Children’s Museum grants the museum permission to photograph, videotape, record or otherwise reproduce the image and/or voice of that person and all accompanying minors, without compensation, for the museum’s business purposes, including copying, distribution, and other uses.IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO BE PHOTOGRAPHED, please inform the front desk upon check-in and request a NO PHOTO sticker to place on your child. Our staff, volunteers, and visiting media are instructed to look for the stickers and will do their best to avoid including your child in materials. Large crowd shots where individuals are not identifiable may still occur.