Building for Kids
Building for Kids
4.5
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
About
The Building for Kids Children's Museum's mission is to empower children, engage parents and energize communities. We accomplish our mission by providing specially designed exhibits, programs and events. Our goal is to inspire, teach and reinforce curiosity.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
145 reviews
Excellent
93
Very good
41
Average
9
Poor
1
Terrible
1
anonymouspuppy
Hartland, WI17 contributions
Aug 2014 • Family
Visited in August 2014 with our 6 & 8 year olds. Had low expectations because the website recommends the place for kids 7 & under. Turns out we were pleasantly surprised, both kids had a great time---lots of hands on things to do that were creative and 'not too babyish'--to quote my 8 year old. The Building For Kids happens to be a ASTC museum, so if you have membership with any science museum with reciprocity admission is free, as it was for us, nice bonus! Plan about 2 hours, and bring your own snack, there is an area to eat, but only a vending machine or two.
Written 10 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
refugee1046
Maricopa, AZ181 contributions
Jul 2012 • Family
Some interesting things for kids to do. They change some of the things but the basics have stayed the same for years and years. I found that the staffing level was less this time than last so that some of the hands on things that require a staff person could not be done. Some of the exhibits such as the ball and motor one continued to get stuck and the water table was not functional the day we were there.
Written 29 July 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bischm39
Green Bay, WI25 contributions
This place is great. It has so many hands-on activities for the kids. They have great exibits, art projects, and more. Plus there is one exhibit area that changes periodically, so it stays fun for those who visit often. Only downfall, it's more geared toward younger kids (elementary age or younger).
Written 26 March 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
D L
Milwaukee, WI4 contributions
Oct 2013 • Business
This place needs a little more attention on cleanliness. The attractions are there for so long and kids get board. Water area seems dirty. Learn some skills from the Green Bay museum....that place is fantastic.
Written 8 February 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jb_milwaukee
Franklin, WI16 contributions
Mar 2015 • Family
We took our 4-year old son and 1-year old there. We had fun, but were disappointed with the quality of the exhibits. They look great at first glance. My son got so excited before he started playing in each one, but after a few minutes he was bored because so many things were either missing from the exhibit or broken. For example:
Only one or two of the blower fans in the "Move It" exhibit were strong enough to blow the balls through the tunnels. Well, what fun are all the pulleys and levers if you can't send a ball through the system to test them out?
In the "Construction Junction" the crane looks tempting. But, no luck, that didn't work at all.
The "Station 99 Fire Truck" looked cool, but very few of the buttons worked.
The first floor exhibits: Kwik Trip, diner and doll hospital were a hodge podge. All of the food supplies, dolls, equipment, etc. were scattered about and pretty dirty. We were in this area only an hour after the museum opened on a Tuesday, so I was surprised to find it in such disarray. I did not see any staff members walking around straightening up.
The Gulfstream Jet was the biggest hit of the day. Everything in that exhibit actually worked. My son had a blast in the control tower and in the pilot seats.
The Water Play area was nice too.
Bottom line? If you're looking for somewhere your kids can run around and burn some energy, then this is a good place. The tree house is fun, the baby play area is alright, and the free play "Imagination Playground" was good.
They do not sell food, but have a vending machine (and, not surprisingly, that was out of order).
Only one or two of the blower fans in the "Move It" exhibit were strong enough to blow the balls through the tunnels. Well, what fun are all the pulleys and levers if you can't send a ball through the system to test them out?
In the "Construction Junction" the crane looks tempting. But, no luck, that didn't work at all.
The "Station 99 Fire Truck" looked cool, but very few of the buttons worked.
The first floor exhibits: Kwik Trip, diner and doll hospital were a hodge podge. All of the food supplies, dolls, equipment, etc. were scattered about and pretty dirty. We were in this area only an hour after the museum opened on a Tuesday, so I was surprised to find it in such disarray. I did not see any staff members walking around straightening up.
The Gulfstream Jet was the biggest hit of the day. Everything in that exhibit actually worked. My son had a blast in the control tower and in the pilot seats.
The Water Play area was nice too.
Bottom line? If you're looking for somewhere your kids can run around and burn some energy, then this is a good place. The tree house is fun, the baby play area is alright, and the free play "Imagination Playground" was good.
They do not sell food, but have a vending machine (and, not surprisingly, that was out of order).
Written 4 March 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
serenetartine
serenetartine5 contributions
Jan 2012
I cannot say enough how much I really LOVE this place. It is a fun and unique place to bring my child and I am truly greatful that it is here for us. However that being said, pricing is a serious issue that seriously limits our ability to enjoy this treasure. There is no legit low-income option and all accompanying adults are charged FULL PRICE! For my parents to come with on a VERY slow day just to watch their grandson play around for an hour was rediculously too expensive. Its a shame because I do really like this place and wish It was made more available to those of all income levels.
Written 6 February 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for visiting. We're glad you enjoy yourselves.
The Building for Kids, Inc., is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization supported by donations, memberships, admissions, and gift shop sales. The museum does not receive local, state, or federal funding. The Museum's programs and admissions generate two-thirds of its operating revenue, and private contributions are pursued to support the balance in order to defray the cost for our visitors.
Low-Income Option: Through the support of generous donors as part of our Access For All program, The Building for Kids Children's Museum is able to offer grants to assist in purchasing memberships for families with demonstrated financial hardship. Applications are available at the Welcome Desk.
Written 22 August 2013
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
AliAnd
37 contributions
Jul 2015 • Family
I love TBFK, However we don't get there too often because admission hovers around 7-8 dollars. Which is fine to pay for my daughter to enjoy herself in a safe, fun and educational environment, but that isn't per child it's per PERSON. So if her dad and I want to bring her together we are dropping $24 just to get in.
Written 29 July 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TravelerG8
Appleton, Wisconsin469 contributions
Apr 2011
Great hands on kids museum (fire truck, digger, water section, jet, tree house, crafts, ball area. We buy an annual pass which allows admission to other kid's museums throughout the state. Lets kids explore, learn, and have great physical activity. Recommend parking in one of the connected parking ramps instead of fighting the metered street parking.
Written 28 May 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
FinnInWI
Neenah, WI1 contribution
We are regular visitors to the Building for Kids, and children's museums in the Midwest and are amazed with what a wonderful facility this is. It's nearly as large as the St. Paul, MN Children's museum and quite a bit bigger than the Milwaukee children's museum. On the first floor you will find a reading area, store, restaurant, hospital, and an an airplane. On the second floor you'll find an infant/toddler area, water-play area, fire truck, crane, balls and tubes, golf ball spirals and simulator, birthday rooms, a huge arts/crafts area, and an exhibit space that is currently housing a traveling Grossology exhibit (pretty cool for 5-10 year olds). The staff is very nice and the facility is generally in pretty good shape.
Written 9 October 2009
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lpf86
42 contributions
Jun 2018 • Family
My husband is from Appleton, WI and we were on a vacation to visit family in June of 2018. The weather became stormy and in looking for something to do we discovered the Building for Kids! We have been talking about how amazing this place was since we left, and we have made plans to visit in June of this year too! My son was 18 months last year and still enjoyed the "toddler/baby" area but was also super into everything else, the firetruck area, the water room, the pretend car, etc. This year he will be 2.5 years old when we go and I know he'll be climbing the rope course through the center of the building that is a couple floors tall. Word to the wise - plan to stay the whole day and pack a lunch because we were not prepared for the toddler meltdown when we had to leave and he wasn't ready yet!
Written 26 March 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Is there somewhere to eat onsite or nearby?
Written 1 February 2019
BuildingforKids
Appleton, Wisconsin
Hello! We do have some snacks in vending machines, but being in downtown there are places nearby! You can get your hand stamped and come back after lunch to play more!
Written 4 February 2019
BuildingforKids
Appleton, Wisconsin
Hi Cyndy, Age 1-64 are $7.50, ages 65 and up are $6.50, Valid military ID is $5.50. Kids under 1 are free.
Have a great day!
Written 29 March 2016
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