Exploritorium

Love it!
I nanny and took the 3 year old and 8 month old here…
Age appropriate activities for both … And older!
There is so much to do here. Price is decent. It is clean and there is a area to eat lunch. Plus a vending machine with snacks.
The kids loved it.

This is a fun place for toddlers and young kids. There is a lot to do here. The crown jewel, in my opinion, is the 5-​foot LiteBrite wall.
It’s a little pricey for non-​Skokie residents ($ 5 per adult or kid), but for residents (must show ID proving residence) it’s not too bad ($ 3 for adults/​kids).

Horrid and despicable administration staff. They cancelled my booking because I insisted to pay using my CHICAGO address, while my cousin who is co-​hosting lives in SKOKIE. Just tell me that you wanted to let someone you know take the time slot that we had. Sneaky, conniving liars.

Perfect place for kids probably up to age 6 or 7. There’s a water area with rain coats for the kids, a dress up area/​stage, tubes with a slide, a toddler area, and other creative play areas.
Only $ 3/​person for residents and $ 5/​person for non-​residents. Big enough area for younger kids to be entertained but small enough to keep an eye on multiple kids no matter what they’re playing with.
They also have a vending machine and seating area for snack time and bathrooms in the play area if your child is able to go on their own.
Also the area is gated so kids can’t get out on their own which is very nice!

Not really worth the money or time. Very small inside and small area for toddlers. Non residents cost $ 15. We stayed 30 minutes.

We were visiting from CA and wanted to find something family friendly for our 1 year to do. From two people who have been to the exploratorium in San Francisco, which is massive, this one is small and reminded mine if a discovery zone more than an exploratorium. However, that is not a bad thing. Once you get pass your expectations of what this place should be, this is place is awesome. After all, it’s for the kids and mine had a blast. For a small place there is plenty for your little ones to do. A huge bright light section, a toddler area, a train/​car station, a water table area, a storybook area with costumes, a building area, climbing wall and more. They really built the space out well and it is well kept. The cost for us was about $ 5 per person, which is a steal considering some the attractions we went to in downtown Chicago.

A great inexpensive indoor playplace ($ 5/​person for non-residents…adults, too). I took my 2.5 & 4 year olds on a Saturday and they both enjoyed themselves. The place instantly reminded me of the Dupage Children’s Museum, but a lot less chaotic. My 4 year old girl especially liked the rock climbing wall which we don’t see often. They offer a dress-​up section with scene backdrops, magnetic play, balance beams, lighted color peg board, train table, duplos, scooting cars, coloring and a McD’s style climbing playplace. Closes at 1pm on Saturdays for private birthday parties.

Very fun place to burn off some cabin fever.
We went on a sunny day in July in the middle of the week, so the place was empty and perfect for my little guy who was just crawling. He LOVED the water area and the toddler area was juts boring enough to keep the big kids out…
I can’t imagine how nutty it is on a cold day in January, but for the price, it can’t be beat.
Much smaller than it looks in pictures (good photog skills!), but worth a trip.

The Exploritorium is an awesome place for those rainy or cold days. My daughter is now 6 and we have been coming here since she was 2. We actually reserved the entire place for her 4^th birthday party. It’s a small place, but it has a lot of different areas that will keep the kids entertained. The dress up costumes are a bit dated, but kids still love to put them on and «perform» on the stage. The book nook has a few books and soft cushions to sit on. Kids seem to like to rearrange the cushions rather than read or listen to someone read, but it’s a nice area when the kids need a short break. The giant light bright is always a hit. The kids smile each time to make one of the sticks glow. The toddler area with activities on the walls and riding toys is nice for the little ones to crawl around. Just need to stay clear of the older kids that overtake the riding toys. The water area with rubber toys and nets is great for kids of all ages. They even have a couple of seats for the babies to enjoy the water play too. It doesn’t keep them dry though. The two story jungle gym is the best with it’s tall slides and tunnels. Kids (and adults that go in) can get lost in the fun for hours.
They offer a 2 for 1 deal on Fridays after 3 PM, which helps if you only need an hour or two of play time.

We visited Chicago over Thanksgiving, and my 16 month-​old was shutting down in the cold – he’s not built for inclement weather like his parents are – so we brought him here. At $ 3 per person for residents, it’s a fantastic deal. He burned off energy for 90 minutes, and we easily got our money’s worth. We left because he was tired, not because he was bored. Even on the holiday weekend, it wasn’t *too* crowded, and he never had to wait for any toys.
This place has activities for kids from 9 months to 5 years old. I foresee making this place a regular stop on our trips to Chicago.

Exploritorium is kid heaven and a parent’s haven — especially when the weather isn’t so wonderful.
The fam and I recently explored Exploritorium during a birthday party for two very adorable kiddos. We first enjoyed the actual play space, complete with:
–Large water play area, filled with rubber fish, waterfall, fish nets, water smocks and more (my daughter’s favorite)
–Giant light brite area with colored pegs
–Large netted jungle gym for the bigger kids
–Toddler area
And lots, lots more.
My almost two year old had a ball, concentrating most of her time in the aforementioned water area.
The facilities were extremely well run, clean and tidy! Including the very large party room upstairs. Not a small feat when you consider how many birthday parties cycle through here in one day.
If you or your little one are getting cabin fever, Exploritorium is a great place to check out!

Really cute place for kids to play. My son is 2 ½ and he loved the huge water table with fish. I was there on the weekend and it wasn’t too crowded and had a lot of activities for a range of ages. I believe The water table here is actually better than the one at navy pier childrens museum.

Want to discover a rainy cold day secret where you can take your kiddos on a «no good, very bad day?» Like when it’s so darn freezing and they are going bonkers from being indoors, and you want to pull your hair out because they are loud when you have to work, obnoxious because they are stir crazy, but you just love them so much you know you need to be a good parent and get them… quickly…to a place where they can just burn off some steam? All at a place where you can sit comfortably on a padded seat in a gated play space with climbing structures, water splash area, giant storybook movable walls, a stage, and a giant lite brite, and other activities sure to put a guaranteed smile on your little one’s face.
If you don’t already know about this creative stop, it will soon become a favorite visit for your toddler up until age 6. My kids got bored at 7, but I have a feeling they would still like the climbing structure if I twisted their arms.
Like Andrea R points out, it’s a cheap kid fun alert! $ 3 each for Skokie residents and $ 5 for non-​residents.
Need a lunch break? Outside of the play area there are tables where you can have a snack. Stay as long as you want. There is no time limit and the staff that works here is beyond lovely. Also a great place for a birthday party! And they have family events throughout the year too!
It’s okay… go tell everyone you know. It’s a secret worth telling ;-)

I love this place, but the only time your kid won’t be crowded out of activities is when the weather outside is gorgeous and everyone is at the park instead of inside. Our favorites are the water play area and the massive light brite. The dress up area is cute, and I’m glad they got rid of the music station — it was way too loud for the small space.
One comment on Itty Bitty New Year, which we attended for the first time this year. It was understaffed (and staff seemed stressed and surly) and overpopulated. It would have been much more successful if the number of attendees were limited. The lines were too long for a toddler’s patience. We didn’t get to do any crafts, no face painting, no games, no photo booth. We played for an hour downstairs and then left before the magic show and balloon drop. I was tempted to ask for a refund but mostly just wanted to get the heck out of overcrowded dodge.

Skokie Park District really has a gem with this kids place. We’ve been to a few children’s museums, and play areas, and this is by far the best one we have visited. The entrance admission is very reasonable, even for non-​residents. What’s great about the Exploritorium is that it is enclosed, and strollers are parked outside the play area, well within view. The whole area is roomy, and the toddler area is large with a nice slide. The water area is super fun. They have a nice climbing wall for older kids, and tunnels and slides that are super fun (and if you’re strong enough and brave enough to climb with your tot, can go with them for a super tunnel slide! Just bring socks for you and the little one). The stage has interchangeable panels, plenty of dress up gear and is large. There’s a great magnetic alphabet and number area, and the light-​up board was great! My tot loved it! I loved the layout, and what they offered for my 19 month old. Excellent choice for the under 5 crowd!
The best part also is outside. They have a great play area, and it is huge! The slides, and interconnecting gyms are in great shape. There’s a sandbox area, and a really cool sound gym. We spent another hour there after we left the Exploritorium. It sits adjacent to the Exploritorium (on the right hand side facing the doors, behind the building-​we almost missed it until I heard a bunch of kids and went to investigate).
Both the indoor and outdoor areas were clean, and safety was a concern (outlets were covered). The employees were courteous, and helpful. It wasn’t packed with out-​of-​control kids and tots, and almost every child was well supervised by an adult. Bring your own snacks and juice. We snacked outside on the picnic benches by the outdoor play area after we left the Exploritorium.
Overall, this is the best place for the money and the activities they offer, both inside and outside.

Cheap kid fun alert! They charge $ 3/​person (including adults) for skokie residents and $ 5/​person (including adults) for non-​skokie residents. In my opinion this is well worth the opinion for the hours of fun your kids will have here… and the looong nap that will follow it cause they’re guaranteed to pass out from exhaustion after a day here.
We visited here on a rainy Saturday. We weren’t the only person with the grand idea of spending a rainy day here because it was pretty packed, although not nearly as busy as the play spaces can be in the city on rainy days. And you definitely won’t have a parking issue here.
My 2 yr old had a blast. She was a little too scared and young for the large tunnel area, but was fascinated by the big lite bright board and asks to go back to play with it all the time. They also have an impressive water area that rivals the one at the Kohls Children’s Museum. There’s also a cute toddler area that I know my baby will enjoy months from now. It looked like most the kids here were in the 1 – 5 yrs old range and they all looked like they were having a blast.
Definitely check the website before heading over because they have weird hours (open late on some days and closed on others). I’ve also heard it’s a popular spot for bday parties so we’re awaiting an invitation to one. And if we don’t get invited to a bday party soon we’ll most definitely be back to check out their water playground this summer.

Great spot for a play date! A small of group me and fellow mom’s met here today with our little ones. Needles to say, the kids had a blast. It’s a very open space with lots to do. Perfect for Toddlers and yonger. Much like Kohl’s Children Musem but on a smaller spectrum. You can’t beat the price, $ 5 a person!!!

We hosted our son’s 4^th birthday party here and it was such a fun experience. For the price, we had two hours for the party with a variety of times and dates. We had a back room up on the second floor for the party where we left our coats and mittens and boots while we headed downstairs and played for an hour.
Our party had kids ranging in age from 6 months old to 5 years old and there was something for everyone. The kids were sad to leave but were promised cake pops upstairs. The best way that I could describe the Exploritorium is that it’s like the Kohl’s Children Museum but contained in a smaller space and when you rent it out, it’s all for you and you’re not competing with the public.
Overall, staff was very helpful and friendly and we had such a great experience here. Thank you again!

Great value. Even for non– Skokie residents, $ 5 is very reasonable! Great rainy day activity!

For me, this place is as good as it gets. Prices have changed since earlier reviews. Under 12 months is free, ages 1 & up, and adult non-​residents is 5 dollars each.
So, for 15 dollars, me and my 3 little people had a great time. I’d have to say this is the best place I’ve seen for crawelrs/​pre-​walkers. The toddler area has so many things hanging on the wall, that it puts most indoor play places/​museums to shame. I found myself wishing my 6 month old was a bit older.
The 20 month old and 3 year old had a great time doing things geared to their age, but I could see bringing them for several more years and still getting my money’s worth.
A lot of the indoor play places in the city have cafes attached, and thus you can’t bring food from outside. This place had about 5 or 6 tables, vending area, and encouraged us to enjoy our snacks there. My only wish is that there were some highchairs.
The place was super clean, but the kids only had to take shoes off if they did the big tunnel/​slide structure. I kinda liked that I could leave their shoes on.
I saw a poster for tuesday story time in the theater area– staff was friendly. Hesistant to post this review because I liked that it wasn’t over-​populated even on a rainy day.