The Works Museum image

The Works Museum

Tourist attraction Non profit organization Science museum Childrens museum

One of the Most Reviewed Non profit organizations in Bloomington


Address

9740 Grand Ave S, Bloomington, MN 55420, United States

Website

theworks.org

Contact

+1 952-888-4262

Price rating

$ $$$

Rating on Google Maps

4.40 (503 reviews)

Open on Google Maps

Working Hours

  • Friday: Closed
  • Saturday: 10 am to 5 pm
  • Sunday: 12 to 5 pm
  • Monday: 9 am to 3 pm
  • Tuesday: Closed
  • Wednesday: Closed
  • Thursday: Closed

Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: kids (59) time (19) museum (17) great (14) activities (11) Great (11) hours (11) building (10) exhibits (10) small (10)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 4/5 Lindsay S. 9 months ago on Google • 115 reviews
    We loved it before the remodel. Since the remodel we have gone and it was fine, but nothing significant has changed yet. Wondering if there is more change coming. Also it is a fun cheaper option for play for kids.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Tony C. 5 years ago on Google • 45 reviews
    This place is really cool and there is a ton of interactive fun science and engineering types of things to do. We did not attend any of the classes well we were there, but had a lot of fun. We spent about an hour and a half here and I don't know if we would have been able to spend more time there unless we went to a class or if you came with multiple children so they could run and play and build together. This place is not huge so don't expect a ton but there are a lot of individual stations you can visit and interact with. 4 stars Because it could use some more stuff to do and see
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 2/5 Danielle 11 months ago on Google
    Unfortunately I was highly disappointed with our first ever visit to the works museum. It says no where on their website that there is only one room for the kids to enjoy and play in! We walked in the building wrong side of course first and everything was tore up like a construction site the doors weren’t locked so anybody could walk in and mess with stuff or steal it. The one room had like 4 or 5 stations that was it and you guys were still charging full price for this I couldn’t believe it!!! The stations that were available were good sensory projects to do but you really could do all the tables within an hour. I wouldn’t visit again unless they are the full museum they were before. I would also let everyone know this on your website so their aware before arriving. At least I did not see any info about it. Front desk ticket person was super friendly though great customer service!
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 2/5 Mark and Jess J. 1 year ago on Google
    Their remodel is very much focused on field trips/classrooms. That must be where a lot of their income comes from. So much space and exhibits are gone. The size of the museum is drastically decreased for general play. What is there is very engaging and many kids enjoyed it, however, it is not worth the price unless you are going on a field trip.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 Dan B. 1 year ago on Google
    Drove an hour to the cities to bring our 3 year old here for his birthday. Turns out it's just one big room with toys and a bunch of screaming kids. What a waste of time and money for 2 adults and 1 kid. If you have Legos, conex, magna tiles, blocks or other toys just stay home and play with them or spend the $45 entry fee on new toys. There isn't much to be learned here, it's just a toy room, if you have the money to go here you likely have many of the same toys at home. What more can I say, the wife and I were both very disappointed, go the children's museum instead of you really want to go somewhere beneficial with your child.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Edward C. 7 months ago on Google • 721 reviews
    Went here during MEA week. It is a bit small, but good for a 2 hour visit. The kids had a lot of fun, more of a 4-10 year kind of place. My one complaint is the tickets for adults. There is nothing for adults to do there so you are basically paying to babysit your own kids.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Kerstin N. 4 months ago on Google • 192 reviews
    Small, but fun, spot for kids to build and play. Worth a membership so you can drop in for an hour or so at a time. It does feel like there’s some unused space that hopefully will get turned into more interactive exhibits. My kids love watching the gigantic k-nex display! Free parking, friendly check-in staff member. Plenty of clean, gender neutral bathrooms available. Looks like they offer some really cool summer camp options too!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Nate J. 2 years ago on Google
    Our 3rd and 4th grader went here for a school field trip and the experience was excellent. The kids made catapults in a classroom setting and then played with the exhibits. Will definitely be back, staff and activities were great.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 patrick K. 4 years ago on Google
    Great little hands on museum. The kinex display with gravity well will excite any person any age. The laser harp is fantastic. Building bridge area is also great with multiple kids.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 S M. 11 months ago on Google
    Not even worth 10% of the money we pay. This is just a big room with bunch of toys. I don’t understand how they justify the cost of $13 for each person. My son has more toys at home than here. What a waste of money
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Jeff H. 5 months ago on Google • 88 reviews
    Solid three hours of fun packed into a relatively small place. Educational and interesting.

  • 3/5 Lacy H. 4 years ago on Google • 63 reviews
    We expected there to be more to do here, but we were still able to spend 3 hours here. The kids (6 and 9) spent the majority of their time building with large blocks and building race cars. We hoped to build robots or find coding activities. They had a good time, but we don't plant to come back.

  • 5/5 Paul K. 6 months ago on Google • 61 reviews
    Great place for children to have birthday parties. The staff was helpful and the party rooms were large. I thought it was perfect for a 2 hour party. Highly recommended. All the other parents were happy that it was both educational and fun.

  • 5/5 Eugene B. 4 years ago on Google
    Great for kids. Do expect to spend time to explain and show how stuff works. 4-6. Yrs old is probably going to be most interested.

  • 5/5 Samara B. 4 years ago on Google
    We've gone to a birthday party here and made glow-in-the-dark slime (which the kids all loved) in a party room in the basement. Then, after cake and presents the kids played in the main area for a few hours. We also attended a Girls in Engineering event. It was so big that we didn't get through it all (the museum has the floors) but we had a great time. After the event we played in the museum until closing. My daughter loves going through the sensory maze and hitting all the lasers. Lego and Magna-tile tables are always a hit. We made simple circuits to turn on lights and start fans. The fun house mirrors are hilarious. The stringless harp was constantly played by someone while we were there (both times) so it is very popular. There is a reading nook with a video playing if you or your little one need a bit of a break. It's always hard to get her to leave The Works. ;)

  • 5/5 Annie C. 4 years ago on Google
    Amazing Girl's Day! Couldn't have been better! You can easily entertain a kid there all day. Many different and fun activities where you learn a ton.

  • 5/5 gary r. 4 years ago on Google
    This place is so rad! Kids love it!

  • 1/5 Jaclyn S. 4 years ago on Google
    I was expecting an actual museum. Glad I got in for free with a free museum day pass and didn't have to pay, as it's not worth it. This place is small and basically a glorified romper room for kids ages 2-6. The place was a mess and needed lots of updates.

  • 5/5 Traverna D. 4 years ago on Google
    Nice place to get some energy out and learn at the same time!

  • 5/5 Anna T. 2 years ago on Google
    We've had a great time at Works Museum today. Kids had so much fun. It is just a right place to begin the spring break. Thank you.

  • 5/5 Zvi G. 2 years ago on Google
    We love the Works museum! It’s worth every penny to become members. It’s really a fantastic experience with all the STEM learning and engineering concepts. My 4 year old daughter absolutely loves it. It wasn’t very busy either, and I’m really pleased they have a strict masking policy for kids and adults. Everyone was masked correctly so we all stayed safe. I highly recommend this museum as hands-on fun for kids and adults alike. Curious George exhibits were really neat and it was interesting learning the author’s life story as well as seeing memorabilia from the history of the book series. Important: I wrote “free” admission because we are members. Membership is an annual fee, it’s very reasonable!

  • 4/5 Joe D. 2 years ago on Google
    Great spot to let the kids explore and play. What is really nice is there's things for older and younger kids to do. Almost everything in there can be interacted with. When we were there, the second floor was closed, so there was less to do, but the kids had a blast!

  • 5/5 Haily M. 2 years ago on Google
    My almost two year old loved it. I was afraid there wouldn't be much for him to do being so young, but he had fun exploring the interactive displays and playing with large cushion blocks. Children under 2 free

  • 5/5 linda v. 4 years ago on Google
    Great place to bring your kids and explore the activities. Fundamental and kid friendly I would recommend coming back here.

  • 5/5 Isaac Catalan 0. 4 years ago on Google
    This place is great

  • 2/5 Annette Mora t. 2 years ago on Google
    It is organized and clean. However, it is a very small place and tailored to toddlers. I thought there would be more opportunities for kids ages 7 and up to build and learn, however, it mostly resembles a small daycare in terms of the toys available.

  • 5/5 Tony P. 2 years ago on Google
    So much fun for Tech Fest! Exhibitors were knowledgeable, volunteers and staff were super helpful...we love this place!

  • 4/5 Mister J. 5 years ago on Google
    Went here on a field trip with elementary aged kids. The kids had fun with the interactive exhibits. The instructors from the museum also did a nice job interacting and teaching the kids. The museum itself is relatively small and there's relatively few exhibits. Parking is plentiful and free.

  • 1/5 Emily 1 year ago on Google
    I would not recommend the camps for kids here. The program seemed disorganized and lacked communication. It took over 20 min to get into the building to pickup my child (no one answered the phone), items were stolen during our day of camp from another child attending the camp who lied and claimed our stuff was his, and my child was excluded from snack time because the program failed to notify us that we had to bring a snack (every other program we've attended has a stash of extras). The kids were not given any time to run around, no recess or outdoor time, but instead remained in 2 rooms to work independently on taping cardboard pieces together. The project our child brought home looked like he received no help. The staff at pickup was dismissive and unfriendly. I reached out to the program and was offered some free passes. We've done camps at the zoo, snapology, and the arboretum and never experienced any of this. The Works camp is substandard and I don't recommend you send your child there.

  • 3/5 Nathan D. 6 years ago on Google
    My 3 girls loved it. The displays that are setup are great for kids 10 and under. The station that are available are the right things to keeps kids busy for at least 3 hours. The building is small, but there is a lot of unused space and there could be more interactive displays. There seems to be an excessive amount of classroom space. It is really clean for the number of kids that pass through.

  • 4/5 Logan P. 6 years ago on Google
    We recently hosted my son's birthday party here and it was a great experience. The kids had plenty to do and were exploring and learning the entire time. We had an activity for the kids where they made their own slime which was a huge hit. It was a casual, worry free environment where the kids could just have fun and learn at the same time.

  • 3/5 Niki u. 1 year ago on Google
    Because of the renovations that are happening in the building under half of the building is available to explore. But what was there was super fun and we were still able to find things to do for nearly two hours!

  • 4/5 Bart R. 10 months ago on Google
    Great concept. Maybe keep adding different science projects for all levels that might be simple yet fun. Didn't care for all the kids running around, waiting for a collision with the younger kids. Thought the prices were a little steep at $13 each.

  • 2/5 w r. 10 months ago on Google
    Two disappointments. 1. For $13 I really expected a whole lot more. It was quite small. 2. Lots of groups of kids that had little chaperoning. If your kids are not the pushy aggressive type, they won’t be able to do much.

  • 2/5 Julie S. 10 months ago on Google
    I would not recommend going to The Works until their full set of exhibits are in place. Currently there is not much to do. The walls were so filthy. I encourage them to put out some hand sanitizer around all the exhibits as well since everything is very hands on.

  • 5/5 Marc D. 9 months ago on Google
    Great space with hands-on activities for kids that are informative and enjoyable. Kids learn things while they have fun. They also do kids' bday parties and they have camps for school-aged children.

  • 5/5 Kathleen W. 7 months ago on Google
    Chaperone for Grandson's class, had a great time! Very interesting learning areas, and all the kids had fun. The Adults too! Have some amazing displays with activities.

  • 2/5 Brooke S. 4 years ago on Google
    I took my 3.5 and 7 year old boys for the second time today. They really enjoy all the building opportunities and were excited for a set of stations where you were supposed to make something out of paper (a visor in our case). I was extremely disappointed by how confusing the instructions were (perhaps we picked the wrong thing to make?), there were no staff members available for guidance (or even in the room at all) and furthermore, the supplies were lacking - pencils were not sharpened, string was all used up, etc. We were there within an hour of opening so either the supplies were depleted quickly or they weren't stocked well in the first place. We were bummed.

  • 4/5 Elizabeth S. 5 years ago on Google
    My kids (9&12) really enjoyed it. I loved all of the hands on activities. It is a little on the small side, but my kids didn't mind. They were sad to leave after 3 hours.

  • 5/5 Virginia F. 4 years ago on Google
    Great place for hands on experience

  • 5/5 Brian M. 4 years ago on Google
    Our family spent about three hours here and really had a fun time. My kids are 7 and 4 and they really liked all of the hands on exibits. This is a really good place for pre-teen and early teen kids. The Works has a nice mix of education and fun that teaches and entertains. I look forward to visiting again.

  • 5/5 Frank G. 4 years ago on Google
    Fun interactive stations!

  • 5/5 Kim D. 4 years ago on Google
    My 4 year old grandson loved it;

  • 5/5 Nathan S. 4 years ago on Google
    Fun, interactive

  • 5/5 Meladie S. 4 years ago on Google
    Great experiences for young minds to learn about how things work and how to engineer!

  • 4/5 Brandon R. 4 years ago on Google
    Fun place to take the kids for a few hours! When you walk in, expect to be underwhelmed but once the kids start playing and experimenting, you will realize there’s a lot to do!

  • 5/5 R. W. 4 years ago on Google
    Was always a favorite place of my son's to go to. Love the hands on participation- keeps kids of all ages busy and interested for quite a while!

  • 4/5 Ken F. 4 years ago on Google
    Fun, hands-on learning for kids.

  • 4/5 Ray G. 4 years ago on Google
    A good museum for four years and up. Lots of hands on activities even if they don't entirely understand the points.

  • 5/5 Josh V. 4 years ago on Google
    It was A lot of fun. I went as a chaperone for my daughters school. They were very organized and well prepared for the group. The exhibits were entertaining and the classroom activity was very cool.

  • 5/5 Miss Madie E. 4 years ago on Google
    So much fun and so engaging for kids of all ages! Especially those older kids who love STEM activities!! It's very hands on and has lots of parents involvement!! We love going here!

  • 3/5 Matthew S. 4 years ago on Google
    It's a very small place

  • 5/5 abbey p. 4 years ago on Google
    I've only been here once with my four year old son but we had a blast. A lot of the activities were a little over his head but he still found plenty to do and has asked to go back several times. I love that everything is hands on and science-based. So much learning is happening! Definitely recommend!

  • 5/5 Peter G. 4 years ago on Google
    Lots of fun. The kids loved it!

  • 5/5 Rena C. 6 years ago on Google
    Small museum that packs a big punch. Ideal for ages 4 and up with older kids getting more out of it. We had our 5-year-old's birthday party here and it was great. Besides emergency exits, there is only one way in/out of the main museum so it was easy to keep track of our little engineers. Even so, we got them construction worker dress up play jackets so they could be spotted easily. The museum itself is pretty much one big room so the kids can go from one activity to the next without getting lost.

  • 5/5 Ywh K. 4 years ago on Google
    Love this place, great for kids. My cousins had fun here

  • 5/5 A. J. 4 years ago on Google
    Really neat place. The kids had a blast at the exhibits. We spent about 3 hours here. We will come back for sure!

  • 4/5 Julie T. 4 years ago on Google
    There are truly lots of stations to explore and create. The staff do a great job of keeping the groups engaged and focused on the projects.

  • 5/5 Steve B. 4 years ago on Google
    Hands on learning! Super fun Knex Machine!

  • 5/5 Jenny T. 4 years ago on Google
    Fun for 2 to 3 hours

  • 5/5 misty s. 4 years ago on Google
    Great place for kids to learn while they have fun playing

  • 4/5 Stephen H. 4 years ago on Google
    Great for school kids

  • 5/5 Laura E. 4 years ago on Google
    Wonder space with an awesome variety!

  • 4/5 Mike R. 4 years ago on Google
    Pretty cool place to spend a couple of hours

  • 4/5 Ryan L. 4 years ago on Google
    It's a fun place to take your little ones but it can get a bit crazy if it's a school holiday or a school group comes in.

  • 5/5 Heidi I. 4 years ago on Google
    Fantastic place to spend and afternoon. My 5 year old had a great time building & exploring

  • 4/5 Ryan H. 4 years ago on Google
    educational activity for kids - annual pass makes sense - if you're only going once though the $9 daily admission is a bit steep

  • 5/5 Jennifer T. 4 years ago on Google
    I didn't know this existed until I went on a school field trip. The students had so much fun building, designing, creating. We also made slime with an engineer. Ours was great with explaining the process, what each solution was and did. Highly recommend going!

  • 3/5 XL Z. 4 years ago on Google
    The content is surprisingly short in winter. after 1st hour, we are so bored of the toys provided. Maybe it has some fun in the week day.

  • 5/5 Royce P. 4 years ago on Google
    Small but some really fun stuff. The ball contraption there is huge and captivated for an hour.

  • 5/5 paul m. 4 years ago on Google
    Good price for kids, but adults and seniors should be lower

  • 4/5 Kristen J. 4 years ago on Google
    Very Educational. Also alot of things to build.

  • 5/5 Annie R. 3 months ago on Google • 1 review New
    The Works Museum is fantastic. I took my second grade class there for a field trip and they were so amazed by all of the hands-on activities and said it was "their favorite field trip of all time". It gave them a chance to independently explore their interests and also provided structure and safe boundaries. There was also a guided lesson where the kids got a chance to create an airplane! Additionally, the staff were kind, patient, kid-friendly, and fun. Thank you Works Museum... we will be back!


Call +1 952-888-4262 Open on Google Maps

Amenities


  • Accessibility
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible toilet
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible car park
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible entrance

Trends



Last updated:

Similar Tourist attractions nearby

Last updated:
()