The London Children's Museum Review

The new London Children’s Museum, has been open since January. My kids and I decided to visit before school’s out for the summer to explore the updated exhibits and check out the new space.

If you’re visiting with an autistic child, check out my detailed guide on my sister site AutismOnVacation.com, to help make your trip smoother, with tips on sensory-friendly areas and what to expect.

In this post, I share the essentials, my London Children’s Museum review, plus how it compares to the old location.

New London Children’s Museum: Essential Info

London Children’s Museum New Location: The new London Children’s Museum (in London, Ontario), is located at 100 Kellogg Lane, inside the same building as The Factory.

London Children’s Museum Parking and Entrance: Parking is free in five lots around Kellogg Lane, with the closest lot at the corner of Kellogg Lane and Dundas Street. When you arrive, use the main entrance with large glass windows, then take the elevator up to the fourth floor where the museum is located. A detailed London Children’s Museum map is available at guest services to help you explore the exhibits with ease or to be downloaded here.

London Children’s Museum Tickets: can be purchased online or at the door, for $15 per person (12 months and under are free).

London Children’s Museum Hours:

Mondays: closed
Tuesday to Thursday: 9:30am – 4:30pm
Friday: 9:30am – 7:00pm
Saturday & Sunday: 9:30am – 5:00pm

Plus, TD Free Family Fun Night Thursdays 5:00pm – 8:00pm

Double check online before you go, as hours are subject to change.

If you’re planning to stay the night to check out some other London attractions, here are my top 3 hotel recommendations for families:

Delta Hotels London Armouries – With its castle-inspired design, kids will love it. The hotel features a heated indoor pool, two onsite restaurants, and is pet-friendly.
Hard Rock Hotel –The most conveniently located (also at 100 Kellogg Lane), this pet-friendly hotel has an indoor/outdoor pool and onsite restaurants, making it easy for families to relax and dine.
Best Western Plus Lamplighter Inn – My top choice and our favorite place to stay in London. The pool area feels like a tropical paradise, with a waterfall flowing into the pool, a hot tub, and a fun waterslide open on weekends.

London Children’s Museum Exhibits

Taking my kids to the old museum always felt a little nostalgic—I grew up going there too, and honestly, not much had changed since then. I was happy to see that most of the original exhibit themes made the move to the new location, just updated and in a much nicer space. You’ll still find areas for space, a little town, a treehouse playground, and all the usual favorites—plus a new water play zone.

Branching Out

Branching Out is the first exhibit you’ll see when you enter through the bridge beside Guest Services. It’s in the main open area, spread across both sides. The space looks great, with big trees and a natural vibe.

On the left, there’s a rock-climbing wall entranceway into the treehouse or on the right, stairs lead up to the second floor. You can come back down the same stairs or take the slide—a fully enclosed, dark tube with glowing stars inside.

Upstairs, you’ll find rope rails, nets, and three bridges. One is a rope walk: a thick rope that’s easy to walk on with nets on each side for balance.

On the ground level, behind a tree on the left side, there’s a large family swing. To the left of that same tree there is an area with tree stump seats and a basket of books for quiet time. On the right side, there are tree stumps to climb up to a small platform and a large tree trunk tunnel.

This exhibit is much bigger than the treehouse area at the old London Children’s Museum, which was always busy and chaotic. The old treehouse was small, just stairs leading to a small platform with a slide and a cave under the tree. I like that this is the first exhibit you walk into—kids can jump straight into active play and burn off some energy before heading into the calmer pretend play areas.

Discovery lab

Just past Branching Out, on the left, is the Discovery Lab—a hands-on maker space focused on STEAM learning, featuring rotating setups.

During our visit, there were Etch A Sketches, Rubik’s cubes, a giant soft Jenga, tubs of kinetic sand, and craft tables. One large table had a DIY skate park built with some plastic ramps and others built by kids from cardboard, complete with fingerboards for testing.

The old children’s museum had a similar space, but my kids never paid it much attention. This version is much more engaging and visually appealing—and it wasn’t crowded. It’s better for older kids or tweens who want to focus and build while younger siblings head to more active exhibits nearby.

Community Rooms

Back in the main open area, past Branching Out, you’ll find the Community Rooms area, a miniature town pretend play exhibit. It starts with a smart car kids can hop into, then moves through several themed spaces.

First on the right is the School. It’s a small room with a table and chairs (there were magnetic activity boards on it when we went) and books on shelves on both sides. At the back, there’s a small teacher’s desk with a whiteboard, magnetic letters, a changeable calendar, and a hundred chart carpet (that had alphabet blocks set out to play with) beside it.
On the left side is the House. The main room is a cozy living room (with a child-sized couch, chair, fireplace, and giant stuffed dog) and a kitchen (stocked with pretend food and dishes), and a kid size dining table in the middle, with a high chair. The two rooms off the main room are a baby’s room (with dolls in a crib and a rocking chair) and a Duplo block room with buildable walls.
Across from the house is the Restaurant, featuring local favorite Shaw’s Ice Cream. There’s a little patio table out front. Inside there are two adult tables and one kids’ table. The kitchen area has play stoves, sinks, a drink machine, a large ice cream bar, and a cash register. There’s lots of food toys and space for multiple kids to play.
Further down on the right is Rescue Headquarters, with a firetruck kids can climb into, fire jackets and hats for dress-up, a map with magnets, and two phones.
Next is the Wellness Centre. The left side of it is a dentist office with a kid-sized dental chair, toy tools, and a medical bed on the wall. On the right is a yoga space with mats and cards, a crash mat, and some blocks.
Last is the Market. It’s well-stocked with toy produce, shelves of pretend food, a seafood area, three cash registers, and little shopping carts. A huge upgrade from the sparse, run down version at the old museum.

This exhibit is a major improvement over what the London Children’s Museum used to offer (it was the worst set up I’ve seen for a community exhibit in a children’s museum). The old version was crowded and chaotic, with plasma cars zipping around and just enough toys for one or two kids at a time. While each “building” had its own space, they were close together in one large room, increasing the noise levels and busyness.

This new space is more spread out, with better defined buildings, making it feel less crowded and lowering the volume. Each section is better stocked and more detailed, making it easier for multiple kids to stay engaged. Honestly, this is probably the best upgrade of the new London Children’s Museum exhibits.

What’s missing is the old Child Long Ago area, where the school room used to be. It was a personal favorite from my own childhood, though it had definitely worn down over the years. This modern version is more engaging for today’s kids, but I do miss the nostalgia.

Community exhibits like this are my favorite part of any children’s museum. It gives kids an opportunity to dive deep into pretend play, and this one is especially well-designed—with enough materials and room for everyone to get into it. And best of all? No more plasma cars slamming into your ankles.

Farm Works

Next up in the open area is Farm Works, a very spread-out exhibit.

At the center is a life-size cow behind a fence that kids can “milk.” There’s also a chicken coop with stuffed hens in nests and baskets for collecting eggs. Next to that is a pig pen with stuffed pigs and there is a toy farm set nearby with stools for seated play.

Across from the animal area is a two-row corn field, stocked with toy corn that kids can gather in a wheelbarrow and take over to a corn-cutting machine. There’s also a garden where kids can pick other crops, and a real tractor they can climb on. The setup gives kids plenty of room to explore and engage with different types of pretend farm work.

Just beyond the farm area is the factory, a more enclosed space with a gear wall, a large roller table, and a crane. Upstairs, the exhibit continues with Corn Processing, which features a big gear wall with a ball track, and a packing station.

While this exhibit is bigger and better stocked than the old museum’s small farm-themed area, the layout isn’t great. It’s split into three different sections—part of it open, part enclosed, and part on the second floor. The corn cutter machine is placed right in front of the Unearthed exhibit, and it’s not obvious at first that it’s part of Farm Works.

That said, the space is engaging and well-used. I saw a lot of kids really getting into it—hauling corn around in the wheelbarrow, milking the cow, or harvesting crops. Compared to the old museum, where the farm area was in with the treehouse playground, this is a big upgrade with way more to do and explore.

Unearthed

Unearthed is located just to the left of the Farm Works exhibit, in a much more self-contained space. This is one of the more popular spots in the London Children’s Museum.

The first part of the exhibit is the Dinosaur Dig Pit, filled with small beads for kids to dig through and uncover dinosaur bones. Across from it are dinosaur costumes for dress-up. Past it is the Field Lab, which includes books on dinosaurs and rocks, a telescope, and various objects on display. In the center of the space is a table with foam pieces so kids can build their own dinosaurs. On the right side are the caves, which lead into an ice cave with a light table (that had Magna-Tiles on it when we went).

The layout and size of Unearthed is similar to the old museum, but it’s a much cleaner, more modern setup. The dig pit is larger, the displays are better, and the dinosaur-building table was a hit (Zen spent a lot of time there), making it a great area for older kids while younger siblings play nearby.

The only downside is that the Dig Pit was packed when we visited. There are two small benches nearby for parents, which wasn’t enough room for all the parents, and the pit looked too crowded for the kids to really enjoy the experience. I’d love to see this area get a bit more supervision or maybe even a guest limit to help keep things manageable.

Above and Beyond

Beside Unearthed, you’ll find the stairs leading to Above and Beyond, the Museum’s space exhibit.

It starts with Mission Control, large enough for several kids to play at once. Across from it is the Space Shuttle, with a bench inside and a screen playing a space launch. Nearby, there are space suits and helmets for dress-up.

Around the corner are a few displays and the planetarium, which runs a 15-minute star show. It focuses mostly on constellations, with quick stops at two planets before heading back to Earth. Just outside the planetarium is a small quiet space with a crash pad, a basket of books, and a simple STEAM activity on a table.

This area looks a lot better than the old version, but it’s smaller and doesn’t have as much room to play. While kids still enjoyed it, the play didn’t last as long. In this case, the old London Children’s Museum space exhibit had more room to play and kept kids engaged longer.

STREAM

Back downstairs, at the far end of the main open area past Farm Works, is STREAM—a 70-foot-long water table and probably the most popular exhibit at the London Children’s Museum.

Water and plastic balls flow from one end of the table to the other, winding around corners and through different obstacles. Midway through is a ball launcher (you’ll get splashed when it hits), followed by a spiral ball slide, and another launcher downstream that shoots into a water vortex. At the far end is a fishing area with magnetic fish and poles.

This was a clear favorite for a lot of kids, including Brie. Even Zen stayed engaged longer than I expected. I liked seeing a full row of water smocks available—Brie actually wore one, which kept her dry. I also like that this exhibit is located at the back of the museum. It lets kids burn off some energy before they hit the water.

The old London Children’s Museum didn’t have anything like this, so it’s a great addition to the museum. I’ve seen similar water tables at other children’s museums, and they’re always a hit—especially with younger kids or anyone who enjoys sensory experiences.

The Annex

The Annex is the final exhibit space, just past STREAM. It’s in a separate room used for special events and rotating exhibits. On our visit, it was set up for paper airplanes, with three tables for building and a test zone with hula hoops to aim through.

The old Children’s Museum in London, had similar multi-use rooms—one upstairs once held a temporary Egypt exhibit, and another on the main floor was filled with scooter boards on our last visit.

Other Spaces in the London Children’s Museum

Quiet Room: Beside the washrooms in the STREAM exhibit area, there is a door leading to two small rooms. One is a sensory-friendly Quiet Room for kids who need a break.

Baby Care Room: The other room is a spacious Baby Care Room with a microwave, comfy chair, mats, and a crash mat—big enough for parents to bring all their kids inside comfortably.

Coat Room: Located just inside the main entrance on the right side of Guest Services. It has plenty of cubbies for coats and bags. We left a snack bag there without issues.

Gift Shop: Tucked away to the left of Guest Services, the shop is out of immediate sight so kids won’t be constantly asking for toys.

Washrooms: The museum has three universal/family-style washroom locations, which is great for a space this size and helpful for parents with kids of different genders.

Eating Area: Tables are set up to the right of the Branching Out exhibit where you can eat your own lunch or snacks (outside food is allowed). There’s also a vending machine with sandwiches, wraps, Lunchables, and fruit. Plus, the museum offers in-and-out privileges if you want to explore dining options nearby, like at 100 Kellogg or other local spots.

The last time that I brought my kids to the old museum, they were 12 and 14 and definitely aging out of it. We were in and out fast and left feeling like it wasn’t really worth the time. This time, we stayed for a full three hours, checking out every area. I don’t know that it would hold their attention that long on a return trip, but it was definitely more engaging for them than the previous version.

The new London Children’s Museum is a major upgrade—more space, more engaging exhibits, and better layout for both kids and parents. If you’re local or just visiting the area, it’s worth adding to your list.

For more reviews of family-friendly attractions across Southwest Ontario and North America, follow me on Facebook or TikTok. I cover everything from practical travel tips to the best destinations, attractions, and events for families.

The London Children’s Museum Review