Iowa - Go Anyway Travel Blog

These Children’s Museums and Science Centers Filled Our Toddler with Wonder

We’re making our way through Midwest destinations and hoping to expand our list

The other day, I asked myself a big question: “what are my happiest memories?” Among several great contenders, I was surprised to note one day in particular: My daughter’s first visit to the Omaha Children’s Museum. She was almost one at the time, and she was just mobile enough to start exploring more freely and to take in the expanding world around her. Watching her excitement as we set her free to wander and wonder in a new space was a remarkable experience. Though she wasn’t a talker, she was visibly overjoyed. In turn, so was I.

From that point forward, we made it our goal to check out as many children’s museums as possible during our travels. As with my round-up of aquariums, I plan to keep this post updated whenever we visit a new destination. For now, here’s an overview of the children’s museums and science centers in the Midwest that we’ve visited so far.

Omaha Children’s Museum

Parking: There’s a free lot on the south side of the building, and we’ve always found a spot there.

What We Liked: During our first visit to the Omaha Children’s Museum, when our daughter was 11-months-old, we were enamored by the Wiggle Room — an age-appropriate space for little ones who aren’t walking. According to the museum’s website, this room is designed for children at the developmental ages of 0 to 18 months. In our hometown, we’ve had trouble finding attractions that cater specifically to this age group, so we took full advantage. The space features large foam blocks to crawl on, along with interactive toys at just the right height, mirrors, and spots to sit and read. With so many baby-friendly features, we were pleasantly surprised that the museum doesn’t charge admission for visitors younger than two.

What We Didn’t Like: My only complaint is that the museum closes at 4 p.m. on Tuesday through Friday and 5 p.m. on weekends. These hours keep us on our toes when we drive in from Des Moines. An extra hour at the end of the day would make things more comfortable for out-of-towners. That said, the existing hours are doable.

The Omaha Children’s Museum offers a Nurture Room for breastfeeding. We checked it out, but didn’t use the room, during our most recent visit in May of 2024.

Baby/Toddler-Friendliness: We’ve always found the Omaha Children’s Museum very accommodating for families with young children. There’s a spacious family restroom with a changing table on the first floor that we’ve used more than once. The museum’s website says there are also “restrooms with multiple stalls and changing tables on both floors”, along with a small potty next to the Light Piano on the first floor. When it comes to breastfeeding, there’s a designated space beside the Wiggle Room. During our first visit, I used the family restroom to pump before I discovered this Nurture Room. In the future, I would choose the Nurture Room instead. We brought a stroller during both of our visits, and we’ve never had any trouble navigating or finding places to park it when needed.

Favorite Exhibit: Aside from the Wiggle Room, we really enjoy the Platte River Water Table in the Imagination Playground. Picture a winding water exhibit with plenty of wheels, gears, and buckets for creative play. Yes, our daughter did get soaked. But her fun outweighed the minor inconvenience.

Science City (Kansas City)

Our daughter had so much fun playing in the toddler area at Science City in Kansas City during both of our visits in September of 2023 and June of 2024.

Parking: We’ve always found a spot in front of the building, but we usually end up driving around for a minute or two waiting. Beyond this lot, Union Station offers a parking garage. Either way, there is a fee to park.

What We Liked: Science City at Union Station has a lovely space set aside for babies and toddlers. These separate areas are in their own room with nearby stroller parking. Our daughter was roughly 14-months old during our first visit. She had outgrown the baby space, but the toddler space was the perfect fit, with its climbing area, trains and cars, blocks, and other age-appropriate toys. She appreciated the whole museum, but this area was our home base.

What We Didn’t Like: Science City charges full price for children older than 12 months. On one hand, I don’t mind paying for the great toddler amenities. On the other hand, $17 per person (the price when we visited) — plus the cost of parking — adds up, especially for families with multiple children. Union Station members get in for free, and this is a membership we might consider if we lived closer to Kansas City.

We found plenty of activities in the toddler area of Science City in Kansas City during our visits in September of 2023 and June of 2024.

Baby/Toddler-Friendliness: Science City offers a spacious family restroom in the toddler area, as well as a nursing space with a chair, sink, and changing table. I was no longer breastfeeding or pumping during our first visit, but the nursing space seemed very well equipped for either purpose. What surprised us most was the small dining area in the toddler room. There were tables, high chairs, and a microwave and sink. We brought a meal for our daughter, and we were able to warm it up, feed her, and clean up right there in the museum! Overall, this spot was very baby- and toddler-friendly.

Our Favorite Exhibit: Our daughter absolutely loved the make-believe cave in the toddler room. She enjoyed crawling around the space, playing with the stuffed animals, and looking through the nearby books. There was also a playhouse with a kitchen right next door where she spent plenty of time.

Peace Pavilion (Independence, MO)

Peace Pavilion in Independence, MO, places focus on peaceful resolution, diversity, and exploration. We enjoyed all the spaces we explored during our visit in March of 2025.

Parking: There’s a large parking lot in front of the museum. Parking was free and easy to find.

What We Liked: As the name suggests, this museum places emphasis on peace, conflict resolution, and taking care of the planet. Their website says they’re “dedicated to building peace by equipping children and adults to learn about peace, cultivate peaceful environments, and take actions that lead to peaceful outcomes.” Before visiting, I worried that a religious vibe might lurk behind this focus, which isn’t our family’s style, but that definitely wasn’t the case. I loved their approach to this philosophy, as well as the focus on music, diversity, and learning. The museum staff were also thorough about tidying each space between visitors, ensuring a consistent experience for everyone. This, in turn, helped encourage my daughter and I to clean up after ourselves.

What We Didn’t Like: Our visit started off with an awkward video presentation about the Peace Pavilion and its values. I love these values, but the unnatural pause didn’t really work for our family. I would rather learn about the museum through exploration, and my 2.5-year-old daughter seemed to feel the same way.

Peace Pavilion in Independence, MO, offers an area that’s great for toddlers. Our 2.5-year-old daughter enjoyed spaces throughout the museum in March of 2025, including this space.

Baby/Toddler-Friendliness: As with other children’s museums, Peace Pavilion offers a separate space designed for toddlers, and we enjoyed that area quite a bit. Beside the toddler area, you’ll find a family restroom with an adjacent infant-care space, including a changing table, toddler toilet, and a rocking chair for nursing and pumping. The staff did a great job making me aware of this restroom. However, we did find several restrooms on-site without changing tables, so you’ll want to locate this one in particular. This museum seemed stroller-friendly, but we didn’t bring ours during this visit.

Favorite Exhibit: My daughter spent the most time in the first room, focused on “Peace for Me”. She enjoyed the healthy food area, and she loved playing the drum in the playhouse. My favorite feature was the flow from exhibit to exhibit, starting with personal peace and advancing to relationships, community, and global peace and sustainability. I’ll also give the final room a shout out for its electric recycling truck exhibit! My daughter had lots of fun here.

Iowa Children’s Museum (Coralville, IA)

During our visit to the Iowa Children’s Museum in March of 2025, our daughter especially enjoyed exploring Imagineacres, an area focused on activities for toddlers.

Parking: This museum is located in Coral Ridge Mall, which offers plenty of free parking.

What We Liked: As a former resident of the Iowa City metro, I can attest to the fact that Iowa City has character and artistic flair. This carries through at the Iowa Children’s Museum. The space is true to the local vibe, focusing on art, music, and theater. Iowa City’s local personality especially shines through in the Courtyard of Curiosity upstairs.

What We Didn’t Like: This museum seemed to place slightly more emphasis on older children than others we’ve been to, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Our daughter was roughly 2.5 when we visited, so she wasn’t quite ready for several exhibits. But we know she’ll grow into them. The museum did offer a dedicated toddler space that our daughter enjoyed quite a bit. It was also busy during our visit, which may have skewed my assessment. Our daughter gets nervous in crowds. She might have explored some areas more thoroughly on a quiet day.

Our daughter was a bit young to fully appreciate the Take Flight exhibit at the Iowa Children’s Museum during our visit in March of 2025, but we look forward to returning and watching her grow into it.

Baby/Toddler-Friendliness: We did end up finding several exhibits that were just right for toddlers. Our daughter enjoyed the City Grocery area (pretend shopping is always a favorite), Coral Cove, and Imaginacres. Coral Cove features an expansive playhouse, and our daughter loved exploring the imaginary garden in Imagineacres. We located two family restrooms upstairs, as well as a family sanctuary attached to the upstairs toddler space. The sanctuary is a great spot to breastfeed, pump, or take a quiet break. The museum’s website further specifies that every restroom on-site offers a changing table, and that parents are welcome to nurse throughout the museum. Additionally, a nursing room is available in the nearby mall food court area.

Favorite Exhibit: Imagineacres, focused on simulated farming and gardening, was definitely the highlight for us during our most recent visit. But I look forward to watching our daughter grow into the Take Flight exhibit. This feature is pretty unique, with a focus on aviation, several planes to pretend-fly, and a huge, twirly blue slide.

What’s next for us? This year, we’re hoping to return to the Science Center of Iowa here in our hometown and visit the Chicago Children’s Museum for the first time. We’re also keeping an eye on relocation plans for the Des Moines Children’s Museum. Check back for more details as our travels continue!

Traveling with a Newborn: Our Family’s First Trip

Starting small worked for our family of three

In 2022, as the leaves began to brighten and curl, we started planning our first trip as a family of three. My husband and I took plenty of adventures together as a couple: Paris, Chamonix, Key West, the Pacific Northwest, the Appalachians, the Rockies, and many more. But with our newborn daughter, we knew we needed to rewind back to the basics.

So, we started close to home. Very close to home. Pella, Iowa, is located just 45 minutes east of our hometown, Urbandale. It features a small-but-charming downtown square and a nearby lake — the largest in Iowa — to hike along. We were familiar with the hike, and both the outdoor and downtown legs would be bite-sized experiences to make a manageable overnight.

Hiking is almost always on our trip itineraries. This was true before our daughter was born, and it’s still true as a family of three. We encountered this lovely scene on a hike in Lake Red Rock State Park in October of 2022.

At this point in the story, you might expect a turn: the moment when I reveal that our simple trip wasn’t as simple as it seemed (especially after my last post about our antics on the way to Duluth). But that’s not the case this time. In fact, our plan of starting small and working our way up to more elaborate trips has been mostly successful — which isn’t to say we haven’t encountered comical and highly preventable errors along the way.

Starting small gave us the opportunity to ease into our new family travel style close to home. We learned what worked for us and translated that learning into longer trips down the road. Here’s a rundown of our first trip, and what we learned on the way:

What We Learned in Pella

Breastfeed in the car before hotel check-in
Feed and pump on the go to avoid frequent hotel stops
Book a hotel with a full-size fridge, sink, and couch

Breastfeeding was the name of the game back in October of 2022. It was the thread that ran through our lives no matter our location or activity. When we planned our trip to Pella, our top consideration wasn’t the proximity of interesting restaurants or how many stars the hotel had earned. It was accommodating our breastfeeding schedule.

The first obstacle came soon enough. As a couple, we never spent too much time fretting over our check-in time. But while breastfeeding, the gap between arrival and check-in matters. Our hotel, GrandStay Hotel & Suites Pella (now Links Bos Landen Hotel & Spa of Pella) had a typical check-in time of 3 p.m. But we wanted to make the most of the day, so we hit the road early, right after a morning feeding. This wouldn’t be a matter of calling and asking to check in an hour early (which we’ve done under other circumstances), so we knew we needed a creative spot to feed.

Our solution was actually quite simple. We took a pause right in the parking lot of the hotel and fed our daughter in the car. Since check-in was still hours off, there was no one around. I would be lying if I said I have crystal clear memories of this particular feeding, but in this case, that can only be a good thing. Unmemorable means no disasters.

We ended up doing multiple feedings in the car over the next several months, and the set-up was always pretty straight forward:

Nurse in the passenger seat with a cover
Diaper change in the backseat with our portable changing station
Pump in the passenger seat, using the armrest as a surface
Store pumped milk in the cooler bag that came with our pump

During our trip to Pella, I also ended up pumping in a cramped coffee shop restroom (my husband bottle fed our daughter at our table). Pumping in a restroom is never ideal, but it was also unavoidable in this situation. Pumping on the go allowed us to explore more than an hour-ish at a time without driving back to our hotel. I cover more details about pumping in restrooms, when necessary, in my series about traveling to Las Vegas. I have a lot of mixed feelings about the topic that deserve a post of their own.

After pumping, we had a great time taking photos with the windmill in Pella’s town square, perusing novelty shops, and trying sweets at Jaarsma bakery (don’t leave without a Dutch letter).

A friendly passerby took this photo of our family of three in Pella, Iowa, in October of 2022.

That night, we checked into our hotel and found everything we needed in our room. The room wasn’t especially luxurious (at least before the hotel changed hands), but we weren’t looking for anything fancy. We were less focused on the vibe and more focused on our necessities: a full refrigerator, a kitchen sink, and a couch.

Arguably, my number one tip for traveling with a baby while pumping is to book a hotel with a full refrigerator, instead of just a minifridge. A minifridge might be adequate to keep breastmilk cold, but it won’t re-freeze an icepack. If you’re planning to travel with breastmilk on hand, you’ll need the right tools to keep that milk cold. Of course, if you’re exclusively breastfeeding, the full fridge matters less.

The kitchen sink isn’t a requirement, but it’s nice to have a separate area to sanitize your pump parts, bottles, etc. Most hotels with a full fridge will also offer this perk. Finally, the couch allows you to set up a spacious feeding/pumping station. I had terrible luck whenever I tried to pump or feed in bed, and couches offer more space and surface than an armchair.

We ended our night at El Charro Mexican Grill. I wasn’t impressed by the food, but as a vegetarian, I can only speak to a sliver of the menu. Although the meal was mediocre, we enjoyed the atmosphere and, above all else, we basked in the rare night out. Our daughter came with us, and we set her carrier in the booth, where she happily napped while we ate. Afterwards, all went well overnight, as we rested up for day number two.

What We Learned at Red Rock State Park

Don’t forget the wearable baby carrier for hiking
Paved trails can be an alternative
Baby-wearing hikes are slower and shorter but still worth it and a great workout

I left out one detour in my description of our day in Pella: the panicked trip to Wal-Mart. We realized when we got to Pella that we forgot to pack our wearable baby carrier. It was a hand-me-down gift from my sister-in-law, and we were excited to give it a try.

I love hiking, and the experience is only improved by baby snuggles. We tried our carrier out for the first time at Red Rock State Park in October of 2022.

During past trips as a couple, hiking was always on the itinerary. We never worried much about whether the trail was paved or rugged. We took it as it came.

As new parents, hiking definitely wasn’t impossible, but it was more complicated. Rugged trails are usually a no-go for strollers, and long trails with elevation change can be tough while baby-wearing for the non-athletic outdoors enthusiast. In this case, we weren’t sure if we would find a paved trail, but we knew we wanted to hike.

We’re not in the habit of replacing everything we forget while traveling (that would be an expensive habit), but we made an exception in Pella. The Wal-Mart in town had our carrier (the Infantino Flip 4-In-1 Convertible Baby Carrier) in stock at a reasonable price, and we hadn’t paid for the original in the first place. So, we swung by to pick one up.

(A quick note to acknowledge that we’re now boycotting Wal-Mart, after they rolled back their diversity and inclusion policies late last year, before Trump took office. It’s not always possible to boycott every company that misbehaves, but this one seemed pretty clearcut.)

The replacement carrier worked wonders for our hike. In our travels during the first 18 months of our daughter’s life, we alternated between hiking paved trails and baby-wearing on more rugged terrain. I came to prefer the latter, particularly when we switched our daughter into a forward facing position. Baby-wearing allowed her to see the sights along with us. But paved trails can also be a great option, particularly as a way to stay active during naptime.

At Red Rock, I wore our daughter on the first leg, and we switched places for the hike back. For those who have never hiked while baby-wearing, note that you will get exhausted more quickly. In my experience, baby-wearing never made any hikes impossible, just a bit slower and sometimes a bit shorter. But I got a great workout. Otherwise, we enjoyed the fall leaves, and we even encountered a snake on the path — a premonition of our daughter’s future favorite animal.

Our daughter loves snakes! We encountered our first snake together (from a safe distance) at Lake Red Rock State Park in October of 2022.

When we made it home with our second carrier, we decided to keep one adjusted to fit my husband and the other adjusted to my size. Certainly not necessary, but a nice perk of having two.

After Pella, we worked our way up the travel ladder. A 3-night stay in Minneapolis came next followed by a similar stay in St. Louis. After that, we graduated to flying trips, including Clearwater, Las Vegas, and Disney World. Between the larger trips, we’ve also woven in plenty of short ones.

You might be wondering if we’re planning to take the next big leap: an international trip. It’s something we’re considering, should the powers at be in the realms of infertility and our bank account eventually find some amenable alignment. As we approach that step, I’ll definitely keep sharing my thoughts.