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Museums

The New Children’s Museum

📍 Marina, CA

4.5(3,343 Google reviews)👶All ages

The New Children's Museum occupies three floors of interactive art installations plus an outdoor Museum Park. Artopia Creative Studios offers ceramics workshops and art-making sessions. Professional birthday party coordination available.

Hands-on art activitiesClay studioBirthday partiesToddler zoneThree floorsCreative focus
★★★★★Featured review by Anna Malkina

An unforgettable birthday experience at The New Children’s Museum! We had the most wonderful time celebrating our daughter’s birthday here. Everything was truly exceptional from start to finish. Our party coordinator was incredibly professional, kind, and attentive — she stayed in touch throughout the entire process, helped with every detail, and made sure we felt completely cared for and stress-free. The celebration was beautifully organized — every element was thoughtful, warm, and full of joy. The kids were absolutely thrilled! I loved how seamless the experience was: from the initial online reservation and email communication to the final moments of the party, everything was handled with such care and professionalism. We even received a lovely surprise — a beautiful keepsake book for my daughter to remember her special day. The reserved parking space in the garage was a great touch, and I really appreciated the option to add setup, decoration, and cleanup services for a small extra fee — it made the day truly effortless for us. If I could give more than 5 stars, I absolutely would. Everything was perfect — joyful, well-organized, and full of heart. Thank you to the entire team for making this day so memorable! 💖🎉

🏆 Family Action Verdict

Best for creative families with children aged 2–10 who are drawn to hands-on making rather than passive exhibits. The clay studio and Artopia zones are the strongest draws. Birthday parties here are well-organised with professional on-site coordination.

ℹ️ What to Know Before You Go

💡Book tickets online to skip the entry queue, especially on Saturday mornings
Artopia zone access runs on a schedule — confirm timing at entry
🎟️The outdoor clay station lets kids create a figure to take home
🚗Wobbleland toddler zone has a 10-person capacity and is sparse to ages 4 and under

💬 What Families Are Saying

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4.5

3,343 Google reviews

Hands-on creative activities40%
Multi-floor variety30%
Excellent birthday party service20%
Dark artwork notes from some visitors10%
A

Anna Malkina

5 months ago

An unforgettable birthday experience at The New Children’s Museum! We had the most wonderful time celebrating our daughter’s birthday here. Everything was truly exceptional from start to finish. Our party coordinator was incredibly professional, kind, and attentive — she stayed in touch throughout the entire process, helped with every detail, and made sure we felt completely cared for and stress-free. The celebration was beautifully organized — every element was thoughtful, warm, and full of joy. The kids were absolutely thrilled! I loved how seamless the experience was: from the initial online reservation and email communication to the final moments of the party, everything was handled with such care and professionalism. We even received a lovely surprise — a beautiful keepsake book for my daughter to remember her special day. The reserved parking space in the garage was a great touch, and I really appreciated the option to add setup, decoration, and cleanup services for a small extra fee — it made the day truly effortless for us. If I could give more than 5 stars, I absolutely would. Everything was perfect — joyful, well-organized, and full of heart. Thank you to the entire team for making this day so memorable! 💖🎉

K

Karmina Rocca

2 months ago

A great place where children can let their imagination soar and explore their artistic side. The museum has three floors with different activities for children of all ages. There's an outdoor area for making clay figures that you can take home. We visited the Artopia zone (accessible at certain times) where the children can draw and craft; that day they could make their own gingerbread house with lots of accessories and everything needed for the craft. All the walls in the museum have beautiful, positive messages!! On the ground floor, there's a slide that leads down to the next floor. There's also a Sprouts café, which has a healthy and fun variety of food for children and adults. I recommend buying tickets in advance on the website to be able to enter directly. I wish they had some science activities for children.

S

Sue Duong

5 months ago

06-14-2025 I was here on Mass Creativity Day (free admission) with my nieces. Because it was a special event, they had fun activities/entertainment and food trucks also. Below are some of the activities in the museum that children can explore: -Wobbleland for children ages 4 and under, limit to 10 ppl at a time, no shoes allowed -Clay Studio, no age limit -Prismopolis where you can explore color and light in your city

Z

Zuzu Madanat

4 months ago

You know... It was an interesting place. Was the staff friendly... Yes. Did our little ones have fun... Yes. But were there creepy paintings on the walls that seemed to not fit with a children's museum... Also, yes. Another issue we had was that most of the rooms and exhibits were in poor condition and borderline dangerous because of it. A lot of fabrics were torn and items that should have cushions were worn down. We did really enjoy the clay exhibit where our older son got to make some cool stuff. For the price... I think you would have more fun and your kids would be safer at one of the many other options in the area. My wife and I even said we could have had more fun with our kids at the park across the street. The kids loved it and interacting with the many kids there.

Reviews from Google

Overview

Artopia Creative Studios runs ceramics, clay sculpting, and art-making programming on a scheduled basis. The outdoor area features a clay station where kids make figures to take home. Wobbleland is a dedicated toddler zone sparse to children 4 and under. Birthday party coordinators handle the full event from logistics to setup. Some permanent installations use dark or abstract themes that have concerned a minority of visiting parents — worth previewing before bringing sensitive children.

🕐 Opening Hours

Monday09:00 – 16:00
Tuesday09:00 – 16:00
Thursday09:00 – 16:00
Friday09:00 – 16:00
Saturday09:00 – 16:00
Sunday09:00 – 16:00

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