Visit KID

KID Museum requires parents to stay near their children at all times. We also encourage you to participate in maker activities together to foster innovation and creativity for the whole family.

During Sunday Open Explore, all children are required to be accompanied by an adult when visiting KID Museum. Children should be dropped off for summer camps, daily camps, and after-school classes.

Yes, KID Museum has a few low sensory areas in which visitors may take a break. Please be aware that KID Museum is a high sensory experience with fluctuating temperature, lighting, and noise levels throughout the space. Some spaces are quieter than others. Please see Visitor Experience staff upon arrival for more information.

The Open Explore visit is designed to last for an average of 90 minutes. There’s more to do than there is time, so please plan to come back again!

No, the activities and exhibits change periodically.

Due to space constraints, we must limit the number of visitors in each studio. If a studio is full, please take advantage of activities in the Central Makerspace or other studios, and come back at another time to enjoy the activity.

For safety purposes we require closed-toed shoes, long hair tied back, and no long necklaces or scarves in some of the studios and with some equipment.

Photography and videography is permitted for personal, non-commercial use, unless noted by staff or signage. See our photography policy for more information.

Stroller parking is available in select locations around the Central Makerspace. Strollers are prohibited in the studios for safety reasons. Please ask Visitor Experience staff for information upon arrival.

No, pets are not allowed in the museum except for task trained service animals. For more information on service animals please see our full policy.

No, KID Museum does not sell food or beverages onsite. We encourage visitors to dine at local establishments in the Bethesda area.

Visitors are welcome to bring snacks and beverages into the Maker Lounge for consumption. No food or drinks are allowed in the Central Makerspace or Maker Studios. Water bottles with secured lids are allowed. If you need a water bottle, pick one up at our Maker Gift Shop near the Front Desk of the museum.

We recommend parking at the Montgomery County Metropolitan Parking Garage 49 (main entrance: 7601 Woodmont Ave, Bethesda) for easiest access to the Museum entrance. For more details, see below.

Family restrooms are located in the rear of the Central Makerspace. They are wheelchair accessible and have changing tables.

• We are a smoke-free property. The use of tobacco or e-cigarettes is prohibited.
• No pets are allowed. We welcome registered service animals; emotional support animals do not qualify as service animals. Maryland defines service animals as dogs and in some circumstances miniature horses.
• Prohibited items include but are not limited to: guns, knives, drugs, alcohol, tripods, and selfie sticks.
• Prohibited behaviors include but are not limited to: abusive or illicit language and actions, destruction or damaging of KID Museum property and exhibits, and use of aerosols such as pepper spray.
• KID Museums reserves the right to ask any visitor to leave who is not upholding appropriate standards of conduct and safety.
• No soliciting or advertising is allowed in KID Museum spaces.
• Children must be accompanied by an adult (18+ years) at all times.

• Tickets are non-refundable. Tickets can be exchanged for a different date or time slot if available. Exchanges are not guaranteed. No exchanges can be made fewer than 24 hours prior to your ticket date and we cannot exchange a ticket for a sold out date and or time.
• To inquire about ticket exchanges email info@kid-museum.org or call (301) 941-4905.
• Due to the continued public health concerns, we encourage all visitors to stay home if they are feeling unwell. In case of illness, visitors will be encouraged to choose another date to visit KID.
• A full refund will be provided if KID Museum closes for any reason, including inclement weather or public health concerns.
• Tickets are valid for the specific date and time of purchase. No re-entry will be allowed on timed tickets.

Situated between the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River, KID Museum is located in Bethesda, Maryland, the native ancestral home of the Piscataway and the Nacotchtank (Anacostan) Nations, and in close proximity to the Manahoac Nation. Along with the Piscataway Conoy Tribe, the Piscataway Indian Nation received recognition by the State of Maryland in 2012. We acknowledge their long-standing kinship with these lands and waters, and acknowledge that we are uninvited visitors on Indigenous lands.

These Indigenous peoples continue to be innovators, makers, artists, and problem-solvers here as they have for generations. Today, the Piscataway Indian Nation continues to celebrate their culture with traditional events such as the Seed Gathering in early spring, the Feast from the Waters in early summer, and a Green Corn Festival in late summer. Anacostan, Manahoac, Lenni Lenape, Shawnee, and indigenous people from other Nations live in Maryland, as well, and continue to make innumerable contributions to our region.

Committed to working in partnership with our community to remove barriers to quality STEM education experiences, focused on joy, authenticity, and sustained relationship building, KID Museum supports Indigenous people and Nations in our state and beyond. To fulfill this commitment, we have listed the following ongoing actions we are making or intend to make in the near future:

• We will define STEM and innovation, acknowledging the contributions of indigenous knowledge, art, and traditions as some of the earliest forms of innovation.
• We will use our platform and programs to amplify, acknowledge, and respect the voices and knowledge of Indigenous peoples, and we commit to collaborating with Indigenous creators, artists, makers, and scientists in our programming.
• Moving forward with this year, 2023, and every year thereafter, funding permitting, we will host activities and programming honoring Native American Heritage Month, featuring Indigenous makers and their contributions to STEM and making.
• Acknowledging the underrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in STEM careers, we will work to increase access to KID Museum programs and activities for Indigenous youth, educators, and families.
• KID Museum will review and enhance this commitment annually, actively engaging in research and seeking input from our Indigenous staff and community members, including our Indigenous peoples’ community advisory group.

KID Museum invites you to learn more about the Piscataway, Nacotchtank (Anacostan), Manahoac, Lenni Lenape, Shawnee, and other Indigenous Nations within Maryland and about land acknowledgment statements via resources available at the Maryland State Arts Council (msac.org), Maryland Commission of Indian Affairs (goci.maryland.gov) and elsewhere. In addition, we encourage you to consider donating to or making institutional resources available to tribal peoples and to reconsider in what ways you can improve your relationship with the lands you steward.