Children's Museum of Tacoma

Downtown's play museum, admission by donation

Illustration: families watching fish and jellyfish through a large aquarium windowEditorial Illustration

The Children's Museum of Tacoma sits on Pacific Avenue among the downtown museum cluster, and it is the one built entirely for children under about ten. Its defining feature is the admission model: the operator, Greentrike, calls it Pay As You Will, meaning entry is by donation only and visitors are invited to give what is right for them. That removes the usual family-of-four arithmetic from a downtown day and makes it a genuine wet-weather fallback rather than a committed spend. The public schedule is narrower than the neighbouring museums — Wednesday runs a short morning window with a brief closure at 1:30pm as the museum moves into Low Sensory Hours, and Thursday through Sunday runs 10am to 4pm — so it needs checking against the rest of an itinerary. The Low Sensory Hours programming, published separately from public hours, is the detail worth knowing for families who need a quieter visit.

Verified details

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Hours

Public Hours: Wednesday 10 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (brief closure from 1:30 – 2 p.m. as the museum moves to Low Sensory Hours); Thursday – Sunday: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

VerifiedVerified with Greentrike / Children's Museum of Tacoma, Aug 14, 2026

Admission

Admission to the Museum is called Pay As You Will which means that it is by donation only.

VerifiedVerified with Greentrike / Children's Museum of Tacoma, Aug 14, 2026

Accessibility

Low Sensory Hours are programmed separately from public hours.

VerifiedVerified with Greentrike / Children's Museum of Tacoma, Aug 14, 2026

Address

1501 Pacific Avenue, Suite 202, Tacoma, WA 98402

Directions

Official website

greentrike.org/childrens-museum-of-tacoma

Check hours and prices with the operator before you go.

What to know

  • Admission is Pay As You Will — by donation only.
  • The museum is closed Monday and Tuesday to the general public.

Editor's tips

  • Wednesday is a short morning session with a changeover at 1:30pm into Low Sensory Hours — plan Thursday to Sunday for a full visit.
  • Admission is by donation, so this is the flexible slot in a downtown museum day rather than another ticket.

More in Downtown Tacoma

This place sits in Downtown Tacoma. See how to spend a day there.

Nearby and getting there

Nearby places

Other published places within a short distance on the map, ordered by geographic proximity.

View on the mapNear the Convention Center / S 15th St T Line station

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