Science museum Downtown $$$
COSI
Downtown science museum with staffed little kidspace for birth through first grade.
Awards
Why COSI why was this picked
COSI's little kidspace is designed and staffed by early education experts for children from birth through first grade. Inside are a tree house, a health clinic with a pretend ambulance, a light and shadow workshop, a farm-to-table area and a water play zone with wheels, bells and ramps. A private nursing room and family restrooms sit alongside, and older siblings up to age 11 use the separate Big KidLab. Online general admission is $25 for ages 2 to 12 and $30 for ages 13 and up, and children under 2 enter free.
- little kidspace included with COSI admission
- Staffed room for birth through first grade
- Downtown Scioto Peninsula museum campus
Know before you go
COSI (Center of Science and Industry) on West Broad Street anchors Downtown museum days with little kidspace, the staffed toddler room ranked sixth on our best winter activities for toddlers list. Tree house, farm, water play, and a nursing room sit inside regular admission. It also appears in rainy-day guides; this profile focuses on the winter Best Of angle.
Arrive early on school-break weeks when the room fills. Confirm exhibit maintenance notes on cosi.org/exhibits/little-kidspace before you promise water play.
- Parking
- COSI garage and Scioto Peninsula lots; stroller paths from the river side.
- Reservations
- General admission tickets; members skip some lines. little kidspace needs no separate ticket.
- Tip
- Use little kidspace for birth through first grade, then Big KidLab if older siblings need a parallel room.
In the news
This Weekend in the 614: Oct 23-25
Halloween warmups in Westerville and Worthington Friday, a park party with Coco in Hilliard Saturday, and two Ohio Theatre symphony programs plus a new dance premiere. Status: This weekend.
New List: Best Winter Activities for Toddlers
Warm indoor rooms, free storytimes, and toddler-scaled play when sidewalks ice over. Status: Live on site.
Mentioned in
Cheap Date Night in Columbus
A neighborhood-by-neighborhood plan for a night that feels like a date without a reservation that eats the week.
By Bart Rian
Rainy Day with Kids in Columbus
Indoor plans, half-day scripts, and the rooms that still work when the 614 is wet.
By Bart Rian
Where to Live in Columbus by Lifestyle
A fit test for the 614: walkable cores, school-and-yard suburbs, art streets, and the commutes that actually decide it.
By Bart Rian
