Cayton Children’s Museum: A Creative, Hands-On Learning Adventure for Kids in Santa Monica

Cayton Children’s Museum is a hands-on learning centre in Santa Monica. It is a nonprofit Museum that is designed for children aged 0-10 years to be creative, compassionate, and community-oriented. It is located on the 3rd floor of the shopping mall, Santa Monica Place. The museum opened in June 2019, replacing the previous Zimmer Children’s Museum, which was in operation in a different building for a span of almost 20 years. The 21,000-square-foot area is divided into five main areas (or neighbourhoods), such as Let’s Help, Together We, and Reflect On which promote various forms of play and engagement. It has discovery-based activities and exhibits, including a full-size rescue helicopter, a miniature marketplace, a real Coast Guard rescue boat in a ball pit, an oversized net climbing structure, known as the Cloud Climber. It also has art studios (including a toddler paint activity) and digital installations of the newest variety. 

What Can You See & Do at the Cayton Children’s Museum?

Here are the five best things to see and do at the Cayton Children’s Museum:

1. Interactive Play Exhibits: These zones allow the children to venture into real-world identities such as firefighters, pilots, shopkeepers or community helpers. Children play in a real helicopter cockpit. They play as rescuers in an imaginary play that enhances confidence and social abilities.
2. Creative Arts & Makerspace Studio: The museum provides bright, open studios, and children have an opportunity to paint, sculpt, build and work with various materials. It is a free-time creative area where children are able to draw on any wall, floor, or easel and utilise their creative thoughts.
3. Climb, Slide & Explore Zones Storytime, Music & Workshops: The huge climbing apparatus, slides, tunnels, and ropes courses challenge children to move, climb, balance, and play. These physical areas assist them in acquiring strength, coordination, and independence and play in a safe environment.
4. Sensory Play & Toddler Areas:  There are sessions of storytelling, music and movement, puppet performance and workshops. These exercises promote imagination, language, rhythm and creative thought with great interest and fun. Younger children are also offered soft-play zones that are specifically child-friendly, featuring soft textures, sensory objects and relaxing spaces. These zones aid in the early motor growth and provide a safe place that toddlers explore.
5. Special Exhibits & Community Programs: The museum also has rotating exhibitions, seasonal themes and community events which introduce new learning all year round. Families have an opportunity to participate in special workshops, festivals, outreach programs, and interactive events that do not limit themselves to the normal play.

 How to Get to the Cayton Children’s Museum?

Here are the six best ways to go to the Cayton Children’s Museum:

1. By Metro: Ride the Metro E Line (Expo Line) to the station in Downtown Santa Monica. It is just a few minutes walk to the Santa Monica Place, the mall in which the museum is situated on the 3rd floor.
2. By Bus: Big Blue Bus serves the Santa Monica Place, and some of the LA Metro bus lines run close to the Santa Monica Place. Once you get off the bus, you have an opportunity to walk straight into the mall and climb to the museum level.
3. By Car: The museum is located within the Santa Monica Place, which has convenient parking buildings directly adjacent to it. Other highway drivers on the I-10 find it easy out off the highway at 4th Street. Parking is done in Structures 7 and 8, which have lifts that lead you to the high levels of the mall.
4. By Walking: If you are already in the Downtown in Santa Monica, down to the Pier in 3rd Street Promenade or the Metro station, you just walk to the Santa Monica Place and go up to the 3rd floor to the museum.
5. By Bike/Scooter: There are bike lanes and scooter-friendly roads in Santa Monica. There are bike or scooter racks that you park outside the Santa Monica Place and then enter the mall, where you find the museum on the upper floor.
6. By Limo Car Service: Through ride services, such as Uber, Lyft, taxis, or private  Santa Monica Limo Service, you dropped right at the main entrance of Santa Monica Place. When dropped off, follow the elevator or the escalator to the 3rd floor of the museum.

What are the Ticket Prices & Opening Hours?

The Cayton Children’s Museum is open from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Wednesday-Monday, and early entry is at 9:00 AM on certain days, which is exclusively available to members and on Sunday mornings special sensory-friendly time. The prices of the tickets vary according to the time of day. The normal admission fee is $18 as a walk-in, and the twilight admission fee is lower after 4:00 PM. Children below a year old are free to enter the museum and also enjoy discounted entry in case of special programs and events in the museum.

Where to Eat Near the Cayton Children’s Museum?

Here are the five best eating places near the Cayton Children’s Museum:

• Food Court at Santa Monica Place: The food court of the mall has a wide range of fast, casual food, including pizza, fast food, sandwiches, and snacks. It is a good place to have a family lunch or even a quick bite before or after visiting the museum.
• The Cheesecake Factory: It is a typical family-style eatery with an enormous menu, like Appetisers such as crispy Brussels sprouts or nachos, flatbread pizzas, pastas, such as spicy rigatoni vodka, chicken Madeira, and hefty entrees, such as steak tacos or meatloaf. Its signature dish is big, yummy cheesecakes.
• True Food Kitchen: This restaurant focuses on health-conscious food and offers seasonal and globally-inspired foods like Tuscan kale salad topped with lemon and breadcrumbs, spaghetti squash casserole made with fresh mozzarella and zucchini, steak tacos topped with avocado and beans and roasted Brussels sprouts or butternut squash soup.
• Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams (Treat Stop): This place is the ideal location for those who love desserts. Jeni serves innovative and premium ice creams, such as traditional ice creams, like Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip or seasonal or special-edition flavours of Lemon Crinkle or Sweet Potato Marshmallow Praline.
• North Italia: This is a small Italian restaurant that is famous for its homemade pasta and pizza made in a wood fire. It serves pizzas (such as Margherita or Smoked Prosciutto and Honey), fresh pasta (such as Tortelloni al Pomodoro or Lumacherella Norcina), and small dishes (such as arancini, garlic bread with truffle, or crispy eggplant Parmesan).

Is the Cayton Children’s Museum Worth Visiting?

Yes, Cayton Children’s Museum is worth visiting, particularly with a family of young children. It gives a rich hands-on play experience, which promotes exploration, creativity, and social interaction. Its exhibits are well thought out, such as role-play areas, climbing structures, and art studios. The older generation of parents compliments the ability of the museum to facilitate learning due to open-ended play, and it makes the museum the best place to build problem-solving skills and creative thinking. It is best designed for children up to the 8 years but even babies participate in their special soft-play zone, and the environment is warm, safe, and friendly.