From admission cost to free days, here's what to know about Betty Brinn Children's Museum

At Betty Brinn Children's Museum , 929 E. Wisconsin Ave., kids are encouraged to touch everything and to learn through play.

According to the museum's website , it came about as the result of "a grassroots effort begun by three Milwaukee women determined to create a place where families in southeastern Wisconsin could learn and play together."

The museum's namesake, Betty Brinn , was a Milwaukee businessperson whose childhood in foster homes and orphanages encouraged her to support underprivileged women and children in the Milwaukee area.

Here's what to know if you're planning a family trip to Betty Brinn Children's Museum.

How much is admission to Betty Brinn Children's Museum?

Tickets for adults and children are $13 on weekdays and $14 on weekends. Senior tickets (ages 60 and above) cost $11.50, and children under 1 year receive free admission.

Members of the military with an active military ID receive a $2 discount.

Betty Brinn also participates in the Museums for All program, through which people who are entitled to SNAP benefits receive admission for $2 per person, up to four people.

Although tickets can be bought at the door, visitors are encouraged to buy tickets online ahead of time.

What are Betty Brinn Children's Museum's hours?

The museum is open every day except Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Every third Thursday of the month, the museum is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. with free admission as part of the museum's Community Access Days.

Betty Brinn is closed on New Year's Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

What exhibits are at Betty Brinn Children's Museum?

Exhibits at Betty Brinn are interactive and encourage pretend play. They include:

Hot Lava: Inspired by the popular imaginative game, children are encouraged to imagine the floor is lava as they use pretend rocks, planks and wood tiles to build methods to make their way across without touching the floor.

Let's Play Railway! : A facsimile train engine and caboose has a variety of interactive elements for pretend play — including levers, cranks and buttons that trigger sound effects; a crankshaft with moving pistons; and puzzles to solve in the wheels. The exhibit also includes train tables with building sets and train-themed books to read.

Home Town is just what it sounds like — a make-believe town. There's a Sendik's grocery store with play food, play money and a play cash register for kids to pretend to shop. There's a WaterStone Bank with play cash where kids can pretend to open a bank account and make pretend-cash deposits and withdrawals. Kids can change a tire and perform maintenance on a pretend car. They can pretend to be a veterinarian or a construction worker and take a pretend bus ride.

Pocket Park is an indoor pretend urban playground where kids can climb into a treehouse puppet theater, go down slides and crawl in tunnels. There's also a pretend groundskeeper's cottage and an area where kids can pretend to garden, pick apples and mow the lawn. There's a kid-sized sailboat where children can pretend to fish, as well as a pretend doctor office, pretend shoe store, pretend lemonade stand and a pretend classroom. There's also a sandbox and a summer reading area.

In the Velocity exhibit, kids can roll and race golf balls on tracks, loops and hills.

The children's museum has a Be a Maker space with materials for kids to create their own projects. The space is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on days the museum is open (unless a scheduled event is going on). The provided project and supplies change monthly with July's project focusing on designing paper boats.

Does Betty Brinn Children's Museum have free days?

On the third Thursday of each month, the museum hosts Community Access Days . On those days, the museum is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and admission is free. Capacity restrictions apply, so people are encouraged to reserve their slots ahead of time . July's Community Access Day was rescheduled to the fourth Thursday of the month, July 25, because the children's museum was closed during the Republican National Convention.

Does Betty Brinn Children's Museum have food?

The museum does not have meal options for sale, but the museum cafe — open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. — sells coffee and snacks. Visitors are also welcome to bring their own food from home, which can be eaten in the seating area near the museum's information desk, or outdoors on the museum's balconies or in Museum Center Park. No food or beverages are allowed in exhibit areas

Is Betty Brinn Children's Museum accessible?

Betty Brinn has a number of accessible features :

• The museum (with the exception of a few exhibits) and its entrances are wheelchair-accessible, and a limited number of wheelchairs are available for visitors to borrow.
• The Museum Center parking garage, adjacent to the museum, has designated accessible parking spaces.
• The men's and women's bathrooms both have baby changing tables. A family restroom is available upon request at the museum's information desk.
• An enclosed, private nursing nook is available for breastfeeding.
• The museum's resources for guests with sensory sensitivities include bags with headphones, a social story, communication cards and a fidget toy which can be checked out. There's also a quiet space with adjustable lighting, comfortable seating, books, puzzles and fidget toys. Guests with sensory sensitivities can also come to the museum during their twice-monthly sensory-friendly sessions , on the second Sunday of the month from 5 to 7 p.m. and on the fourth Sunday of the month from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: From admission cost to free days, here's what to know about Betty Brinn Children's Museum