Cayton Children’s Museum

The Cayton Children's Museum was created as a collection of unexpected places that encourage children to learn about and participate in their community by bringing play indoors. By converting a former artisanal food hall into a museum dedicated to the imagination and magic of childhood, the 20,095 SF museum creatively reuses a portion of the upper floor of Santa Monica Place, a shopping mall that was initially created by Frank Gehry.

The museum's non-linear design relies on a network of freestanding, tactile objects that are purposefully placed to frame portions of the five exhibit neighborhoods while not immediately revealing the entirety of the museum's total offerings. The museum was conceptualized as an inclusive space for free and safe discovery. With the support of the more than 30 displays aimed at enabling kids to play their way to a better world, each visitor has the ability to create their own "Path of Awesome" thanks to the free plan approach.

In the summer of 2019, the 21,000 square foot, vibrant, and entertaining Cayton Children's Museum opened on the third level of Santa Monica Place. Children can climb through the ceiling-mounted Courage Climber, a mesh web of ropes; plunge into the recycled Coast Guard rescue boat-filled To the Rescue! ball pit; be amazed by the Rube-Goldberg-inspired All Systems Go! Ball Machine; board a fire truck; express themselves in the art studio; and so much more.

Google Rating: 4.5/5.0

Hours: Open daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (members can go an hour early, at 9 a.m.)

Admission: $16 for adults and children; free for infants under 12 months; pay-as-you-wish for all residents of L.A. County.
Location: 395 Santa Monica Pl.Santa Monica
Website: caytonmuseum.org