Frequently Asked Questions

Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm, and Sunday, 1pm to 5pm. Members can come in an hour early, 9am to 10am, Monday to Saturday. On Community Appreciation Day, the second Thursday of each month, we stay open until 7pm. Once in a while we close early or for a holiday, so check today's hours on our home page or call us at 208.345.1920.

General admission is $13 for ages 2 to 64. Children 12 to 23 months are $5, seniors 65 and over are $11, and babies under 12 months are free. Active military get $2 off with ID. Planetarium shows are $2 per person in addition to museum admission, free for members. On Community Appreciation Day, the second Thursday of each month, admission is $5 for everyone over 12 months.

No. Pay at the front desk when you arrive; we take cash, cards and digital wallets. If you'd like to pay ahead or give a visit as a present, call us at 208.345.1920 for a day pass, good for one year, or a gift card.

Yes. Your admission is good for the whole day. Tell the front desk as you head out so they can let you back in.

We close for some holidays, and now and then for staff training, and the days change from year to year. Each closure is on the calendar on our What's Happening page once it's set, and today's hours are always on our home page. If you're planning around a holiday, call us at 208.345.1920.

No, you can come in any time we're open.

Yes for Story & Project, Animal Encounters and Let's Get Messy: they're free with admission, and you just drop in. Planetarium shows are $2 per person in addition to museum admission, free for members. Some programs ask you to sign up ahead; each program's page on What's Happening says whether to drop in or register.

Yes, though some areas are easier on foot. If you'd rather leave it, there's stroller parking by the check-in desk. The exhibits that are hard to reach with a stroller are listed under "Is the museum wheelchair accessible?"

Yes, apart from thirteen exhibits. Six are built to be climbed into, so you can't get inside them in a wheelchair: the Conestoga Wagon, Hot Air Balloon, Car Garage, Conservation Cabin, Gona's Reading Ranch and Pirate Ship. At the Children's Theater the costumes and the floor around the stage are within reach, but the steps up onto the stage are not. Six outdoor exhibits sit on sand, gravel or uneven ground that can be hard going: Builder's Workshop, Outdoor Idaho, the Chickens, the Pollinator Area, the Dino Dig and the Gravel Pit. To talk your visit through ahead of time, call Angelica Santy, our Visitor Services Manager, at 208.345.1920 or email angelica@cmidaho.org.

Parking is free in our lot, with more street parking nearby. There are accessible parking spaces close to the entrance, and you can drop off at the front door before you park.

Unlimited admission, the members-only hour from 9 to 10am Monday to Saturday, free planetarium shows and 10% off a birthday party package. Members who come to a party also don't count toward its 25 guests.

$150 a year for one adult and one child who live together. You can add another member of your household for $50 each, or one alternate adult for $75. Children under 1 are free.

Members of your household, plus one alternate adult. A membership starts with one adult and one child, and you can add more people who live with you for $50 each, up to seven more, with no more than three adults listed. The alternate adult is $75 and can be another parent, a grandparent or a nanny: they aren't named, and can be a different person each visit. To add someone, call 208.345.1920.

No, there's no physical card. Bring a photo ID and the front desk will look up your membership.

No. Memberships can't be refunded or transferred.

One year from the day you buy it. Renew online at sales.cmidaho.org or by calling 208.345.1920.

Yes. Buy a gift membership online at sales.cmidaho.org or by calling 208.345.1920.

It's $100 for ten admissions: each punch lets one person in, and anyone can use it. It's good for a year from purchase and doesn't include the members-only hour. Ask at the front desk or call 208.345.1920.

Children ages 2 to 8 and the grown-ups who come with them. Younger and older brothers and sisters are welcome too, and Toddler Town is a space just for ages three and under.

Yes. Toddler Town is a space just for ages three and under, with toys, playsets, dollhouses, stuffed animals and books. On Tuesday mornings at 10:30 there's also Early STEM, a half hour of activities and toys in the Community Room for ages 6 months to 2 years; just drop in.

There are changing tables in the restrooms. We don't have a nursing room or a separate quiet room.

Yes. Costumes from home are welcome, and dress-up is part of several exhibits: pirate costumes at the Pirate Ship, astronaut gear at the Rocket Ship, costumes at the Children's Theater, and blazers and ties at the KTVB News Station.

Most families spend 2 to 3 hours. There are 40 exhibits, 27 inside and 13 outside, plus programs through the day listed on What's Happening.

Yes. Thirteen of our 40 exhibits are outdoors, among them the Water Table, the Sluice, the Dino Dig, the Gravel Pit, Blue Blocks and the Chickens. Water, sand and gravel are part of the fun, so pack a change of clothes. Some outdoor exhibits close for the winter or in bad weather, so call 208.345.1920 if you're coming for them.

$2 per person in addition to museum admission, free for members. The $2 is for each show. Scholarship memberships don't include planetarium shows, so scholarship members pay the $2.

Nine shows take turns, one each day. Shows start at 10:45am and 2pm Monday to Friday, at 10:45am, 12:30pm and 2pm on Saturday, and at 2pm on Sunday. The Planetarium Show page under What's Happening lists all nine, and the calendar shows which one is on each day.

15 to 30 minutes, depending on the show. The Planetarium Show page under What's Happening gives each show's length.

From age 2, for one show. One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure is for ages 2 to 6; six shows are for ages 4 and up and two for 5 and up. The Planetarium Show page lists each show's age.

No. Planetarium shows are drop-in, so there's nothing to book ahead. Pay the $2 per person at the museum on the day; members are free.

No. There's no café and nothing to eat for sale, so bring a picnic: outside there are three tables, a long red picnic table and two round tables with umbrellas.

No, there are no lockers or cubbies, so bring only what you're happy to carry. Water bottles can wait just inside the front doors.

Yes! Our gift shop offers educational toys, books, games, and museum souvenirs.

Food and drinks, including water, aren't allowed inside the museum, but you're welcome to bring a picnic and eat outside: we have two outdoor areas with tables and chairs. You can leave water bottles just inside the front doors. Birthday party rooms and facility rentals have their own food rules.

Yes. Book a date online at sales.cmidaho.org or call 208.345.1920. For questions about your party, email Abii@cmidaho.org.

$275 for a weekday party and $300 for a Saturday or Sunday party, for up to 25 guests. Members get 10% off. A $100 deposit holds your date, and the rest is due two weeks before the party. Neither is refundable.

As early as you can, especially for a Saturday: Saturdays often book up 6 to 8 weeks ahead. Call 208.345.1920 to check a date.

The party room to yourselves for two hours, and admission for the whole day for up to 25 guests, adults and children. A party host helps you set up, greets your guests and cleans up afterwards. We provide birthday plates, cups, napkins, cutlery and tablecloths, a birthday banner, a gift for the birthday child, and invitations and thank-you cards if you ask for them. More guests can come, up to 35 in all, and pay admission unless they're members.

Tell us before you book. Call 208.345.1920 with what your guest needs, and we'll tell you what we can do.

Yes to cake, cupcakes, ice cream and drinks. Any other food has to be ordered from Idaho Pizza Company in Meridian on 208.888.4441, at least 3 days before the party; you can change the order up to 24 hours before. All food and drinks stay in the party room.

Tell us when you book, and we'll clean the party room before your party. You choose the cake and treats you bring. Call 208.345.1920 to talk through what we can and can't control.

Yes, photos for your own use are welcome.

Yes, unless they're members. Everyone aged 1 and over counts, adults included. Babies under 1 and museum members don't count.

Call 208.345.1920 as early as you can. The deposit and the balance aren't refundable, so ask us about moving your party to another date.

Yes, bring decorations if you'd like. The museum provides a birthday banner and tablecloths, and your party host helps you set up.

Weekday parties are on Tuesdays and Fridays, 12:30 to 2:30pm. Weekend parties are on Saturdays, 10:30am to 12:30pm or 1:30 to 3:30pm, and on Sundays, 1:30 to 3:30pm.

Your party host helps you set up. Call 208.345.1920 before the day to check what time to arrive.

At least one adult for every 5 children. Adults count toward your 25 guests.

Send the request form on our Field Trips page, call 208.345.1920, or email Angelica, our Visitor Services Manager, at angelica@cmidaho.org. Once your date and time are confirmed, we'll email you a reservation form with instructions for paying the deposit.

Field trips are self-guided: your students explore the exhibits in small groups, with their chaperones helping at each one. You can list the exhibits or themes you'd like to focus on in your request.

We offer free planetarium shows to Title 1 schools in Idaho. This program helps ensure all students have access to educational planetarium experiences regardless of their school's resources. Contact us to learn more about eligibility.

$8 per child, for a group of at least 20 children. You need one adult for every 5 children, and those adults get in free. Extra adults and siblings pay regular admission, and memberships can't be used on a field trip.

Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, in one of two slots: 10am to noon, or 12:30 to 2:30pm. We book one group per slot, of up to 60 people counting the adults.

Not inside: food and drink aren't allowed in the museum. Call 208.345.1920 to ask whether your group can use our outdoor tables on your date.

School field trips are for kindergarten through 6th grade, and daycare groups are welcome too.

Yes. Groups book the same way as school field trips and on the same terms: Tuesday to Thursday, $8 per child, for at least 20 children.

No. Camps are non-refundable once you register. If something comes up, call us at 208.345.1920.

Yes. Camps are drop-off: you leave your child with our camp staff at the start and pick them up when it ends.

Up to 12. A camp runs when at least 6 children are signed up.

Ask to go on the waitlist: email Bre at bre@cmidaho.org or call 208.345.1920.

Call 208.345.1920 to sign up, or email Bre at bre@cmidaho.org with questions. If no camp is listed on our Camps page, leave your email there and we'll let you know when registration opens.

It's the second Thursday of every month, when admission is $5 per person and the museum stays open late, 10am to 7pm. Babies under 12 months are free, and there's nothing to book: just come in.

It's how we bring the museum to you: hands-on STEM activities, or our inflatable planetarium dome, set up at your school, library or community center for grades K–6. Prices, travel and booking are on our Museum on the Move page, or ask Bre at bre@cmidaho.org or 208.345.1920.

Yes. SNAP/EBT families and foster families can get a six-month scholarship membership: $35 for one adult and one child, plus $10 for each extra household member, up to 6. Ask at the front desk or call 208.345.1920 to apply. Planetarium shows aren't included ($2 per person). Anyone can also visit on Community Appreciation Day, the second Thursday of each month, for $5.

Yes. Photos and video of your family are welcome everywhere in the museum; please be thoughtful about other children in your shots. For a professional or business shoot, call us first at 208.345.1920.

Ask at the front desk before you leave, or call us at 208.345.1920 afterwards and we'll check what's been handed in.

Yes. Every visit needs at least one adult, 18 or older, for every 4 children, and grown-ups stay with their children the whole time. Birthday parties and school field trips have their own rules.

Yes, service animals are welcome. If you're thinking of bringing any other animal, call us at 208.345.1920 first.

Not at the moment. If busy or noisy places are hard for your child, call Angelica Santy, our Visitor Services Manager, at 208.345.1920 or email angelica@cmidaho.org, and she can talk your visit through with you.

No. Grown-ups are welcome when they come with a child, but adults can't visit on their own.

We occasionally take photos and video in the museum and at our events for our website, social media, annual report and fundraising materials. Before a recognizable photo of a child appears in our marketing, we ask a parent or guardian for permission.

Yes, though we hope you'll mostly keep it in your pocket. We aim to be an unplugged zone, where phones and screens are discouraged so children and grown-ups can play together.