NYC's Best Immersive Museums and Pop-Up Experiences for Kids Right Now

One of my favorite perks to city living is the NYC museums that surround us. It's easy to find culture on every corner from The Met's iconic artwork to dioramas, artifacts, and dinosaurs at the American Museum of Natural History and the rest of these top children's museums in NYC, but when you're in search of something more hands-on and interactive, NYC is a boon for that, too!

Below, find our top picks for immersive museums in NYC, where kids can get hands-on and play with slime, jump in a ball pit, bury themselves in sprinkles, and more. These immersive NYC museums are perfect rainy-day destinations that will help kids burn off some energy and introduce them to everything from art to science or simply the art of selfies in a fun and experiential way.

Find all our top kid-culture spots in our Guide to Museums, Galleries, and Exhibits in NYC for Kids.

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Sloomoo Institute celebrates the art, creativity, and fun of the slime craze.

Best Immersive NYC Museums for Kids

1. Sloomoo Institute – Soho

Slime lovers rejoice: The Sloomoo Institute is a shrine to the gooey, slippery concoctions kids love and there are vats and vats of it to squish, stretch, and play with here. Beyond hands-on fun and artful exhibits starring slime, every visitor can craft their own customized container of slime to bring home and keep the fun running. If you want to go all-in, opt for the enhanced experience and enjoy the sensation of being doused with the brand's trademark slime at Sloomoo Falls.

2. CAMP – Multiple Locations

Step behind the magic door at one of these family experience stores and you're never sure who or what will greet you. From the recently closed Disney Encanto experience to the currently running Paw Patrol experience and the upcoming Trolls installation, CAMP counselors are pros at bringing kids into the action. We love the energy and excitement they bring to these interactive experiences, and the retail branch of the business is our go-to spot for unique gifts, too.

RELATED: New Art-and-Play Space Opens at The Met

Everyone is pretty in pink when they take a dip in the Museum of Ice Cream's sprinkle pool.

3. Museum of Ice Cream – Soho

Unlimited ice cream awaits at this interactive NYC museum dedicated to the creamy, dreamy treat. You'll make you're way through room after room of immersive environments collecting sweets and treats as you go. Beyond scoops and sprinkles, there are fun photo-ops and places to play inside the Museum of Ice Cream, and the multi-level twisty slide and pool of sprinkles are the cherry on top. Book your tickets online in advance. 

4. Artechouse – Chelsea

This cavernous space in Chelsea Market was the first immersive art museum in NYC and continues to awe visitors with its colorful projections, which change several times throughout the year. No matter the topic—from Christmas to space, color, and more—the installations are a mesmerizing mashup for the senses. Follow your visit with a nosh at the amenity-filled Chelsea Market or a visit to the nearby Little Island.

RELATED: AMNH's Gilder Center Opens with Kid-Friendly Exhibits

Sniff, snack, spy, and play your way through the fun-filled rooms at Color Factory NYC.

5. Color Factory – Soho

This former pop-up turned permanent museum of color is a sweets-filled wonderland of sensory-inspired fun. We've visited multiple times and always appreciate the fact this this spot refreshes its exhibits seasonally. Some things are constant: the conveyor belt full of macarons that greet you in the first hall, the confetti-filled wonderland, and the grand finale: a ball pit complete with a kid-pleasing slide. You'll also get a FREE take-home gift and a scoop of tasty gelato before you're funneled through the gift shop and back to reality.

6. Inter_ – Chinatown

This interactive museum in NYC merges art and technology to create a completely unique immersive experience. Stroll through two floors of interactive exhibits, where multi-sensory installations allow you to manipulate the environment. Exhibits change on occasion, including taking on a special holiday tilt. Book your tickets online in advance.

RELATED: Museum Memberships in NYC That Are Totally Worth It for Winter

The landmarked Emigrant Savings Bank is a brilliant canvas for the installations at the Hall des Lumieres. 

7. Hall des Lumieres – Civic Center

Located inside the beautiful, landmarked Beaux-Arts Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank in lower Manhattan, Hall des Lumieres is the latest immersive art space in NYC. Programmed by the team at Culturespaces, which operates Paris' well-known Atelier Des Lumieres, the artspace opened in September 2022 with a show honoring Gustav Klimt. Shows rotate every 10-12 months and have included exhibits on NASA, hip-hop, art, and more. The current show celebrates the work of artist Marc Chagall. The sprawling space is beautiful in its own right, and the innovative projection technology brings the building's details to life.

8. RiseNY – Times Square

Think of this as a budget-friendly alternative to those helicopter tours that buzz over the city skyline daily. RiseNY is an ode to NYC with galleries dedicated to outlining its rise in major industries including finance, architecture, TV and radio, fashion, music, Broadway, and film. When you come to the end of the exhibition, though, that's when its immersive experience really takes flight. Visitors are strapped in for the main event inside a 180-degree, 40-foot projection theater, where a thrilling sensation of flight is completely immersive. The views are stunning and it makes you feel like a bird soaring through the city. Book your tickets online in advance.

9. Museum of Broadway – Times Square

Theater lovers take note: The Museum of Broadway is a beautiful ode to the Great White Way. During your visit to this multi-level museum, you'll be treated to a behind-the-scenes look at Broadway, as if you were standing backstage taking in one of its blockbusters. Exhibits profile both behind-the-scenes moments and scene-stealing on-stage performances, plus costumes, Playbills, and more. It's a perfect precursor to a night on the town taking in one of our favorite Broadway shows for kids. Find out how to score discounted tickets with our top tips, too.

RELATED: The Best Children’s Museums in the US

Grab your wand and step into the Wizarding World movies at Harry Potter: The Exhibition.

Cool Immersive Pop-Up Museums in NYC

10. Harry Potter: The Exhibition – Herald Square

Through Sunday, January 7, 2024
Step inside the Wizarding World at this immersive exhibition that's taken over a corner of Herald Square through early 2024. Put together in partnership with Warner Bros., you'll feel like you've stepped onto the set of the well-known movie franchise from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone all the way up through the Fantastic Beasts franchise. There are plenty of touchpoints and places for kids to play, and a ton of iconic photo-ops to experience. Stage a wand duel, take a rest in Hagrid's huge chair, gawk at the scenes in the Great Hall, and more.

RELATED: 7 Things to Love About NYC's MoMATH

The Balloon Museum offers a sprawling collection of inflatable art to explore.

11. Balloon Museum – South Street Seaport

Through Sunday, January 14, 2024
The cavernous event space at Pier 36 has been ground zero for a variety of traveling pop-ups, from the Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit to Beyond King Tut, but the newly opened Balloon Museum is perhaps its most kid-friendly foray. Wander through exhibit after exhibit of interactive inflatable installations that kids and adults alike are encouraged to touch and interact with. Our personal favorites included the seemingly endless ball pit in Hyperstellar, which was accompanied by an art-and-sound installation akin to being trapped in a thunderstorm—less the danger of lightning—and ADA, in which a giant inflated ball visitors keep afloat that is fitted with graphite spikes that create an abstract drawing all over the walls and ceiling enclosing it.

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All photos by author