-
March 2024 by Kendall T.
Love the little kids town on the bottom floor. It really does feel like a little town. Kids love all the things they can do in the neighborhood and town. They have a bunch of educational things and stuff to do. The Waterworks is probably the most popular, for a good reason. They have a bunch of things to explore and play with in there. I love that they have aprons, a sink, and a hand dyer all in that same room for less of a mess. The art museum on the top floor is worth looking at if you like art. If you go there expect a bunch of kids to be in the art museum though. The reason I gave this a three star is because a lot of things. Most of the stuff in the kids area is stolen (which is expected). A few things are broken in the kids area, like I said earlier are not rare. The workers really can't control all of the stuff that happens. Worth the experience, would recommend going. Just sanitize and wash your hands after going.
-
September 2023 by Samantha P.
We were passing through on a road trip and decided to let our 7 year old play here. The people at the front desk were super nice. Great selection of things to play with. Would definitely recommend!!!
-
August 2023 by Liz S.
Brought my 5 and 6 year old and they never wanted to leave. There's a great mix of activities, and the staff is lovely, kind and helpful. The water section and climbing structure were particular favorites.
-
July 2023 by Christina G.
The best place to take young children in Charleston, WV. Let's start by getting the obvious out of the way, ratings are relative, it's all based on what your other options are. If I was reviewing the Clay Center in a major large city (like Tampa/Houston/SF/etc.) I'd give it three stars. However, for Charleston, WV this is a solid five stars. I've been coming to WV once to twice a year since I met my husband eleven years ago. Since then we have two children, ages two and four. What I don't understand is how every year since my oldest child could walk (around age one) and now that nobody has ever recommended the Clay Center to me. Heck, even on this trip it just happened we were driving past it and my head swiveled around when I saw a huge banner with children playing on it. I incredulously said to my husband, "is that a children's museum?". We majorly struggle to find things to do in Charleston when visiting his family. Pretty much we spend the whole time with family, but that doesn't really cut it when you have two young children who want to run around a bit. Now that I know this exists, we will come here every single time we visit. Parking is to the left of the building when you're facing it. It's $3 for parking. Then admission is free for two and under. I think it came out to a little over $30 for two adults, a four year old and a (free) two year old. The floor you enter has a music area, a body movement area, and an innovation space. We were there at 10 a.m. on a Wednesday and it was pretty empty. When we go to the children's museum in Tampa it is packed, so this was a welcome surprise. The woman working in the innovation space was super nice, she gave my youngest feathers and coffee filters to shove in the wind tunnel to watch it get shot into the air. My son played with legos and built a car to run down a ramp. The downstairs area has a lot of pretend play including a theater, mechanic shop, pizza shop, grocery shopping, fire truck, etc. The kids had a blast and it's nice that the parents can just sit and relax since it is a relatively small area and all the pretend play areas open into a center area. It's very well designed so you don't lose your kids. There is a third art floor, but from reviews it seemed to be geared towards older kids/adults so we never ventured up there. We easily spent two hours here and then had to leave for nap. There is an area where you can sit and eat, but there wasn't a place to buy food. I'm not sure if that's cafe is normally open, but the cafe on the floor where you enter looked like it was under construction. Don't go out of your way to visit here, but if you happen to be in Charleston WV and have young children, this is a great place to spend time.
-
March 2023 by Rick A.
We attended the Haley Reinhart concert on the 14th. Great theater design. Not a bad seat in the house. The sound had to much bass and the theater was very cold. Most people kept the coats on throughout the show. I also called the Clay Center to ask if there would be a meet & greet and told there was not. When we arrived we were informed we just missed the meet & greet.
-
February 2023 by Brittany W.
Disappointed. Wheel chair accessible because of the open space, but nothing they've put in is wheelchair accessible. My son was excited for the fire truck but could not walk into the cab because the seat are bolted down. Nearly everything is too high for a child in a wheelchair to access or play with, including the water exhibit.
-
January 2023 by Elena E.
I have four boys ages 17 to 7. It's fun for them all! They especially enjoy the planetarium shows.
-
October 2022 by Nicholas P.
Been here several times over the years with our kids. This trip has been like the others with one exception - multiple stations are either broke, very "weathered", and/or missing pieces or parts to actually use to complete the experience. Hopefully this was a one time thing, but only time will tell. I would suggest asking if all attractions are operational upon entering because you are paying for it.
-
August 2022 by Lizz F.
What an amazing children's museum! So well thought out. The first floor was hosting a dinosaur exhibit this month. My two year old loves the animatronic dinos. Also on the main level were an area about the body and how it works, a huge water table, and a music room with a laser harp! The lower level was incredible, too. There was a dinner, a medical clinic, cafe, bank, mechanic shop, grocery store, electronics shop, and a house being built. The level of thoughtfulness that went into the design of the town completely blows my mind. There are emergency vehicles with a laser light fire house to put out fires on TV screens. The kids can earn pretend money by working in the various parts of town and then take it to the little bank and make pretend withdrawals from the ATM. There's a working compact drill in the mechanic shop. There's a vacuum piping system for balls and handkerchiefs that pull them to the ceiling to be released. If you have kids under 8, this is an amazing center for learning and education through play! The kids were worn out after two floors of play, so we didn't even make it to the art gallery on the third floor.
-
August 2022 by Ulyana K.
I'm just not a huge fan of this museum/center. Maybe it's because I visited the Carnegie Science Center many times and have gotten accustomed to their high quality exhibits and presentations. Or it could be Pittsburgh's art scene. But, I just wasn't too impressed. The tickets are decently cheap and they control where you can and can't bring in food and drinks. There seemed to be very few people over the age of 6 and I didn't see any of the music center. The only music I saw was a kid's music play area. Ashton's Climbing is an infestation zone for the Coronavirus. Seriously, how often do they clean this climbing area? There are so many kids climbing there, it's packed, and people are touching one another, touching the floor, and spreading germs all the time. There's a vending machine near the climbing area. There's also a water play zone, which had multiple malfunctions during my visit. It wasn't flowing as it should be, and the wheels were not turning. Employees tried to fix it but could not. There's a career play center, which is very basic. The music center is a bit more interesting, and the body experiments are pretty cool. Animatronics and dinosaurs are not very realistic, and even the kids there didn't seem impressed. The art zone is nice. It's a lot more peaceful than the kid zones. You can see quilts, sculptures, drawings, and other pieces of art. It's a good spot to relax a bit and the only location not completely dominated by kids and families. All in all, I didn't realize that this place was so kid and family focused. It's a good spot to visit if you have young kids, and it's quite cheap. But, for a relaxing and/or interesting adult experience, this isn't the spot. It does combine a few types of museums into one roof. However, it doesn't come close to the Carnegie museums.
-
January 2022 by Nathan B.
We have taken my grandson here for several years during Christmas visits to the area. His favorite thing is the Ashton Climbing Sculpture. He spends an hour climbing up and down multiple times from bottom floor to the top. The interactive play and learning areas are fun for both kids and adults. He really enjoys the waterworks area and learning about things in the human body display. The third floor is always some sort of art gallery. This year was an interactive Van Gogh exhibit that was really interesting. For the cost of entry, it really is a good way to burn a couple of hours. We have been every year for the last five years except 2020 and will continue to visit until he says he no longer wants to.
-
May 2021 by Shai C.
My family loves this place! Lots to do and see! Fun for kids and adults. Reminds me of COSI a bit.
-
January 2021 by Issa O.
closed unless u call the number for tickets guess i biked here for nothin everything was dark even the front was locked
-
November 2020 by Shelby Z.
The Clay Center was by far my favorite attraction to visit while in Charleston! I will admit, after some research on their website, I was a little unsure exactly what their museum was. Turns out it's a combo of art, science, and a fun little 'career' play area for kids (But even as an adult, I was having just as much fun with it!) The price is such a great deal for what you get. It was only 8 or 9 bucks for practically 3 different areas. It seems like they also hold events and concerts here. This is a great place to check out if you find yourself in Charleston!
-
June 2019 by Audrey G.
I attended the Gary Allan concert last and they ran out of beer before the concert started! It's a country concert every one likes to have a good time, so next time let's stock the bar!! The seating is a little tight getting in and out. Overall, I am so glad to have the clay center and love seeing such great artists here.
