Editor-in-Chief at Raleigh Family Adventure

Amy Hartle is the enthusiastic force behind Raleigh Family Adventure as its Editor-in-Chief and founder. She resides in the North Carolina Triangle area with her husband and their adventurous toddler. Amy has worked as a content creator since 2012, specializing in travel and lifestyle. On this site, Amy marries her expertise with her passion to bring Raleigh parents the best in local family fun.

Kidzu Chapel Hill NC Indoor Playground Review

Kidzu Children’s Museum is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. First opened in 2006, the museum has grown over the years and finally landed in their current home inside the University Place mall.

I recently visited this Chapel Hill children’s museum and indoor play space with my son (21 months) and my two adopted little siblings (6 and 7 years old). We all had a great time exploring Kidzu for a couple hours, and I’m here to tell you all about it.

Two children energetically climb a rock wall in an indoor playground, with colorful handholds and a sign reminding to keep shoes on, promoting physical activity and coordination in a fun, challenging environment

Kidzu has around 10 distinct learning environments that kids can explore. These include Flexible Forest, Forest Theater, Gravitron, and Farm to Fork, just to name a few.

The Climbing Wall was popular with my siblings; the perfect fun challenge for them. They already want to come back and give the wall another try, as neither of them quite reached the top! The flooring below the wall is a super squishy mat, so climbers can feel safe knowing they have a soft surface to land on.

A cozy play market stall with a 'Fresh Eggs' sign, featuring wooden shelves stocked with play food and farm goods, a white stool, and educational materials, part of a child-friendly exhibit designed to simulate a farm-to-table experience

A young child plays at a miniature kitchen station with a chalkboard backsplash, creatively engaging with a toy blender and yellow bowl, fostering imaginative play in a child-friendly space

The Farm to Fork section was a big hit with all 3 of the kids. The museum has a huge collection of pretend foods, and we made a series of “meals” with them. Kids can go through the whole food cycle, planting and harvesting produce, selling these items at the market, preparing and serving food in the little shop, and then composting the waste at the end (which lands right back in the “garden.”

A child experiments with the laws of physics at the 'Gravitron' exhibit in an indoor playground in the Triangle area, showcasing a fascinating ball track on a metal wall, designed to teach gravity and motion in an interactive and fun way.

My son Malcolm really loved Gravitron, a magnetic wall where you can watch a ball fall down a series of tracks. (This is his favorite thing at every indoor playground nearby!)

A dynamic Chapel Hill play place for kids featuring a wooden beehive climbing structure, a two-story playhouse, and interactive stations, all under a ceiling adorned with playful mobiles and soft glowing lights

And of course, one of the most popular exhibits for every child visiting Kidzu is the treehouse/crow’s nest elevated 12 feet inside the Flexible Forest. Parents can go up there as well, which is how I got this neat overhead shot of the whole museum.

An overhead view of a bustling indoor play space in Chapel Hill, featuring a climbing area, 'The Feasible Forest' play zone, and a market setup, where children engage in imaginative play surrounded by whimsical decorations and educational exhibits.

Elevated wooden walkways inside a children's museum in Chapel Hill, providing a bird's-eye view of various interactive exhibits below, encouraging exploration and physical play in a safe, indoor environment

There’s also a little Hive seen in front of the rock wall, where kids can dress up as bees and practice harvesting honey! While Malcolm is too little to understand this concept, he enjoyed running in and out of the perfect-size-for-him hive and looking up at the cool conical shape inside.

There is a whole lot at Kidzu beyond just the open play areas. We’re looking for forward to visiting again to experience all of the museum’s offerings.

One thing we’re definitely going to check out is The Nest. This is a special infant and toddler area located directly next door to the main Kidzu location. A beautifully decorated learning space for the littlest among us, The Nest offers both open play sessions and facilitator-led sessions that include story time as well as time for child-directed play and collaborative art and STEM projects. Check back here for our future review of The Nest!

A curious child interacts with a lifelike cow sculpture by giving it a kiss, at a museum exhibit in Chapel Hill, under a mural depicting a whimsical town scene, evoking a sense of discovery and fun in a hands-on learning environment.

Kidzu offers lots of events and programming for both members and non-members. By the way, the membership seems like a good deal if you live close to the museum; it says it pays for itself in just 5 visits!

In addition to various track out camps and summer camps, Kidzu has weekly events (a few spotted on the calendar include Mandarin Story Time and Jammin’ Baby Music Classes).

Overall Impressions by Mom of this Indoor Playground in Chapel Hill

Kidzu is super cute! There’s lots to do here that I didn’t even get to mention in the first section, like the Makery for Art and STEM projects, the Forest Theater for productions and storytelling, and more.

This is a place that we will definitely visit again so we can experience these other elements. Some, like the Makery, seemed too advanced for 21-month-old Malcolm. At this age, he mostly runs from activity to activity anyway!

I really liked the layout of the museum; it’s not too big that you’re constantly losing sight of your child, but not so small that it seems chaotic. I think this museum is ideal for the younger crowd, preschoolers are probably the target market for most of the play areas. Older children may be somewhat bored as there’s not as many spots to be active.

You could definitely come here with multiple ages. There’s an enclosed soft play area for babies that crawlers love.

An imaginative indoor play area in Chapel Hill, designed with a soft, cushioned pit filled with colorful shapes and textures, adjacent to an interactive exhibit, encouraging playful exploration and physical activity for children.

Other things to note: the bathroom with changing table is right near the play area. Clean and easy to find. There’s a section in the back of Kidzu where caregivers and kids can sit to rest and enjoy a snack. For a true moment of rest and relaxation, head into the adorable book nook for some chilled out reading.

A child sits engrossed in reading at the 'Book Nook' of the Kidzu Children's Museum in Chapel Hill, NC, with whimsical wall art and a cozy green reading bench, creating a peaceful corner for young readers to dive into stories

I am super impressed by Kidzu’s website. It’s packed with resources; not just information for visiting the museum, but ideas for things to do at home. The “virtual museum” has video content, printables, and links to even more resources for parents. It’s really great.

Speaking of their website, be sure to check it out. It not only has all the virtual fun, but information you might want to know like the price of memberships, details about summer camps, and of course, their upcoming calendar of events.

Inside the Kidzu Children's Museum in Chapel Hill, NC, the 'Makery' space buzzes with creativity, featuring a colorful crafting area, interactive wall puzzles, and a child engrossed in play with building blocks on a patterned floor mat

Have you been to Kizdu Children’s Museum in Chapel Hill? What was your favorite part?