Youth & Family Programs

Design, build, tinker, and learn together as you explore the world of automobiles and its relation to science, technology, engineering, art, and math. On the third Saturday of each month, you and your child, grandchild, or family can spend quality time together exploring activities throughout the Museum.

When

Third Saturday of the month from 11:00 am – 3:00 pm. For details, visit the event calendar.

Ages

Geared to families, appropriate for all ages

Cost

FREE admission on third Saturdays for all Museum visitors age 18 and under.

Preschool programs at America’s Car Museum encourage your child’s curiosity and imagination. Geared to ages 3-5, this program includes the following three activities:

Storytime & Art – 30 minutes

A museum educator will read a book such as If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dusen and then encourage students to use a variety of materials to illustrate what it would look like if they built a car.

Family Zone Exploration – 30 minutes

This is a space where kids of all ages can play and engage with hands-on activities that include racing a pinewood derby car down a track, “driving” a 1920s Dodge and taking a toy car on a road trip across an oversized map of the United States.

Guided Tour OR Self-Guided Exploration

GUIDED TOUR – 30 MINUTES: This condensed tour will cover approximately ¼ of the Museum’s galleries. A museum educator will encourage children to identify design features of various shapes and colors as well as compare and contrast old and new cars.

SELF-GUIDED EXPLORATION – 30-60 MINUTES: Small groups of children with an assigned adult will explore the Museum at their own pace using an age-appropriate scavenger hunt as their guide.

Program themes may also be customized to meet your group’s learning objectives.

Cost

• $6 per participant.
• One adult chaperone for every 5 children will be admitted to the Museum for free to assist with supervision.
• A minimum of 10 children is required. Preschool programs can accommodate up to a maximum of 40 children.

Reservations

Allow at least 2 hours for preschool programs to provide adequate time for check-in and an optional snack break. Reservations must be booked at least 4 weeks in advance and are subject to availability.

The Family Zone is a space where kids of all ages can play and engage with hands-on activities.



• Take the Road Trip Challenge: The Road Trip Challenge kiosk was created by students from Renton Technical College. A 1998 Ford Mustang was converted to serve as a vehicle for the Road Trip Challenge to teach strategies for wise energy use. On a touchscreen visitors may choose and customize a vehicle, then select fuel to travel to familiar destinations across the country.
• Learn How Cars Work: A chassis with exposed parts is the perfect opportunity to explore the basic systems of how cars work.
• Take the Wheel: Visitors of all ages are eager to climb into the cars at ACM; now you can see what it feels like to “drive” one.
• Built for Speed: Race pinewood cars down a track and experiment with the science of speed.
• Go for a Road Trip: Share road trip stories across generations. Prepare for new memories as your little ones drive from sea to shining sea across our oversized map of the United States.
• Share Car Stories: What moves you?
• Art Station: Design a car for the future and share your experience at the Museum by decorating your own postcard.

America's Car Museum offers a variety of programing for Scout troops. This includes merit badge events, as well as guided and self-guided tours of the facility. For more information about our Scout programs, please contact the educational department or keep an eye on our events calendar for upcoming courses!

Each summer we invite rising 6th – 9th graders are invited to explore science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) at America’s Car Museum! Campers will design, build, experiment and create during this fun-filled week of programming! Registration includes all necessary materials and a snack. Stay tuned for 2025 dates and registration.

Education Department – education@americascarmuseum.org | 253.683.3978