Museums don’t at all times rank excessive on the checklist of issues teenagers wish to see in Melbourne, Australia. In the event you’ve ever tried dragging a teen via a museum solely to see them searching social channels on their telephone and taking nothing in, we really feel you. The factor is it’s essential choose number of museums with matters that curiosity your teenagers. Fortunately Melbourne’s museum scene is fairly various with one thing for everybody if the place to go.
Since we dwell not removed from Melbourne, we now have visited a number of museums with our teenagers, Willow and Marley. We have now put collectively this information to Melbourne museums that can have your teenagers , engaged and educated – perhaps even forgetting about their telephones for a bit.
To be trustworthy, we have no idea what each teen likes, however visiting museum in Melbourne with teenagers is a fairly cool possibility.
Melbourne Museum – The place “Museum” Doesn’t Imply “Boring”
Deal with: 11 Nicholson St, Carlton VIC 3053 – Tram route 86 or tram route 96 to Cease 11 Melbourne Museum, nook of Nicholson and Gertrude Streets.
Entry Prices: Grownup $15, Senior $10, Children free
Situated within the inexperienced house of Carlton Gardens proper subsequent to the UNESCO Royal Exhibition Constructing, Melbourne Museum grew to become our sudden household favourite through the years. We first visited when our youngsters had been little and have been again on various events.
The Melbourne Gallery tells the historical past of town Melbourne via various fascinating reveals and multimedia shows. Stroll via a full-size mannequin of what the small homes of Melbourne’s again alleys used to appear to be. See Phar Lap the racehorse, a nationwide hero who beat all comers, find out about how immigration made Melbourne town it’s as we speak and extra.
The Dinosaur Stroll exhibition looks like it’s for youthful children, however our oldest teen loves dinosaurs. She couldn’t imagine the huge prehistoric skeletons they’d on show at Museums Victoria’s web site in Melbourne. Standing beneath one of the full Triceratops skeletons on the planet makes us all really feel so small.”
The First Peoples exhibition was an actual spotlight, widespread with many trying to be taught concerning the historical past of Victoria’s Aboriginal communities. The immersive multimedia shows that the youthful technology can relate to made it extra relatable.
Mother or father tip: Plan for a minimum of 3 hours right here. In case your teenagers are actually into the reveals, wherever as much as 5 hours ought to be allowed.
ACMI – For Your Display-Obsessed Teenagers
Deal with: Federation Sq., Flinders St, Melbourne VIC 3000
It looks like a no brainer to take your children to a museum devoted to movie, TV, videogames, and digital tradition. The museum that required zero convincing and was free to get into was ACMI (Australian Centre for the Shifting Picture), situated at Federation Sq..
The Story of the Shifting Picture exhibition traces how screens have developed over time, with loads of hands-on actions. Our ladies are each players who love the PS4 consoles, so that they appreciated the videogame evolution part. They had been in a position to uncover some older video games from again of their mother and father’ time together with every thing from Avenue Fighter to newer indie video games.
You could be fortunate sufficient to catch among the wonderful exhibitions that roll via ACMI at completely different occasions. They’ve had every thing from Tim Burton motion pictures, Pixar, Star Wars and manga shows.
Mother or father confession: I loved ACMI simply as a lot as the children did. I acknowledged TV exhibits from my childhood within the Australian Tv part.
The well-known Hosier Lane, a well-liked vacationer attraction identified for it’s road artwork is situated simply throughout the road from ACME! Two nice free Melbourne sights.
Scienceworks – Fingers-On Heaven
Deal with: 2 Booker Avenue, Spotswood, Victoria, 3015
Scienceworks, situated in Spotswood, was initially met with skepticism from my daughter (“Isn’t that for little children?”). By the top of our go to, she was plotting how we might come again earlier than flying house.
The Lightning Room demonstrations had been absolutely the spotlight – watching large Tesla coils crackle with electrical energy whereas studying about storm science had each teenagers fully captivated. Examine the schedule while you arrive as a result of these 30 minute exhibits replenish shortly!
One of many extra widespread reveals was Sportsworks, which targeted on exploring well being and bodily sciences via interactive experiences. Our children weren’t too eager on the working exercise however actually liked the snowboarding simulator.
Mother or father tip: This museum is barely out of the central metropolis space, however completely well worth the journey. You may simply catch an Uber or public transport by way of prepare (Werribee and Williamstown Traces) to Spotswood, permit for a ten minute stroll.
Immigration Museum – Surprisingly Teen-Permitted
Deal with: 400 Flinders St, Melbourne VIC 3000
I used to be most nervous about suggesting the Immigration Museum. It doesn’t precisely scream “teen pleasure” as it’s situated within the Outdated Customs Home. However after we visited the extra interactive museums first, we took an opportunity – and I’m so glad we did.
The Interview Room was a novel tackle choice making. You may take a flip as a authorities official charged with interviewing candidates to find out who ‘will get in’. It will need to have been a job that weighed closely on some.
The Tales of Us exhibition sparked conversations between us all, with Melbourne being one of the multicultural cities on the planet. My daughter, who is very opinionated, didn’t maintain again about her ideas that we’re all simply individuals making our greatest means on the planet.
The museum does an exquisite job balancing a subject like historic immigration, which many might conceive as a tad boring, and presenting it in a means that resonates with as we speak’s youth.
Mother or father win: This museum was nice about making our youngsters suppose deeper about what life can be like if we moved to a different nation.
NGV Worldwide – Artwork That Teenagers Don’t Discover Pretentious
Deal with: 180 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne VIC 3006
The NGV is the most important and most visited artwork gallery in Australia. It’s Australia’s model of the Louvre. In case your suggestion to go to The Nationwide Gallery of Victoria is met with resistance, i say it’s best to insist on a go to. Since you’re visiting with teenagers, beginning with the up to date collections reasonably than the classical artwork is advisable.
Enjoyment of artwork is within the eye of the beholder. Typically, it’s actually good to ask your teenagers what they suppose this piece of artwork is about. You may be shocked on the completely different solutions you get from relations.
There actually is simply a lot happening the NGV it’s laborious to search out a place to begin. By the point you go to, what I inform you now about what we now have seen will little question modified.
Once we visited, our youngsters liked the Modern Design and Structure reveals and the Japanese Exhibition. At current, in mid-2025, there are exhibitions titled Cats and Canine, Australian Artwork and First Nations Artwork, simply to call a number of.
The NGV typically hosts particular exhibitions that may be significantly teen-friendly. We have now attended a Pharaohs Exhibit and a Dior Exhibit. Annually the NGV can have various these ticket particular exhibitions.
Mother or father tip: If art-viewing fatigue units in, teenagers can take a breather within the pretty backyard space on the NGV or you are able to do a well-liked excessive tea on the NGV Tea Room. Typically a 15-minute outside break makes all of the distinction between an pleasurable go to and a meltdown.
The Australian Music Vault is situated within the NGV precinct, for any teenagers occupied with Music this could possibly be one other fascinating free attraction in Melbourne.
Planning Your Teen-Pleasant Museum Journey
After a number of Melbourne journeys with more and more much less reluctant teenagers, I’ve realized a number of issues about making museum visits profitable:
- Don’t overdo it – One museum per day is lots. Museum fatigue is actual, particularly for teenagers.
- Meals issues – Try the museum cafes prematurely or know close by meals choices. Nothing derails museum expertise like hangry youngsters.
- Give them management – Let your teen select which sections to go to first and which to skip. Having some company makes them extra invested within the expertise.
- Connection beats assortment – The reveals my teenagers remembered weren’t at all times essentially the most spectacular ones, however the ones that related to their private pursuits or sparked household conversations.
- Respect their tempo – My daughter likes to learn each info panel, whereas my son prefers to maneuver shortly between interactive parts. We’ve realized to sometimes cut up up and reconvene.
Our household skilled one thing I wasn’t anticipating – a real studying and leisure expertise. Between the dinosaur skeletons, digital artwork, and immigration tales, our youngsters left shocked with how a lot they loved the experiences.
So for those who’re planning a Melbourne journey with teenagers, don’t skip the museums – simply select properly. In the event you discover your teenagers aren’t checking social media so typically, you might have chosen effectively. And if that’s not a journey miracle, I don’t know what’s!
Have you ever visited any Melbourne museums along with your teenagers? I’d love to listen to about your experiences within the feedback under!
Who Wrote This Article?
Mark is part of a husband and spouse writing and content material creation crew.
Mark Wyld
Father, husband, traveller. Over the past 18 years, I’ve travelled with our youngsters to over 45 international locations, from toddlers to youngsters.
