10 museums to visit with children in North Brabant
Want to have fun and learn something new? Plan a day out to one of the museums for children in North Brabant. What was life like in prehistoric times? What did dinosaurs eat, and how did Van Gogh play with light? Brabant has a number of the best kids-proof museums in the Netherlands, perfect for a great educational day out with the whole family!
1. Oertijdmuseum, Boxtel
Walk among life-sized dinosaurs
Walk among life-sized dinosaurs
A dinosaur museum is certain to be a hit with the children! The Oertijdmuseum (Prehistoric Museum) in Boxtel is the largest geological museum in the Netherlands. Walk among life-sized dinosaurs, visit the laboratory and the Dino workshop. This museum in North Brabant with its dino playground and exciting Prehistoric Forest makes a wonderful day out for families with children between the ages of 4 and 12.
2. Philips Museum, Eindhoven
Philips and Eindhoven are inextricably linked, so a visit to the Philips Museum has to be part of a day out with the children in Eindhoven. From a treasure hunt for light bulbs to groundbreaking technology: this museum is an enjoyable visit for young and old. What’s more, it’s housed in a historic location in the very first Philips lamp factory (dating from 1891!). Discover in an interactive manner how the family business under the leadership of Anton, Gerard and Frits Philips grew to become a giant in the electronics industry and is now a world leader in the medical sector.
"If your kids are crazy about football, make sure you visit the Philips Stadium and take the PSV Stadium Tour. During the tour, you get to see the pitch, the players’ tunnel and the dressing rooms."
3. Schoenenkwartier, Waalwijk
Ever seen 13,000 shoes all in the same place? A visit to the Schoenenkwartier (Shoe Quarter) in Waalwijk – the leather and shoe capital of the Netherlands – will stay in your memory for a long time. Not only is the huge collection of shoes impressive; you can experience the full production process in the museum, from tanning the skins into supple leather right up the moment that the shoes are dispatched. Visit the Maaklab, sign up for a workshop and create something beautiful yourself. It’s a real family museum for young and old!
4. Museum Klok & Peel, Asten
Repeatedly chosen as the greatest day out in North Brabant
Repeatedly chosen as the greatest day out in North Brabant
Ring the bells yourself and play a real carillon in the Klok & Peel Museum, which has repeatedly been chosen by the Dutch motoring organisation ANWB as the greatest day out in North Brabant. You can imagine you are on the seabed and standing face to face with a mammoth skeleton in the exhibition about the Peel region. The Klok & Peel Museum can also be combined with a trip out into the countryside. The museum is close to the Groote Peel National Park, with lovely walking and cycling routes for the whole family. You can for example discover ‘The Mystery of the Golden Peel Helmet’ Sagas & Legends Route and learn more about the story of one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the twentieth century in the Netherlands. The start and finish point for this route is the Klok & Peel Museum!
More kids-proof museums in the Peel region:
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Boerenbondsmuseum Gemert
Boerenbondsmuseum Gemert
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Kasteel Helmond (Helmond Castle)
Kasteel Helmond (Helmond Castle)
5. DAF Museum, Eindhoven
Children won’t believe their eyes when they are among the large trucks, fire engines and other DAF vehicles! The DAF Museum in Eindhoven is a cool museum for children and a nostalgic trip back in time for their (grand)parents. The DAF family concern began as a small machine factory and forge and developed to become Europe’s fastest growing manufacturer of trucks. A fun treasure hunt is available for children from 6 to 13 years.
6. Van Gogh Village Museum, Nuenen
You can step into the wonderful world of Van Gogh in Nuenen, close to Eindhoven. Nowhere else is there such a fun journey of discovery for the whole family than in Vincent’s Lightlab in the Van Gogh Village Museum. Children can get to work with awesome light installations. Experiment with light and colour, just as Vincent did!
"You can cycle over an illuminated cycle path in Eindhoven, inspired by Van Gogh’s Starry Night painting. Great fun for the children.”
7. Biesbosch MuseumEiland, Werkendam
Europe’s largest fresh water tidal area
Europe’s largest fresh water tidal area
How about a day sailing in the Biesbosch or going for a lovely walk? You can experience a unique museum trip in the middle of the Biesbosch National Park. Biesbosch MuseumEiland tells the story of Europe’s largest fresh water area. But how do these tides actually work? The Biesbosch Beleving (Biesbosch Experience), a scale model of the region with its polders and dikes, teaches children in a fun way about the functioning and importance of the water.
8. Overloon War Museum
How do you make the history of war in the Netherlands tangible to children? This museum in Overloon, the largest war museum in the Netherlands, is the perfect place to introduce children to recollections about the war. Make your visit even more enjoyable and come by bike: Oorlogsmuseum Overloon is the only museum in the Netherlands that you can cycle right through! You get views of the impressive collection of war vehicles from a 3-metre-high cycle bridge. The museum is located on the Liberation Route Brabant cycle network route.
9. preHistorisch Dorp, Eindhoven
15,000 years of history in and around Eindhoven
15,000 years of history in and around Eindhoven
Do you know how hunters and gatherers really lived in North Brabant? You can discover this for yourself in the preHistorisch Dorp (preHistoric Village) while you walk around the museum. Have a chat on your way with the historic inhabitants in traditional costume, learn how to make fire, shoot an arrow, forge iron, throw a spear, bake pots or weave cloth. Everyone can learn something about 15,000 years of history in and around Eindhoven in this interactive museum in Eindhoven.
10. Natuurmuseum Brabant, Tilburg
The Natuurmuseum Brabant has on many occasions been named the best kids-proof museum in Brabant, so that makes it a successful day out for the whole family! Children can learn about unusual plants and animals at this family museum in Tilburg while all their senses are being stimulated. Explore the world of birds of prey and spiders in this natural history museum, do some research yourself and take part in new activities about nature in every season.
