Host an event that’s like no other at The Iowa Children’s Museum! We offer party room and facility rentals for families looking to celebrate at The Iowa Children’s Museum. Click here to learn more. Birthday party packages with cake, favors, and an assigned party pal are unavailable at this time.
Support from the GEICO Philanthropic Foundation creates memorable birthday parties for kids! Their support makes it possible for us to provide thousands of free admission tickets to families in our community to celebrate their special day. These birthday party passes are distributed through partnerships with the Coralville Food Pantry, the North Liberty Food Pantry, and the Downtown Iowa City Rotary Club.
The Iowa Children’s Museum birthday parties are loads of fun for kids and a piece of cake for adults!
Base price: $150 (Includes 10 children, 4 adults)
$15 per additional child, $5 per additional adult
No one knows FUN like The Iowa Children’s Museum! We were voted #1 for Kids Party Places by Locals Love Us and have hosted thousands of parties over the years. We offer a one-of-a-kind location where children have a blast and grown-ups avoid the hassles of party planning. Your child will not only have private time with their friends to enjoy cake and opening gifts, but they will also enjoy active play in our exhibits.
Birthday Bash Slime
Chemistry at its most fun! Create a colorful slime you can squeeze, mold and stretch!
Dino Discovery
Extract your dinosaur from its ice egg and then use it to make a fossil!
Pirate Treasure Hunt
Explore the museum to find the missing map pieces that will ultimately lead you to the treasure chest!
Slinky Engineering Challenge
Test your engineering skills by building a ramp for your slinky to travel down!
Masquerade Fun
Animal, superhero or a never before seen creature? Become anything you can imagine by fashioning your own face mask!
Most of the party details will be taken care of by your ICM Party Pal. The only thing for you to do is to send out invitations, provide us with a close estimate of guests before your party, and arrive with your child ready to have fun! We will take care of the set-up, clean-up, and everything in between.
Each birthday party lasts 2 hours. During that time, your guests will get approximately 60-75 minutes of playtime. If guests would like to stay and play after the party, they must pay daily admission at the front desk.
Yes! You may bring in or have food delivered to the museum for your party. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide refrigerator space. We will provide lemonade and water for your party. Alcoholic beverages are not allowed in the museum.
You are welcome to bring decorations that are easy to setup, including tabletop decorations and banners. You will have access to the party rooms about 10 minutes before your party start time. Helium balloons are allowed, but must be weighted down before entering the mall. Pinatas should be the pull-string type, as we do not currently have the ability to hang a pinata from the ceiling. An adult in your party group will be expected to hold the pinata as the kids pull the strings.
No, The Iowa Children’s Museum schedules birthday parties back to back with a brief amount of time in between to prepare for the next party.
Parties may be rescheduled as long as the new date is scheduled 2 weeks out.
A cancellation notice is required within a minimum of 3 weeks from the party date. Parties that have been cancelled 3 weeks prior to the event will receive a refund of 50% of base price paid. Parties that have been cancelled with less than 3 weeks notice will not receive a refund.
Arrival: Your private party room will be available for you and your party guests at your scheduled arrival time. Early arrivals will be asked to wait in the museum lobby until your party room is ready. Once in your room, your ICM Party Pal will lead the guests in a fun activity while you wait for everyone to arrive.
Play: Once all party guests have arrived, your ICM Party Pal will lead your group to play in your birthday child’s favorite exhibits.
Food and Gifts: After active play, your guests will move back to your private party room to enjoy birthday cake and open gifts (if applicable).
Departure: At your scheduled departure time, your ICM Party Pal will hand out museum souvenirs, which include free museum admission passes, and then lead child guests to the museum lobby to be picked up by their parents or caregivers.
Your party room will be available at your scheduled arrival time. Early arrivals will be asked to wait in the museum lobby until your room is ready.
Yes! 10 kids and 4 adults will be free. Each child under 14 years old will be an additional $15. Each adult will be an additional $5. The maximum recommended capacity of our party rooms is 30 people.
Yes. Adults may substitute for any of the 10 free kid spots included with the party package. In order to keep a 1:5 adult to child ratio, kids are not allowed to substitute for any of the 4 free adult spots included with the party package.
We require the party’s base price (example: $150) to be paid at the time of booking. If more than the 14 free guests attend your party, we ask for the remaining balance to be paid immediately following your party before you leave the museum.
No. ICM birthday parties include special activities that you would not experience during an everyday visit to the museum (cake, private party room, supplies, Party Pal). Members receive a 10% discount on the total cost of the party.
Your ICM Party Pal will count ALL children and adults that attended your party, whether they participate in activities or not.
Additional Guest Fees:
At The Iowa Children’s Museum, we encourage adults to be involved in the birthday celebration. Adults can enjoy the cake and beverages that are provided and play in the exhibits with their kids. All of the adults in your party group contribute to making this a special day for your birthday child.
Ready to book? Click the orange button below!
Still have questions? Contact Aimee at parties@theicm.org or call 319.625.6255 x216.
