fREQUENTLY ASKED qUESTIONS
GENERAL PUBLIC Wed–Sun 10AM–5PM MEMBER EARLY ACCESS Wed–Sat 9–10AM
SENSORY-FRIENDLY HOURS Sun 8:30AM–10AM
No. The Cayton follows L.A. County guidelines, which no longer requires proof of vaccination to enter an indoor facility.
The Cayton is located at 395 Santa Monica Place, Suite 374, Santa Monica CA 90401. We are situated on the 3rd level of Santa Monica Place, which is in Downtown Santa Monica between 2nd and 4th Street directly off the 10 freeway. If you are using GPS please enter ‘Cayton Children’s Museum’ to ensure you are taken to our location at Santa Monica Place.
We are attached to Santa Monica City Parking Structure 7 (enter on Broadway) and Structure 8 (enter on Colorado). The first 90 minutes are free, $2.00 for the next hour, and between $2.00-3.00 for each additional 30 minutes. There is a $20.00 daily maximum on weekdays and a $25.00 daily maximum on weekends. You can view a map here. Please note, we do not provide validation for parking.
Easy access and disability parking are available in parking structure 8 off of Colorado Ave, on Level 5, as well as parking structure 7 off of Broadway on Level 4. Elevators are available on all levels in the parking lots.
We are located catty-corner to the Metro Expo line drop-off. Find more info here. The one-way fare is $1.75. Santa Monica Place is also readily accessible via many Big Blue Bus routes. Find more info here.
Our entrance is facing the center plaza escalators. We are in the center of Santa Monica Place on the 3rd level.
We recommend guests reserve time-slot tickets online in advance. We also accept walk-in guests based on availability.
Admittance to the Cayton is $18.00 walk-in / $16.00 online per adult and per child age 1+ from 10AM-4PM. Twilight entry at 4PM is $12.00 walk-in / $10.00 online.
Due to rising business costs, we are adjusting our admission prices to ensure the quality of your museum experience remains exceptional. As a nonprofit organization, your support also enables us to continue our nonprofit work, providing safe play opportunities for our community. Learn more about how we activate play for all.
We want to encourage guests to purchase tickets online in advance as it helps us manage capacity and deliver a great guest experience!
The membership, class, and event prices will currently stay as is. If you visit frequently, the annual membership is a great option as it offers unlimited visits during museum operating hours, and many additional perks! Learn more about the Cayton's annual membership here.
All exhibits will operate as normal, unless notified otherwise ahead of your visit. The Cayton continuously works towards regular maintenance checks for each of the exhibits to ensure a safe and adventurous visit for all guests. If you have any feedback, please share it with us at info@caytonmuseum.org.
Food is not permitted in the Museum. Only water is allowed in our space. Families are permitted to leave the Museum to eat a meal or snack outside. Please see the front desk for a sticker so you can have express re-entry. Alcohol and illicit drugs are not permitted on the premises.
For safety reasons, we do not allow strollers on the Museum floor. Please leave your strollers in the car or prepare to park your stroller in the lobby of the museum.
There are lockers available at the back of the museum by the bathrooms. These are first-come, first-serve, and are free of charge. Lockers are operated by a four-digit code of your choice.
As a friendly reminder, all weapons, including firearms, pocketknives, scissors, and pepper spray, are strictly prohibited inside the museum. When entering the museum’s security checkpoint, please be prepared to remove all items inside your pockets, including cell phones, keys, and wallets.
Please be prepared to place your purses, backpacks, and diaper bags through our x-ray machine. All items you do not wish to be searched should remain outside the museum, safely stowed in your vehicle, or left with a family member or friend that is not entering the museum. All contraband found in the possession of a guest will be confiscated by security personnel and will not be returned.
At Cayton Children's Museum, we prioritize cleanliness and safety. Our professional cleaning staff consistently monitors and disinfects museum surfaces, ensuring that public spaces, exhibits, and high-touch surfaces are cleaned throughout the day. Cleaning occurs before, during, and after visitors enjoy the museum, with deep cleaning in between visitation time slots. Additionally, cleaning products like sanitizer and wipes are readily available for visitors and staff members are required to wash their hands regularly. If any area or object needs attention, visitors are encouraged to notify a museum staff member.
We have a dedicated nursing area available for guests. If this space is occupied, guests can ask any floor staff for assistance in finding a private area. Guests are also welcome to use any space they feel comfortable breastfeeding.
No, all kids must be accompanied by an adult at all times. We ask all visitors to keep a 5:1 ratio (no more than 5 kids to an adult). Please see our Visitor Agreements for more information on museum rules and recommendations.
No, as a nonprofit organization we do not provide refunds for ticket purchases, donations, and memberships.
To reschedule your ticket, contact info@caytonmuseum.org.
Our private rooms are available for parties on Saturdays and Sundays from 9am-11am, 12pm-2pm, and 3pm-5pm.
Private buyouts of the museum are available for two-hour increments (with an hour before and after for setup) all day on Mondays, Tuesdays, and in the evenings on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
For alternative events, reach out to events@caytonmuseum.org
We offer venue rentals in 2-hour timeslots from 9am-11am, 12pm-2pm, and 3pm-5pm on weekends. Additional time can be purchased starting at $500 for an hour.
Your rental booking comes with admission for 40 guests (including adults and children) but additional guest tickets can be purchased for $25/person with a total room capacity of 60 per room.
For museum buyouts, the maximum head count is 275 guests.
Your guests may come to the museum as early as they like and stay for the full day! Just make sure their names are on the guest list you send us beforehand and that they don't go into the party room until your event officially starts.
At the Cayton, the main party activity is the museum itself! But if you're interested in additional entertainment, we have a list of preferred entertainment vendors that you can work with.
It depends on your room rental package!
The Basic Room Rental is best for families who want to do their own decorating - you get a blank slate!
With the Premium Room Rental and Catering Package, we provide your choice of tablecloths, napkins and cutlery in a variety of colors (light blue, dark blue, orange, pink and white), along with biodegradable plates and cups.
Yes! We invite you to work with our network of preferred vendors or feel free to bring your own decor. All decorations must be placed inside the designated party area. We recommend free standing decorations as decor cannot be attached to the walls or museum space.
Outside catering of food and beverage is permitted, but may incur an Outside Vendor Fee of $175 and requires a Certificate of Insurance from the vendor. Alcohol is NOT permitted in the Cayton without prior written approval from the Cayton Children's Museum. In addition, the event host must obtain an ABC license and alcohol must be served by a licensed bartender.
We offer catering through our preferred vendor network near Santa Monica Place. For an easy booking, the Catering Package comes with set menu orders from SaMo Pizza or The Curious Palate, but custom orders can be created at any party package level.
Please inquire further about the current list of restaurants we partner with!
You are welcome to bring your own cake! We do not offer birthday cake at the Cayton and cannot store ice cream cake or ice cream in a refrigerator/freezer.
Yes, we work with a variety of artists and performers available upon request. We can book all of your entertainment and food for a coordination fee of 20% of the total.
The rental deposit is refundable up to 30 days prior to your event (minus applicable fees).
Children must always be supervised by their parents/guardians when in the museum. The Cayton requires at least one (1) chaperone for every five (5) children.
Our Museum Store offers a wide variety of party favors. Check out your options on our Private Events page!
Parking is free for the first 90 minutes, with fees incurring after that. We are attached to Santa Monica City Parking Structure 7 (enter on Broadway) and Structure 8 (enter on Colorado). You can view a map here. Please note, we do not provide validation for parking.
In-person field trips include:
40 minute Creativity Lab featuring a process-based art project facilitated by a dedicated member of our museum team
80 minutes of full museum playtime hosted by a member of our museum team
Field trips are available to PreK to 3rd graders with a maximum of 40 students. For infant and toddler groups, field trips are available with a maximum of 20 students.
If your group has more than 40 students, contact us for booking at groups@caytonmuseum.org or call 424-426-2448.
All field trips must be reserved at least one month in advance.
To make a field trip reservation please fill out our online form or contact groups@caytonmuseum.org. Please be prepared with your number of visiting persons, activity choice, and date options. Please allow up to ten business days to receive official confirmation of your scheduled visit.
For L.A. County Schools: Min. 10 guests, Max. 40 guests, 1 adult to 5 children ratio - $10.00 per student with twelve chaperones free (additional chaperones are an additional $15.00 each).
For Title 1 schools: Min. 10 guests, Max. 40 guests, 1 adult to 5 children ratio - Students and twelve chaperones are free (additional chaperones are an additional $15.00 each).
Cancellations must be made two weeks prior to the visit for a 50% refund of money paid. Cancellations made less than 2 weeks in advance are non-refundable. No refunds will be offered for any child or adult chaperone that has prepaid, but that does not attend on the day of visit. Any excess funds that cannot be refunded will be considered a donation.
Yes! Our field trips align with age appropriate Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA), California Preschool Foundations and/or Common Core State Standards.
Car parking is available at public parking structures 7 and 8, attached to Santa Monica Place. The first 90 minutes are free, $2 for the next hour, and between $2 - $3 for each additional 30 minutes. There is a $20 daily maximum on weekdays and a $25 daily maximum on weekends. The first two levels in all structures are dedicated to 3-hour parking only. All-day parking is available on all upper levels. The Cayton Children’s Museum does not offer validation. Bus drop-off is on 2nd street between Colorado and Broadway between True Food and Nordstrom. There is no bus parking available at Santa Monica Place.
We do not have a dedicated are for field trips to eat lunch at the Cayton, however you may store sack lunches at the Cayton to be eaten outside of the museum. Many of our field trips purchase food in the mall or take sack lunches to the beach, Third Street Promenade, or local parks that surround Santa Monica Place. We can provide recommendations for off-site lunch locations on request.
No, visits are limited to their reserved 120-minute time.
The Museum Store is located after the Grand Exit. Groups are welcome to visit the museum store once their field trip has ended.
Being a member at the Cayton gives you unlimited admission all year long and comes with oodles of awesome perks like express entry, early access, guest passes, priority access to camp and class registration, discounts in our museum store, and more. Plus your membership helps support our nonprofit mission, so you are doing good in the process.
As an annual member, you can come to the museum whenever you like without reserving a time slot in advance. You also get to take advantage of early registration for classes and events, special discounts, guest passes, and early access.
Yes! You can either sign up with their name or you can sign up with yours and designate it as a gift. See a Front Desk Associate for more help.
The Launchers membership ($150) includes 2, the Climbers membership ($275) includes 4, the Reachers membership ($399) includes 6.
All adults and children who want to use the membership must be uniquely named on the account. This means that the membership is not interchangeable, and each person using the membership must be specifically named.
One of the perks of membership is that you don't need to make a reservation! Members are welcome to come anytime they like during operating hours, and as long as we're not at capacity, we will get you right in.
When you arrive at the Cayton, head to the front desk. One of our front desk attendants will check your ID and then welcome you inside!
We allow members to change the names on their membership account free of charge for 48 hours after their purchase. Please visit our front desk or email info@caytonmuseum.org to make changes within 48 hours.
Because we are a non-profit organization, a portion of your membership is tax-deductible based on the fair market value (FMV). The FMV of a Launchers membership is $37.50; a Climbers membership is $68.75; and a Reachers membership is $99.75. The FMV is the portion of your membership that is not tax-deductible. If you would like a tax acknowledgment letter for your records, please contact development@caytonmuseum.org.
For all membership questions please email info@caytonmuseum.org.
Your membership is valid for one year from the date of purchase.
Please check the calendar to confirm the members-only hours, as a special event could be happening during this time. During some of these hours, we will have special programming just for members.
No, your membership will not auto-renew. When it is time to renew, we will contact you with an offer to continue your membership.
Membership purchases are treated as a donation to the museum and are non-refundable. Funds raised through our membership program allow us to fulfill our nonprofit mission and expand access to play in the LA community.
The Cayton Children’s Museum is a member of ACM, the world’s foremost professional society supporting and advocating on behalf of children’s museums. If your membership has 3 people or more, you are eligible to receive the ACM reciprocal benefit of 50% off admission for up to 6 people at any of the 200 member museums in the ACM reciprocal network. Please visit the ACM website for more details and a list of participating museums.
We're so glad you asked! Our PLAY4ALL program was created to ensure all children and families—regardless of their financial capacity or abilities—can experience the transformational benefits of play. This program is only made possible by donor support. A donation of $250 buys one family a PLAY4ALL Membership. You can donate by seeing a Front Desk representative or emailing us at development@caytonmuseum.org.
365+! You are welcome to come every day until your membership expires.
Yes! You will need to add this caregiver’s name to your membership. Or, if you have The Launchers, which only allows for one adult and one child to be listed, they can check in with your child’s name (your child will need to be present).
Launchers membership allows for 2 admissions (one adult and one child) at every visit. It also gives you two single-use guest passes, so you can admit two additional guests on one visit. Climbers membership and Play4All membership allow for 4 admissions (any combination of adults and children) at every visit. They also give you 4 single-use guest passes. Reachers membership allows for 6 admissions (any combination of adults and children) at every visit and includes 8 single-use guest passes. As a reminder, every single person entering the museum must have a ticket (tickets for children under 12 months are free).
Yes! As long as one of the listed members on your membership card is present, you can admit whoever you’d like with your designated number of daily admissions. For example, if you have The Climbers membership, you can come with one child and invite another parent and their child to come with you.
If you’d like to admit more than the number of people included in your daily admissions, you may use your single-use guest passes or pay for their tickets. For example, if you have The Launchers membership and you come with your child and two friends, you can use your guest passes for the two friends or pay for their tickets.
No. Once you have used your allotted admissions for the day, you must pay the full price on any additional tickets. However, you do get discounts in the Store and on Events.
You can list 2 people on your membership with a Launchers membership, 4 people on your membership with a Climbers or Play4All membership, and 6 people on your membership with a Reachers membership.
We do not currently have a membership designated for families with more than 6 people, but you are welcome to purchase a membership at The Reachers level and use your guest passes. Once your guest passes have run out, you will need to purchase additional admissions for two of your family members.
No, guest passes expire at the same time as your membership.
You can use the same number of tickets as there are admissions on the membership. For example, if you bought 3 tickets at full price and want to apply them towards the Launchers membership, you can only apply the price of two of them to the cost.
No. Ticket costs can only be applied to the membership on the same day of purchase.
Yes! You can upgrade your membership at any time during the term of your membership. Upgrades are not prorated, so you will need to pay the full difference between your current membership level and the one to which you are upgrading.
No! You can always come to the museum with your membership.
No! You will always be admitted to the museum, even during waitlists.
No. It will expire on the last day of the month a year from when you bought it. You can renew it at your next visit after the expiration date.
You can always see a Front Desk Associate to cancel your membership. However, we do not process refunds for cancelled memberships.
To qualify for a PLAY4ALL Membership, a member of your household must be enrolled in one or more of the following assistance programs:
Medi-Cal / Medicaid
Women, Infants, and Children Program (WIC)
CalWORKs (TANF)
CalFresh (Food Stamps/EBT)
Please bring proof of eligibility (paperwork, card, etc.) and your ID to the front desk. Tell our Guest Services Associate that you would like to apply for the PLAY4ALL membership. Present your proof of eligibility and ID.
You may visit as many times as you wish during normal operating hours for a full year with your PLAY4ALL memebership.
With this membership, you can admit up to four people every time you visit the museum.
For any entrances over four persons, ticket prices are $6 per person.
At this moment, PLAY4ALL membership holders are admitted only on a walk-in basis.
No. However, we are a part of the Museums for All access program where you may find additional free and discounted museums. Learn more at www.museums4all.org.
Our PLAY4ALL membership is not eligible under Medicare.