Walk into the Mercer Museum in Doylestown and look straight up. Henry Mercer poured the whole building out of concrete and then hung his collection of pre-industrial tools in the open air of a central atrium six stories tall. Whale boats, sleighs, a gallows and a cider press float overhead. Kids who are bored by the idea of a museum tend to stop talking for a second when they see it.

That building is the anchor of any rainy-day plan in Bucks County. Here is the rest of the list, sorted by what you are actually trying to solve.

Burn off energy

For the days when the problem is physical and the weather will not cooperate.

• Funzilla, 500 Lincoln Highway, Fairless Hills. Trampolines, go-karts, ninja course, climbing walls, virtual reality and a separate toddler zone under one roof. Packages run from about $25 for two hours to $45 for an all-day pass. A quieter sensory session runs Sunday mornings with the building closed to the general public, priced around $12 for one jumper and one adult. 215-488-7352.
• Altitude Trampoline Park, Feasterville. Jump passes run roughly $19 for 60 minutes, $22 for 90 and $27 for 120, with dodgeball, a ninja course and a climbing wall. Junior Jumpers Jam on weekday mornings is about $13 and is aimed at little kids.
• Giggleberry Fair at Peddler’s Village in Lahaska. Giggleberry Mountain is a six-story indoor obstacle course, and the restored antique carousel is the reason toddlers come back. An Activity Pass runs about $17, the Giggles Pass about $11, and the Mountain alone is roughly $12 for a child. Arcade and the Painted Pony Cafe on site. 215-794-4047.
• Bucks County Ice Sports Center, 1185 York Road, Warminster, at 215-675-3000, and Revolution Ice Gardens, 1621 Mearns Road, Warminster, at 215-441-5004. Both run public skating sessions. Grundy Arena in Bristol is the lower-county option. Check session schedules before you drive, because public skate windows shift around hockey and figure skating.
• Thunderbird Lanes, 1475 West Street Road, Warminster. Thirty-two lanes, snack bar, grill. Games start around $11.
• Main Strike Bowling at 22 S. Main Street, Doylestown, inside the Main Street Marketplace. Duckpin bowling with smaller balls and no finger holes, which is the version that actually works for a six-year-old. There is a per-person fee of about $5, plus indoor mini golf and golf simulators in the same complex. 215-550-1950.
• Lucky Strike Feasterville pairs bowling with a full arcade and a kitchen, which is the combination that buys you three hours.
• Newtown Athletic Club, 120 Pheasant Run, Newtown. Lap, activity and therapy pools plus a large kids program slate. Open 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. weekdays and 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekends. 215-968-0600.

One correction worth making, because older roundups still repeat it. Sky Zone no longer operates a trampoline park in Bucks County. Both the Levittown and Bristol Township locations shut down and have not reopened.

Rainy Saturday with a toddler

Under-fives need somewhere soft, contained and close to a bathroom.

• The Bucks County Children’s Museum, 500 Union Square Drive, New Hope. Admission is about $9 per person for everyone age 1 and up, $5 for veterans and $3 on ACCESS or EBT. The water table with toy boats and the barnyard section are the two exhibits that hold attention longest. Advance tickets are strongly recommended, since walk-in admission is not guaranteed and the building is small. 215-693-1290.
• JoyLand Club, 2300 Lincoln Highway, Langhorne. Jungle gym, ball pits, slides, a climbing wall and a dedicated toddler area, right next to the mall so you can fold it into other errands.
• Playtopia Indoor Play in Southampton. Smaller and calmer than the trampoline parks, which is the point.
• Library baby and toddler story times are the most underused option in the county. More on those below.

Quiet and calm

For sensory-sensitive kids, for adults who need a break, and for the second half of a long day.

• Mercer Museum, 84 South Pine Street, Doylestown. Open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission runs $20 adult, $17 senior, $15 student, $10 for youth 6 to 17, free for 5 and under. Best for roughly ages 6 and up. 215-345-0210.
• Michener Art Museum, 138 South Pine Street, Doylestown, directly across the street. Admission is $15 adult, $13 senior, $5 for youth 6 to 18, free under 6, and free for everyone on the second Sunday of the month. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. 215-340-9800.
• Fonthill Castle, 525 East Court Street, Doylestown. Mercer’s own concrete house, seen by guided tour for about $15. Tours are timed and the stairs are uneven, so it suits older kids. 215-348-9461.
• Moravian Pottery and Tile Works in Doylestown, the working tile factory Mercer built. Short, strange and genuinely interesting.
• Art Dept Studios, with locations in Newtown and Doylestown. Paint-your-own pottery, fused glass and mosaics, walk-ins welcome. Budget an hour and a half and expect to come back a week later to collect the fired pieces.
• County Theater, 20 East State Street, Doylestown. A nonprofit community theater with a long history on State Street. Its family matinee series is $5 a ticket and free for members and their kids. 215-345-6789. The Newtown Theatre at 120 North State Street is the other historic option, a 300-seat room that mixes movies with live shows.
• Nature center visitor centers count as indoor destinations in their own right. Churchville Nature Center at 501 Churchville Lane keeps live animals and exhibits, open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Peace Valley Nature Center outside Doylestown runs Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m., closed Mondays.

Free

Nobody budgets for a surprise rainy Tuesday.

• Bucks County Free Library runs seven branches: Bensalem at 3700 Hulmeville Road, Doylestown at 150 S. Pine Street, plus Langhorne, Levittown, Perkasie, Quakertown and Yardley-Makefield. Baby story time, toddler story time, all-ages story time, play groups, teen art workshops and maker programs run all week and cost nothing. The system calendar is the single best rainy-day tool in the county, because you can filter by branch and age and find something starting within the hour.
• Free Library of New Hope and Solebury is independent of the county system and runs its own open-play hour for little kids.
• Michener Art Museum is free to everyone on the second Sunday of each month.
• Nature center trails and visitor centers are free to enter. Churchville charges only for the seasonal Butterfly House, at $8 adults, $6 seniors and $5 for children 4 to 13.

Keeping a ten year old busy

The hardest age. Too old for soft play, too young to be dropped off.

• Sesame Place Philadelphia in Langhorne is in Bucks, not Philadelphia, despite the name. It is primarily an outdoor park with a seasonal calendar, so check what is operating before you commit. Single-day tickets start around $48 and flex tickets run closer to $60.
• Regal Warrington Crossing in Warrington has IMAX and 4DX, where the seats move. Regal UA Oxford Valley in Langhorne covers lower Bucks.
• Duckpin bowling and mini golf at the Doylestown Main Street complex work well for this age because they are skill-based without being intimidating.
• The Mercer Museum genuinely lands with ten-year-olds. The scale of the atrium and the sheer strangeness of the objects hanging in it do the work.
• Pottery painting at Art Dept Studios holds up better than parents expect, especially for a kid who wants to make something rather than be entertained.

Just over the county line

Worth the drive when you want something bigger.

Place	Where	Best for	Approximate admission
Please Touch Museum	Philadelphia	Ages 1 to 7	$24 per person; $2 on ACCESS
The Franklin Institute	Philadelphia	Ages 5 and up	$29 adult, $25 teen, $23 child
Arnold’s Family Fun Center	Oaks, Montgomery County	Ages 6 and up	Pay per attraction
K1 Speed	Horsham, Montgomery County	Ages 8 and up	Per race, plus arcade
Inline 309	Hatfield, Montgomery County	Ages 5 and up	About $12 with skates

Arnold’s is the biggest single indoor complex within easy reach, combining bowling, laser tag, indoor mini golf and a large arcade. K1 Speed runs indoor electric karting with a height requirement, so measure your kid first.

A few practical notes

1. Book the Children’s Museum and any timed-entry attraction ahead. Small venues in Bucks hit capacity on rainy weekends by mid-morning.
2. Museum admission in Doylestown is bundled across the Bucks County Historical Society sites, so ask about a combination ticket if you plan to do Mercer and Fonthill together.
3. Trampoline parks require waivers signed by a parent or guardian and grip socks sold on site. Sign the waiver online before you leave the house.
4. Nature centers close their visitor buildings on Mondays even when the trails stay open.
5. Ice rinks publish public skate schedules week by week and change them constantly. Call.

Planning ahead for warmer months? See our guide to summer camps in Bucks County, and find more in your own area on our Bucks County towns index.

Sources and Further Reading

• Mercer Museum and Fonthill Castle, plan your visit
• Michener Art Museum, plan your visit
• The Bucks County Children’s Museum
• Bucks County Free Library
• Bucks County Free Library events calendar
• Giggleberry Fair at Peddler’s Village
• Funzilla, Fairless Hills
• County Theater, Doylestown
• Please Touch Museum
• The Franklin Institute
• Visit Bucks County

Hours, admission prices and seasonal schedules change often, and places do close. If something here is wrong, send us a correction and we will update it.