Best Places to Play Inside in Sioux City & Siouxland

Winter in Siouxland sometimes means frigid temps, arctic winds, and plenty of snow, ice, and slush, and our summers come with thunderstorms and occasional temps over 100. Not to mention storms and rainy days in spring and fall. And don't get me started on Midwest wind! But with rare exceptions when travel is dangerous like ice storms, our exciting weather doesn't mean we have to stay cooped up! So, here are some of my top suggestions for where Sioux City area kids can play indoors when the weather outside is frightful:

Best FREE Places to Play Inside in Sioux City & Siouxland

Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve Visitors Center

272 Westshore Drive, North Sioux City, SD

• Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve is one of Siouxland's best places for outdoor fun with 15,000 acres of adventure to discover (including XC skiing in winter if you're up for some outside fun too!) but it is also surprisingly a best bet for indoor fun, as long as the weather allows you to get there safely.
• The visitors center includes several fun zones for kids to play in, including a wooden fishing boat with magnetic fishing, tons of kids' books on nature-related topics, but the best is the pioneer cabin area, where kids can play homestead to their hearts' content.
• Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve offers FREE admission. To find out more, check out my guide to Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve or visit their official page on the South Dakota GFP website. 

The Sioux City Art Center

225 Nebraska Street, Sioux City, IA

• The Sioux City Art Center consists of 2 buildings, housing permanent galleries, travelling special exhibits, and classroom space. But the best part of the Sioux City Art Center if you're looking for a way to entertain kids on a winter day, is indisputably the Junior League Hands-On Gallery. The Junior League Hands-On Gallery offers a wide variety of interactive artsy fun for kids, like lightboards a Duplo house, foam building blocks, magnet shapes, zoetrope drawing, and much more. 
• For more information, check out my Sioux City Art Center post, or visit the Sioux City Art Center website.  

The Sioux City Public Museum

607 4th Street, Sioux City, IA

• The Sioux City Public Museum has a wide variety of exhibits showcasing Siouxland's history from prehistoric days to the present, including focuses on the Native Americans, early settlers, the Sioux City Stockyards, local disasters like floods and the Flight 232 crash. Two of the most fun exhibits for kids are the giant sandbox (actually rubber pellets) where they can excavate fossils with paintbrushes, and a cabin with a woodstove where kids can pretend to be pioneers!
• For more information on the Sioux City Public Museum, visit the Sioux City Public Museum website. 

The Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center

4500 Sioux River Road, Sioux City, IA

• The Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center has interactive fun and live animals on display year-round. Kid favorites include a Duplo table with lots of animals, and a huge badger den that little ones can climb inside and use the badger cam to peek at what's happening in the rest of the center!
• The nature playscape and trails are also lots of fun in winter if it's warm enough for outdoor play, so bundle up!
• For more info, visit the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center website. 

Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center

900 Larsen Park Road, Sioux City, IA

• The Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center and Betty Strong Encounter Center feature hands-on exhibits that share the store of the Corps of Discovery, led by William Clark and Merriweather Lewis
• The play corner between the two halves of the center features costumes, books, toys, and more so kids can use their imaginations to go on expeditions of their own
• For more info, check out my post about the Lewis & Clark Kids Corner and visit the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center website

Best Places in Sioux City & Siouxland to Pay to Play Inside

Pizza Ranch Arcade

3116 Floyd Boulevard, Sioux City, IA

• Pizza Ranch's arcade opened in late 2021 and is home to tons of great games for a wide variety of ages, including classics like claw machines, basketball shoots, and skee ball and gamer faves like Halo, Minecraft, Nerf and Big Buck Hunter shootout.
• There is no admission charge for the Pizza Ranch FunZone, but the games and the food/drink cost money. To play the games, you need to use one of the kiosks in the arcade, where you can load money from a debit or credit card or cash onto a Pizza Ranch arcade card, then swipe them at the games you want to play!
• You earn tokens from the games, but virtual tokens stored on that Pizza Ranch Arcade card, then redeem them at the prize counter. 
• For more information, visit the Pizza Ranch website

LaunchPad Children's Museum

623 Pearl Street, Sioux City, IA

• LaunchPad Children's Museum is home to dozens of fun exhibits and activities that foster learning, creativity, and fun. Some of my kids' favorites include the mini grocery store area, a super long water table, and a huge climbing area! 
• LaunchPad also hosts educational programming for kids and families almost every day, including with membership or daily admission.
• For more information check out my post about playing at LaunchPad Children's Museum or visit the LaunchPad Children's Museum website.

Drop Zone Family Fun Center

3840 Stadium Drive, Sioux City, IA

• Drop Zone Family Fun Center features a trampoline ninja course, laser tag, and more! Prices vary, but the Tykes Zone starts at $10, and jumping in the main trampoline area starts at $16
• Package deals at $25 and $35 offering access to more of Drop Zone's attractions.
• Drop Zone socks are required, so be sure to bring a few dollars for those if you don't have a pair yet.
• Visit the DropZone FFC website for more info on prices and activities!

The Norm Waitt Sr. YMCA

601 Riverview Drive, South Sioux City, NE

• The Norm Waitt Sr. YMCA in South Sioux City provides Siouxland families with facilities and opportunities for indoor swimming, yoga, basketball and more.
• For more information on facilities, hours, and admission, visit the Norm Waitt Sr. YMCA website. 

Plaza Bowl

3091 Hamilton Boulevard, Sioux City, IA

• Plaza Bowl is Sioux City's only bowling alley on the north and west sides of town and offers a classic bowling experience!
• For more information, visit the Plaza Bowl Facebook page

IBP Ice Center

3808 Stadium Drive, Sioux City, IA

• The IBP Ice Center offers indoor skating and usually has public skating hours on Fridays from 7-9pm. As of January 2026, the city website says admission and skate rental are $8 for these Friday sessions.
• Visit the IBP Ice Center website for more information on hours, prices, and other icy fun.

Tilt Studios

• The family fun center, offers arcade games, laser tag, bumper cars, mini golf, and more inside Southern Hills Mall
• All the attractions cost money, but admission is free, so parents, younger siblings, etc who just want to watch are free to do so without charge.
• Check out my TILT Sioux City post or visit the Tilt Studios website for more information.

Best Places to Play Indoors in other Siouxland Communities

KinderZone

1411 Frankfort Place SE, Orange City, IA

• This cute indoor playground was started by two local moms, Laura and Colby and opened in early 2022
• Daily admission for kids is $8 on weekdays and $9 on weekends, but FREE for babies under the age of 1 and for parents and other adult caregivers.
• Visit packs and group discounts are also available
• Full details available on the KinderZone website

Looking for more ideas for winter fun in Siouxland? You might also enjoy my posts on Sioux City Snowday Fun and Snow Sports in Siouxland!

Reading in summer? Check out a Siouxland pool (once the rain stops!)