The outdoor water play area is the first thing that kids see as they walk into the museum. It has all sorts of fun things to do. Below, Jillian and Kayden are making music with pulses of water striking different spoon-shaped things.
One of the permanent exhibits centers around architecture and building houses. There are tubs of blocks, tables full of shaped tiles, a child-sized house just for little ones, pipes to take apart and put back together, a shower, and the beams with the level....
I was really impressed with the Sesame Street exhibit for something fun and different to do with Jillian. I was really glad I'd left my older two at home. There were many hands-on and age-appropriate activities for the little ones.
The girls had fun with this one. Pedaling, kicking and jumping made the Sesame Street characters move and light up.
This was another big hit. You can make a trail light up by walking on the feet (to the left in the picture), rolling the wheelchair, or rowing. Jillian and Kayden made it a race.
There were magnetic pieces of clothing to peel off and place on Elmo throughout different seasons, and a big pair of shoes to tie....
Finally, a restaurant and a big market to encourage imaginative play and healthy eating habits.
Now for the Low Down From Becky....
My kids always love going to the science center. I'm generally less enthusiastic about it for several reasons.
The first is cost. Without a membership, admission is steep and doesn't include any of the special exhibits, the planetarium or any IMAX movies. For example, if I wanted to take Jillian to the science center and the Sesame Street exhibit, and I didn't have the Living Social deal I'd purchased or a membership, it would cost me $14.95 for general admission for me, $11 for Jillian, $21.95 on top of general admission for me to take Jillian into the Sesame Street exhibit, and $18 for her admission into the Sesame Street exhibit. For those who aren't counting, that is nearly $60 for one adult and one 4 year-old!
If I had a membership, which ranges in price considerably depending on who the membership is for (a student, an educator, a lone adult, a grandparent, a family) and how many people are on the membership, the Sesame Street exhibit would still cost me $10 for both of us to go in.
If you can find them, many local libraries offer something called a Culture Pass, which gives holders a week to use usually 3-4 free admissions. That would be general admission and would not include the special exhibits or extras.
The second reason I'm less enthusiastic than my kids are about going to the science center is that there's only one of me and three of them...and guaranteed not a single one of them will want to be in the same exhibit at the same time. Keeping track of more than one child in there is not easy. And having a play date there? Forget it. Not fun.
You will see adults and kids of all ages at the science center. My personal opinion, having been there when my older two were as young as 7 and 4 themselves and several times between then and now (they are almost 15 and almost 12), going to the science center is considerably more fun - unless the special exhibit is geared toward little ones like the Sesame Street exhibit - with children who are at least 9 or 10, and considerably less fun with kids under 6. Too much of the museum just goes right over the heads of the little ones.
Parking at Heritage Square is convenient. It cost me $8 for...mmm...I think we were there for 4-5 hours. The science center validates parking as well.
The center has a restaurant on site. Nikki and I brought our own food and water, though. We picnicked just outside of the museum entry.
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