You know, this is a place for children, hahaha. If you've ever been to the Discovery Science Center…read morein Santa Ana, California, you'll see a lot of the same kind of thing. There's a lot of exhibits on geology, the human anatomy, solar, and others. I feel like I was walking through a children's playplace, but not in a bad way. I'm super appreciative the kids in Phoenix have a place they can find fun and also learn something about the world around them! I love supporting this kind of outreach for the younger generation. Now, onto the real reason I actually came here today. I heard about the Julia Child exhibit. She's one of the biggest influences in food media ever, and I would be remiss to skip it while I was in town. The exhibit catalogued her life, from birth, to her time in the OSS and budding romance, and her formative years in France, after which she started her food show. What an incredible woman. If you have the chance, please come visit, and learn about the mother of American and western food media.

This is my second time attending. I'll preface by saying I don't really remember my first visit…read moreenough to compare. I do remember the outside water/air activity that was so much fun and they no longer have available. So here is my fresh new take: 1) It's definitely has great content for youth. Your toddlers won't understand what's really going on. 2) Extremely educational and informative for those who can read and take the time to understand. This isn't a look and feel, you must engage to get the full experience. 3) Parking was not far and they give you a discount to park, so parking wasn't an outrageous price. 4) Plenty of hands on activities! The downsides for me: 1) The price is a bit steep for a family of 3 or more. They also do not offer a law enforcement discount nor one for tribal members (No land acknowledgment either) The Children's Museum does both! 2) There are way too many activities inactive or not maintained to use. I wish there was a discount or at least a notice that they were experiencing so many problems, that way an attendee can make the decision to pay or not. 3) The water/sand area didn't have enough sand, not enough shovels, and no signs or instructions on how to clean up. 4) The best features are accessible for an additional costs. So on top of the general admission, you're paying $7 pp for the dome show, the special exhibit is $$, and the sky bike also costs. So, they really get you coming and going. Overall, I was underwhelmed by the experience as a whole. The content and purpose is still relevant and can be super valuable for young learners. I've experienced it once and I'm not sure anything would change if I came again. It's a take it or leave it decision.

"The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple…read morepies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff." ― Carl Sagan, American astronomer and astrophysicist Come view the stars. The Gilbert Rotary Centennial Observatory is open on Fridays and Saturdays, from sunset - 9:30PM, weather permitting. The cost is free but there is a suggested donation of $5/family or $3/adult. Donations are gratefully accepted for the maintenance of the equipment. See the moon, planets, double stars, open clusters, and other wonders of the night sky. Join them on the second Friday of each month for their Public Star Party. An astronomy talk is presented in the adjoining public library at 7:30PM and is hosted by the East Valley Astronomy Club (www.evaconline.org). Visit their website (www.grcoonline.org) for special events, solar viewing, and to book private group bookings.

Although they have public viewing sessions, we reserved a private session for $40 for our family of…read morefive. It was over an hour looking at the sky, learning about astronomy, and getting a crazy view of the moon and several stars. I never realized how awesome the stars were going to look thru a powerful telescope. Claude and Gordon led our session and their passion for astronomy really came through. Our kids 8-18 yrs were all engaged and thought it was really wonderful.

We visited the museum on a weekday morning. We enjoyed the displays of rocks from various parts of…read morethe earth, the Arizona-Mexican artifacts, and of course the dinosaurs, especially the aquatic dinosaurs. This museum has an active dinosaur fossil dig - you can watch and even talk to the paleontologist working on it! There's lots to see and enjoy here, including real elements from a jail that held prisoners from the 1830s to the 1970s!! The gift shop is reasonably priced and you can even purchase a "memory bag" filled with pencil, notebook eraser, etc, for only $2.50 each.

Paid $14 and only stayed about 40 minutes. There were multiple groups of school children that were…read morerunning around, screaming, jumping and bumping into everything. I expect that behavior to be tolerated at a children's museum, not a public museum where a basic level of respect and decorum is expected for EVERYONE inside. Wish I could say I enjoyed it but the hundreds of screaming children ruined any experience I could have had and left with a migraine. **Would appreciate museums to have specific days for "field trips" or hours for school days. Unfortunately many museum experiences are ruined due to the behavior of unruly children, and I'm still the one paying full price.

This museum is hard to find but it's in an old elementary school building…read more I was very underwhelmed. The best part was the portable planetarium show.

This museum exceeded my expectations! First, it was larger than I expected. Next, the collections…read morewere more comprehensive and interesting. I LOVED getting to a "tour" of the Space Station! Great for adults as well as kids. My only suggestion is to have much better signage on the outside. People driving by don't realize you are there.

We love the i.d.e.a. Museum and have been going for years. It's been really fun watching how the…read moreexperience changes as my kids get older. They've aged out of the soft play areas, but now they can spend hours at the stop motion video station and exploring the newer exhibits. The recycling area is also one of their favorites. It's such a quaint little space and incredibly affordable for what you get. I also love seeing downtown Mesa continue to grow, and the museum feels like a big part of that energy. From a parent perspective, it's really easy to visit. There's ample parking, it's very stroller and diaper bag friendly, and it's a perfect place for a playdate. You can actually have conversations while the kids explore and move between activities. The mural in the courtyard is gorgeous and the puppets are always a hit with my kids. It's one of those places we keep coming back to.

Amazing place for toddlers and school aged children to learn about science in a fun way, explore…read moretheir imagination and interact with others. There are soft blocks for building or balancing on, a play kitchen, play vet, barn, magnet wall, Lego station, gear powered musical windmill, lots of art stations to create, a backlight wall, even and outdoor area.

Big fan of their Facebook page. Went when they had a bicycle exhibit and Mexican exhibit going…read more Wish there was more core Tempe history there so I could reflect more on my childhood though.

This small museum is currently exhibiting Tempe's Old West history, and I found it very interesting…read moreto read about how quickly the town changed and spread. Included in the exhibit are pieces of clothing, tools, and toys from this boomtown era. The rest of the museum has displays from an ethnic standpoint to the movie industry to sustainability in the desert to ASU history. One corner has a truck, books, and costumes so that kids can get hands-on. Admission is free, and the museum shop has lots of unique gift items. Bonus: the Tempe Public Library is right next door

Dani Ivana Mitchell…read more Leo Where so nice helped take pictures and explained everything to us!!

I had my first experience at this museum & it was such a good one!…read more My favorite part was capturing the illusions in my photos! There are so many illusions to choose from. I loved that they had stickers that helped navigate you to on how to take the perfect picture with the illusion within it. The customer service was 10/10. The staff was so helpful and offered to take photos for us. If we were having a trouble finding the illusion, they would guide us through it. This is the perfect activity for a date night, solo date, or family fun day! There is something for everyone!

Visited with a 19 month old who loves to explore - and this surely delivered. Each floor provides a…read morevariety of options to choose from and experiences that cater to all age ranges. We visited at a year old and were limited to the experience, but once they hit walking stage the doors explode with opportunities. From the first floor tree house and soft foam blocks to the open-play blocks and gears - the experience builds as you work through each floor.

So many creative areas for the kids to use their imagination! The 3rd floor was all for younger…read morekids. Fairly affordable about $20 a person. A lot of rooms for the kids to explore. We easily spent 4hrs in there and the toddler cried to leave. lol staff was great! They keep things clean and organized. My hands did not feel all grimy with germs. There is a large play area for 3 and under, no show zone.