We met family from Sacramento here today, we're from Bakersfield. We have never been here before. It was a great deal at $3/person, since it's the 1st sat of the month. We spent about 3 or so hours playing & exploring. It's really meant for younger ages,probably up until about 10-11. My son is going to be 11 next week & loved it because he loves dinosaurs, digging & science. Not sure i would go out of my way to go back, only because we don't live locally but if we lived in fresno I would consider getting a membership. They have a lot of great programs throughout the week which would be great for school field trips or homeschooling co-ops. read more

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Awesome place for the kids to learn and run around. Was looking for a place for the kiddos to play and I came across this. Came here once for my nephews birthday and haven't been back since, so it's been a while and I kind of forgot this place exists. You can get your tickets online, I happen to check at the right time because their prices and affordable on every first Saturdays of the month! The lady working was super friendly and helpful, she even told me they do music classes and that the kids are more than welcome to join. Around 11am they have a person doing a science presentation but unfortunately she was running late on her project and I overheard her being kind of rude and not in a good mood so we decided to move on to the next room. They were also selling boba and eggrolls outside, sorry I forget the name of the seller that had their booth there. The kids enjoyed the front area where they can dress up, draw and play with toys. There was also someone selling their 3D printed animals, which the kids loved so I caved and bought them all one plus help support small businesses. Overall it was a nice experience for the kids to enjoy. read more

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A wonderful place for kids with lots of different events that can cater to any of your kids' interests! Got to volunteer at their Star Wars May the Fourth event and it was a great time! read more

Fresno Discovery Center - A really pretty tree in their Cactus Garden - Educational Services Near Me - Fresno, California

The Fresno Discovery Center isn't much to look at when you first pull up, but I was very surprised at the amount of activities and different play stations they have set up here. My daughter really loved the main entrance play area filled with a mini grocery store, a fake apple picking tree to help learn colors, and a mini fossil digging station. It was still raining when we arrived so we explored all of the indoor space first. The magnetic and movement station was my daughter's favorite. She loved trying to the magnetic to stick together on the moving wheel. We both liked the live turtle enclosure with some baby tortoises, but she hated the hissing cockroaches. We finally made our way outside and checked out the koi pond, where my daughter fed the fish, and checked out the tortoise enclosure. The workers were surprised he was out. They told me he'd been hibernating since November and hadn't been since. They have a lot of space outside for kids to run around and a small playground area. This would be an awesome place for a kids birthday party. The main focus here is science and hands on discovery stations. I love that they're getting kids excited about learning through interactive demos. Currently they have a "women in science" section with local scientists featured. All of this only $6! My daughter is two so she got for free. Not a bad deal! read more

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The Fresno discovery Center is pretty OK we went when there was a lot of kids on a field trip so it was super packed and busy. when we got here the parking it seems like we had to park on the side street. The parking is a two hour limit . we went on a Friday and the hours is 9-1:00 pm. they had a lot of stuff for kids to do, but it seems very crowded and very chaotic because the place is actually really small . The prices was general admission $6 for adults and then children 2 and under were free I really like how they have benches here so that we can sit and watch our kids play! They have a lot of stations like a Lego train station! they have an outside play area and they even have bunnies today. They have a lot of benches for kids to eat and it seems like they have a lot of field trips for elementary schools to come. this place is really cool and I would recommend coming here if you have an hour and a half downtime hahaha read more

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I had not been to The Discovery Center in decades (probably 33+ years), but decided to take our 4 year old daughter on a recent visit to Fresno. I really think they should call this place the "Fresno Discovery Center Children's Museum," because that's really what it is. I was fairly impressed with it, even though the indoor area is very, very small for a city the size of Fresno. The outdoor area is amazing, and where our daughter wanted to spend most of her time. She really enjoyed the outdoor exhibits, especially the spaceship and whisper wall, feeding the koi fish, and exploring the different gardens (especially the Children's Garden). She also spent some time indoors, but that part of the museum is really small, so it was really only enough to occupy her for 45 minutes or so. On a nice day, when you can spend a lot of time outside, this is a great place to take a younger child for a few hours. However, on a very warm summer day, it would be tough spending very much time here. Still, for the $6 price of admission, it's a great value! read more

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We totally enjoyed our time here at this discovery center. The staff were very nice and friendly. I must say that it is a bit rundown and may need some renovations to make it look more modern, but regardless my 6 yrs old son really enjoyed his time here. We actually spent around 2 hours just exploring and playing. It's not a very big place but it's entertaining enough to keep your curiosity. The fee to get in is very reasonable and well worth it. If you have young kids that you want to entertain for few hours, I'd recommend this place. read more

Fresno Discovery Center - A Tortoise that wants to get its photo taken - Educational Services Near Me - Fresno, California

The staff is wonderful and you can tell they genuinely care about your experience there. For $24 our kids had a lot of fun for many hours and want to go back. I admit the website is not the best so here is what you can expect. -Outside sand pit (front) with shovels and toy excavators. -Indoor play area focused around STEM (building, colors, nanoparticles, pneumatic tube's, magnetics) -Outdoor bunny cage (they brought one out so we could pet it) -Outdoor koi pond with turtles and free food to give them -Scavenger hunt (kids get a small prize after) -Multiple gardens -Playground equipment and an old NASA shuttle you can sit in It's a great place and good mix of science and nature, which I loved. Very large area too so a great walk outside with the kiddos. Please go there and experience it and please donate if possible (Venmo) to keep this place going. They deserve it and more places like this should exist for kids. read more

A kid friendly hands on museum with a lot of surprises around the corner! Friendly and generous staff. We loved the turtles, tadpoles, and tortoises! Some new displays along with some original looking displays. Outdoor area is vast! What a treat to see the cactus garden and children's garden on the "city owned" property on the far side. We spent an hour here with older kids/teens. read more

How did I just found out about this place?! I wanted to take my toddler out somewhere neat and my husband suggested this place. He went here before as a kid, but it's my first time coming here. Definitely a cool place to check out because my daughter enjoyed it very much. In the front of the center there are large size dinosaurs displays. If your kid love dinosaurs, they will get a kick out of it seeing it in person. After you pay you even get a small 4 oz cup of fish food to feed the fish and turtles outside in their pond area. My toddler loved it. You can explore the outdoor area where there is a whisper disc, worm box area, tortoise, etc. Also an clean restroom outside for people. Inside the discovery center, there are quite a few activities for the kids. Little kitchen area, ball activity, Lego area, assembly ball fall activity, fire truck station, science area, and reptile room. At one point , one of the staff will read a book to the kids and will bring out a reptile to show the kids. They showed a snake and the kids got to come up and touch it if they want. Great place to burn some time with your little ones. read more

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Such a great place to take your kids for the day. Tons of activities and things to see. We loved the science room, and all the turtles and tortoises, and especially the outdoor area leading to the community gardens next door. The cons were that a good handful of interactive activities were not working and it wasn't the cleanest kids museum were been to. Also maybe some music would be nice it can be quietly uncomfortable. But we'd definitely visit again cus my little loved it read more

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Such a hidden gem in Fresno! And for a photographer, a dream come true for an out of the ordinary location. Gorgeous lay out of some incredible cactus's and a fun way to enjoy in a short walk through their garden! Definitely worth the drive to visit read more

Fresno Discovery Center - Senior Session in the cactus garden - Educational Services Near Me - Fresno, California

Fresno Discovery Center is one of the few places where I can take my son and I know that he'll have a great time. They have a lot of cute activities inside and outside and we love walking and exploring the nearby gardens. The staff is always friendly and location is clean. I just wish they were open for longer hours throughout the week. read more

My son loved it ! He's 2 years old so I only needed to pay for myself and they had cute little popcorn machine and drinks there. Staff are very friendly we had a great experience. read more

It would be nice if they would update/ fix the activity areas. Most of them are broken or missing parts.

The museum is alright. I prefer the garden. It hasn't been as interesting in the museum as it used to be. It's alright. I like the Deutsch Cactus Garden. Unfortunately not a lot to say about the museum. It's kid friendly. The aesthetic isn't what it used to be in the museum. My favorite part is definitely the Garden of the Sun. It's sad I miss how cool The Discovery Center used to be. The Garden of the Sun just keeps getting better every time I see it. I wish they had more hours. Their hours have been much more limited. read more

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Such a neat place! Great for kids in the area. Really cool sculptures and statues, interactive educational play areas, a VERY neat space shuttle, a fascinating set of acoustic whisper dishes, a worm tunnel, multiple playground sets, and a great indoor area too. This place deserves the best. read more

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My family and I had been wanting to visit this place for years and finally got around to it. This is a cute little facility with a variety of interactive play stations and exhibits for kids that range from things as simple as a play kitchen with dozens of toy foods to information about nanotechnology. There is also an outdoor area with a few animals (rabbits, giant turtle, smaller turtles, koi fish), play structures, and more learning stations. Our 2-year-old had a blast here so we bought an annual membership. Obviously this is isn't the same caliber as kids museums in larger cities with more resources, but it is well thought out and provides an affordable opportunity for kids to learn and connect with others. It may not be as interesting for older kids, but those elementary aged are likely to enjoy it very much. read more

Fresno Discovery Center - Reading area and fire truck inside - Educational Services Near Me - Fresno, California

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We took our two toddlers here and for getting charged $6 each for all of us ($18) total, I would think the workers could at least burry the fossils again for the kids to dig up or move around a little and talk to people. Most of the speakers on the machines do not work. The workers arent demonstrating how anything works. The workers are nice, I'm just hoping my constructive criticism can help give them feedback for potential change. read more

if you're into science you'll love this place for ur kids , it's a little old looking inside but it's okay kids don't notice lol it's not too pricey to get in and the front has a lot of little snacks / drinks for sale. read more

This place is amazing! I always have the best time and my kids love it so much. Always 5 stars!

[Review #355] 2018 Yelp 100 Challenge (130/100) I wanted to find something for the kids to do on Christmas Eve & "discovered" The Discovery Center... & what a fantastic gem of a museum! This non-profit runs on a limited budget & the inexpensive admission prices (children: free for under 2 YO, $8 for 3-18 YO; adults: $6 for 18-64 YO; seniors: $5 for 65+; Veterans & active military: free) are more than fair. All programs & daily operations are funded through daily admissions, donations, field trips, & their gift shop. Exploring this hands-on science center through my kids' viewpoint, there's a lot of fun things to do in each jam packed station, animals to see & touch, & play structures to get their wiggles out. I think it pretty much hits their mission right on the nose -- providing a hands-on learning experience to spark children's passion, curiosity, & wonder for the environment & physical sciences, & being a valuable resource for the community who want their children to develop an interest, knowledge & excitement in S.T.E.A.M. subjects. Speaking with Isaías, Creative Project Manager... he's filled with ideas for The Discovery Center; a wish to build on a nearby site to house the only other space station replica. I met Patricia, a most genuine, knowledgeable, & friendly Animal Care Assistant. She introduced Elsa (bearded dragon) to the kids, explained her habitat & livelihood in a way that's easy to understand & "wow" the them. We also met Sweetpea, a cuddly & fast little black bunny; Bowser (possibly 25 YO tortoise that will outlive us all) who loves bananas & eating the fallen leaves. Quite a few of animal friends are named after Disney (Elsa & Anna), video game (Bowser), or story (Tiny Tim) characters. ^-^ There's a koi pond leading up to the Center's entrance filled with gorgeous koi, mosquitofish, & a couple of turtles. There's a generous library corner for families to read about animals, science, & the like. The nearby train table was basic but more than enough to entertain my Thomas the Train-loving son. The Build Exhibit allowed him to use his imagination & just create with building blocks & magnetic tiles. The Fire Exhibit may seem basic, but it allowed the kids to play pretend firefighters; their uncle & cousin are firefighters so they both loved this. H liked the Pitman Farms Exhibit so she can gather eggs like at her uncle's except there's no mean hen to peck at her when she nabs the eggs. ;-) Learn about gravity, interference, Laws of Motion, Hyperbolic Slot, Air Track, etc. at the Physics Exhibit. Augmented Reality Sandbox has 3 dimensional camera measuring the sand & sending the info to computer to create topography map that's projected on top of the sand. Air Track is a scientific device to study motion in a low friction environment; H just loved playing with & catching the scarves. A color-coded piano with color-coded music sheets allows musically-challenged to play a simple symphony. A large version of the Operation game... I sucked at the small version as well as the adult-size version. Near the end of our visit, I ran into Lori, Executive Director, while I was taking notes for this review. I shared how I found the Center, talked about her awesome team, & what a great time my kids were having. As a parent, I'm always concerned about germs & the exhibits/stations could use some sanitizing, which may be a challenge with their small operations team; there a strategic hand sanitizers located throughout the Center for the germaphobes like me. The kids went outside one last time to get their wiggles out on the play structures. They tried to prolong their visit even after the Center's closed, but Patricia was still in the process of lock-up so they were able to play a little longer. =) In spite of its size, the Center offers a lot of stations for your LOs to explore & learn, even adults might learn a thing or two. With limited winter hours, we spent the whole morning here & didn't even make it over to The Deutsch Cactus Garden. This new team is looking to transform The Discovery Center, & THEY NEED YOUR SUPPORT to make that happen. Stay tuned for exciting new changes to this hidden treasure! read more

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The place is kinda cool for youngins but it is really run down and in need of lots of maintenance and upkeep. Still not bad for the price

The outside was a bit better than the inside. We paid $18 for entry. There were exposed screws, worn out toys, missing equipment, broken lightbulbs, ripped gloves in the nanoscience area and broken toys. Would much rather make the drive to a children's center in another city. read more

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Staff was very accommodating and knowledgeable ob the attractions. Only a $6 entry fee, and they have a Koi Pond!

Amazing place, Took the children out. Had amazing tim, garden was great.--We ate some blueberries. We wandered around, played with waffle blocks, magnet, had lots of fun. read more

Awesome little spot to have an outing or a field trip, if you homeschool. I would say it's elementary age level science so great for ages 5-11. If you are a mom with a little one that needs a stroller be warned, it is not stroller friendly. Don't wear nice white shoes either or sandals for that matter, you need walking shoes that you don't care if they get dirty. You can spend a good morning in here going from the indoor stations to the outside, feed the fish, have a little lunch and let the kids burn it off in the play area. Not bad for the price, fair for what you get. read more

The people are super nice but unfortunately the place is run down. A large number of the play equipments are broken, has missing pieces, or dirty. The outdoor area was nice with the koi fish pond. read more

I really thought I would love this place before coming with my daughter; it seemed like it had potential! But within walking in, I realized that it really needs some TLC and major investment to update it. A lot of the exhibits seemed in disarray, partially broken or dirty. I came in the winter and people were tracking in mud and dirt that wasn't being cleaned. The outside is ok and has some things kids will enjoy, but overall I was underwhelmed. I think it was worth it because I came on $1 admission day, but if I had paid full price I would have felt a bit ripped off. I think this place has potential! It just needs a big overhaul. read more

We drove from Lemoore thinking this would be a couple hour event. However, the activities they have currently last about 30 minutes. Not sure it was worth the drive. The positive was the volunteers were very nice! read more

Fresno Discovery Center - Turtles - Educational Services Near Me - Fresno, California

Wonderful place, we love to visit when we are in town. Just needs some TLC in the back outdoor space.

The Discovery Center is a wonderful place for kids and adults to learn and play. The staff are incredibly knowledgeable and able to educate and entertain all ages. I love that the exhibits and projects change so there is always something new to explore when you visit. read more

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I have been an annual member the last two years. Unfortunately, this March, I was not able to renew because I cannot afford it. It just went up too much. I'm glad that they will be using the money to renovate some areas though. I don't understand why they charge adults so much?? I don't even want to be there. I go so my kids can enjoy it. I went in on Friday like around 12:15pm. I really wanted to go earlier but with three littles one under 5, sometimes that is impossible for me. Well, it was the first Friday of the month, so each person is just $1. They didn't even let me know that my two year was able to get in FREE! Anyways, I love supporting local businesses but MAN, they really dropped the ball. I haven't been there since like two months. I find out through another mom that they close at 1pm. I was upset because I had planned to be there until 4pm. I completely understand that businesses have to make changes (My father was owner of a restaurant) BUT they could have told me "Hey, you only have 45 minutes here." I wish I didn't have to go there, but my children enjoy it, so I will stick to the dollar days and try to get it together earlier. We'll see. read more

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Came here with my two kids and there was a lot of things broken or extremely dirty. This place has potential but I didn't allow my kids to touch much because of the filthiness. I think they need someone to come in and deep then it before allowing kids to play in this environment. read more

Thanks to Yelp I was able to check out the Discovery center. The facility highly depends on volunteers and donations; therefore, do not be disappointed by its appearance. Kids love this place. I took my 5, 6, & 13 year old there and they had a blast! The kids were able to work/play with lab activities, pet a bunny & a snake, be hands on with so many activities, and most importantly, they had fun learning. They would get so into an activity, it was hard to get them to try other activities, and the cycle continued. read more

Fresno Discovery Center - Educational Services Near Me - Fresno, California

Despite its small size, The Discovery Center is filled with exciting stations for my toddler. Admission is free for ages 2 & below, $6 kids and $8 for adults. Some of the stations include a fire truck complete with firemen costumes, train table, a functioning life-size operation game, gravity pits and an outdoor playground featuring large Dino statues and even a rocket ship. A majority of the stations could use a little cleaning and TLC, as you can see visible layers of dirt (beware germophobes), broken toys, train connectors not connecting, a worn out toddler playground with sharp plastic pieces sticking out...etc. For $8/person, I can't really complain...it kept my toddler happy and occupied the entire time. read more

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A bit run down, in need of some donations on the play equipment and toys available BUT all of the animals they have there seem to be getting top notch care/equipment- which is what their available funds may be going to. My 20 month old had a blast. For the entry price, this is a great way to spend a couple of hours exploring with your little one. read more

The Discovery Center is a Fresno gem! My boys ask me everyday to come here! So many different toys that help the boys engage in dramatic play, science, and math. The staff is very friendly and interact with the kids! read more

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I took my family here for a fun day during the week. Kids were out of school and my wife took the day off work, we had the absolute best time. I had to go to Fresno for a conference for my company + we just made a family trip out of it. If you are ever in Fresno and have very small children, we have 18 mo old twins) make sure to put this in your itinerary. Our kids loved it. ( so did we). read more

Lots of interesting things to learn about and do. great for the whole family. Kids 2 and under are free. It's only 6$ Per person!