We had a blast. My girlfriend and I went. She loved it as mitad i did. It had been years since I have been there . Very glad we decided to check it out. read more

This is one true gem in downtown Birmingham. Yes, the Civil Rights Museum is also wonderful, but it is so sad to visit and think of the waste of human potential that Birmingham still represents to many people worldwide. Our bad reputation is well-deserved, no denying it - we are the Ndamukong Suh of American cities. McWane is free of such history and baggage, and really evokes the opposite emotions: it shows all kids that there is a better and brighter future out there for them if they want to learn about it. There are fish and aquatic animals in the basement, and you can pet sharks and stingrays. There is a special little section for kids 6 and under called "Just Mice Size." (hint: do not let on that you can fit into the labyrinthine climbing house! If you do, your kids will insist that you climb in with them. You don't want that, unless you really liked basic training). There is a permanent dinosaur exhibit - who doesn't like dinosaurs? There are dozens of clever machines that teach kids some basic principles of physics. There's a show where they blow up stuff! (awesome!) The top floor houses traveling exhibits that keep you coming back, but my kids have been going for ... well at least 10 years I think, and my older one (7th grade) just went on a field trip there to learn about forensic science - yup, genuine CSI stuff, including doing a DNA gel electrophoresis. If you already know what that is, kudos to you, but I bet you don't, even though you've seen the results many times. (hint: see http://www.innocenceproject.org) It's much more than just a place to take the kids on cold and rainy days, especially as everyone in the Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Statistical Area seems to have the same idea on cold and rainy days. Between here and the Zoo, you're pretty much covered for educational kid entertainment. read more

McWane Science Center - Forensic Science field trip - Museums Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

I have been coming here since they opened in 1997, when I was in third grade. I volunteered there as a teen, and now I'm a patron taking my own kids here. I sincerely love this place. It's always growing and changing. From week to week, it's different. The staff are more than helpful and always willing to teach you something cool. I especially love the small programs there, like when they make liquid nitrogen ice cream or when they'd have the Harry Potter book release parties. The bubble room they have right now is super fun. I'd recommend MSC to any family with kids 12 and under. There's more creative science for the older kids, archeological digs for the little kids, aquariums for the adults, and the Just Mice Size area for kids in kindergarten and younger. We are so lucky to have such a cool museum around! read more

McWane Science Center - This is right outside the IMAX exit, in the weather exhibit on the second level. - Museums Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

See all

We have been to a lot of kids science museums in multiple states. This one was the best of all, by far. Spent nearly three hours and still didn't see and do it all. Great mix of activities for our six year old. Mom and I enjoyed it too. read more

most of the interactive exhibits were down/not working. many dead jellyfish in their tank, fish seem very unhappy/unwell. however workers/volunteers are knowledgeable and mostly kind! i would not recommend this to anyone over 2/3 years old trying to go and have a fun experience! bathrooms were all unkept as well. very unfortunate, we were looking forward to stopping by this center for weeks!! read more

Hey, when it opened in 1998 it was cool. Today, 19 years later, it has become more stale than a loaf of bread left out for a week.. As in the same exhibits imparting the same lessons as they did on opening day. Exhibits that didn't work. And, at the same time, fewer exhibits. I was entertaining my brother-in-law and his 10-year-old son. It was just in desperate need of new...everything. What's more, I'd offer that the MC needs to have more exhibits tailored to something beyond the remedial reading class. You know, bright middle schoolers or high schoolers. As it is, no. read more

Awesome place. My son enjoyed all the activities and learnt a lot as well. Great place for kids

Continue to love any moments we have to visit our awesome science center!! Our last trip was for a 2 year old birthday party. Our friends were so pleased with the results of their party planning team at McWane. We hung out in our private room, enjoyed cake and ice creak before going out to itty bitty to join the crowd on this Saturday morning. Even though it was crowded, it didn't stop our kids from running to and fro--exploring every corner they could. I was pleased to see they had made several repairs to this well loved exhibit since our last visit. The exhibit on the third floor was very cool. We flew in a computerized plane, steered a train game that was illuminated on the floor, and flew our very own blimp drone devices. It's often not as busy on the third floor and we like to see the special exhibit that way. Continue to love our McWane center--so lucky to have you in the Ham! read more

Super great place for kids!!! Have been to many different kid Science museums, this so far is my favorite!! Lots to do and the itty bitty city is the best!! A lot of creative play!!! read more

See all

Me and my kids loved it. We were visiting Birmingham and we were told about this place and oh boy were they eight about us loving it. We stayed for about 3 hours and it seemed like time flew by. There are some many activities for children to experiment with including grown ups. It is really big compared to children's museum. Food court has several options like pizza hut, subway, hamburger and Chinese. Imax theater inside also. Overall it's an awesome place and I would recommend to anyone with kids read more

McWane Science Center - Building area!! - Museums Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

My husband and I are so glad we discovered McWane while passing through the area on our way home to Kentucky. The place was clean, spacious, and SO interactive! Our 20 month old had the time of his life in the "Itty Bitty City," designed especially for kiddos under 6. The best part of all, however, was that we received free admission for being educators back home in Kentucky! We can't wait to visit again! read more

See all

It's my first time here, and I really loved it (as a single adult going as a big nerd with no kids). Parking was $5, and you can leave your car here for the day and explore the rest of Birmingham, which was nice. I thought the exhibits were really nicely laid out, and price was reasonable. Didn't eat here since I know how overpriced museum food can be, but once you buy your ticket, it's good for the whole day, so you can leave and eat across the street, and then come back, which is convenient. There are clearly marked elevators, many bathrooms, and sensory rooms, which are nice. Parking is in a spiral, so if that's an issue for you, I'd recommend parking elsewhere. And the gift shop is great for gifts for anyone! read more

This was a really cool place! My kids loved it. The various activities kept it e engaging and the dragon floor was the best!

My husband and I had never been here, so went while the Winter Wonderland was still going on. It was not really what we were expecting for that theme, but we did enjoy the numerous model train setups they had...the detail of the displays is incredible...a must see for anyone interested in model trains!!! Other exhibits they have are aquariums, including a tank where you can pet stingrays and sharks, all sorts of interactive science exhibits, plus Alabama dinasours and alot more. They also have IMAX movies. We both really enjoyed the interactive exhibits on the first floor. Being that the kids were back in school from Christmas vacation, it was not very crowded, but did see lots of moms with toddlers and a few grandparents with little ones having a great time. read more

See all

This place has a lot of information! It's a great place to be curios and be hands on with science, I it can be as a place of date or take a family member to distract yourself, the iMax dome is a unique experience , would definitely recommend! read more

The museum itself was 4 stars. It is definitely geared towards like 4-12 year olds. Some of the exhibits are educational for older kids, but most of the stuff is more hands on for that age range. There were several exhibits that were down (~10%) and that was kind of annoying, but not everything can be working at once. So why two stars? We ate at the food court. I wish there was a different entry for the food court, but since they are sponsored by the museum it goes here. The first thing I noticed is that most of the tables were dirty, the floors were sticky with crap all strewn about (Napkins, forks, straw wrappers, etc). The coke fountain had a mountain of ice where people had dumped their ice out, there was coke all over the counter, and big surprise the machine was out of ice (see picture). Four of the eight dispensers were also out of syrup. We were going to get pizza for the kids, but the pizza was out (This was around 1:30PM) and nobody was even back there. The "serve your self" cabinet had two boats of onion rings, a couple of chicken nuggets ($4 for 6), and two or three hamburgers. I heard someone ask an employee if they were cooking more french fries and they said they were out of french fries. We ended up getting some of the chicken for the kids and went to the asian bowl place for my wife and I. I wasn't there when she ordered but I know hers came out swimming in water. I went to order mine and they were out of about half of the items on the menu...including garlic, broccoli, brown rice, and several other pretty standard "stir fry" type ingredients. I ended up with the "Stir Fry mix" which, by the way, counts as all three of your vegetable choices. It is essentially a scoop of the $1.49 "Stir Fry Mix" you can buy at walmart that has frozen chopped broccoli and cauliflower. For my sauce I asked for Sriracha and the lady just said "well, I'll have to go get that, we don't have any up here" so I waited for her to go get it and she eventually came back with a bottle of sauce. It seemed like she was having a hard time with the plastic holding the lid on, so she just used her teeth to tear it off. I'm sorry let me repeat that in case you missed it. She put the container in her mouth and used her teeth to tear the plastic off. Now, as part of my military training I've actually eaten from a dumpster. I decided to brave it through this meal since it was really our only opportunity to eat, but now I'm starting to doubt the sanity of that decision since I'm not sure what else goes on behind the counter if they're willing to go all carnivore on the product dispensers. Back to the cleanliness issue. I understand a lot of kids come through there, kids aren't clean. My wife and I at least try to clean up after ours, but I understand not everyone does and that can be overwhelming especially at a busy time. At the same time though, I saw multiple employees standing around in the back shop and one standing out in the seating area (Where all the mess was) that were not doing a thing. The one in the lobby area was chatting away with some people off to the side. The only individual in the entire operation that seemed to be making an effort to do anything was the dude running the cash register (Stephen according to my receipt) who was going around between customers to try to clean up some of the messes. So maybe this is an unfair accusation, because this seems to be par for the course during our time here in `Bama. Most service industries we've had contact with it seems like we are interrupting the employees and inconveniencing them when we show up to buy something from their company. There will be a line 10 people deep and the employees are all huddled up behind the counter on their cellphones or just chatting with each other. Honestly, I don't know how businesses make any money here... read more

McWane Science Center - Here's a little piece of the cafeteria. - Museums Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

The McWane Center is the perfect place to take your kids of all ages. They have a blocked off area for the little kids to play that has a huge play castle with slides, a water area with pails and shoves, and a sand area. There is a fossil area, small aquarium area, and many other exhibits to enjoy. There is a food court but unlike many other places like this they allow you to bring food in to save a few bucks. There is Dome IMAX great for educational films and the occasional major movie. All in all a great feature of Birmingham read more

Anytime and everytime a parent calls me to ask where they should take their kids, Mcwane is the first word out of my mouth. It has three stories interactive activities for kids and adults alike. All of the hands on displays are so cool, you (the parent) will want to be involved as much as the kid that you're forgetting to watch. The activities are always changing, so this place never gets old. If only there would have been a magical place like this when I was a kiddo. Oh, and I'm not convinced Billy Nye doesn't live in basement. read more

On a family vacation staying one night in Birmingham as we travel. Needed to kill time before check in and ended up spending all day. Our 12, 7, and toddler all had a blast. Even we the grown ups had a good time milling around playing. read more

McWane Science Center - High wire biking. - Museums Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

Love bringing my 14 month old here! Itty bitty city is awesome for the little ones (5 and under) she also really enjoyed the bubbles and little aquarium area! We visit every time we are in Birmingham! This is a go to with little ones especially on a rainy day! read more

See all

Be prepared to wait in line Even if you bought your tickets online...be prepared to wait in the ridiculously long line because they aren't clever enough to have separate lines (for people who purchased tickets online or who are going to the Star Wars movie). Of course, when confronted, they "don't know why" and have no motivation or forethought to rectify the situation. I hope the experience inside is better. U fortunately the zoo was a sad sad experience. I hope birmingham has more to offer. read more

My (literally just turned) one year old was in sheer heaven here. I was afraid he'd be too little to actually do anything but that couldn't be further from the truth. En route to the regular old art museum (which I also love), it was suggested we go here instead and I'm so happy we did. There are...water play tables, sand play tables, tubes, slides, trains, light play areas, giant pianos, giant blocks, fish, rays you can touch, light-up dance floors, plenty to touch, climb, spin, shake, and rock. There was enough to keep us (him) busy for over three hours and we didn't even hit the nature floor. I can only imagine how much fun there is to be had by older children. This was a really top-notch experience. As a visitor to the Birmingham area, I was blown away with the quality of the center, the knowledgable staff, the variety of things to see and do for children and adults alike. I am NOT a "kid" person. I prefer a nice wine tasting and a peacefully napping child over a building full of other peoples' insane kids any day. But McWane was different. Kids seem really engaged, my little guy was able to really interact with different activities vs just tearing things apart. That interactive quality is really the draw for me. Unfortunately, many of the other parents were just hanging out on their cell phones (but that's no reflection on the center- I'm just being judgy), which is too bad because this really is a great opportunity to have fun WITH your child vs entertaining your child :) Adults are $13 ea, kids under 2 are free (!), and it is well worth it. I'll never be a "Disneyland" kind of parent but I can definitely see myself bringing my son back here over the years as he gets older and we're in town to visit family. 10 stars! Go here! read more

Wonderful space for kids of all ages to run explore and learn!!! Enjoyed watching kids learn. Great resource for parents. Life saver for family visiting with toddlers. read more

See all

As much as I wish this review was for the museum itself, it's actually for the facilities that are available to rent within the McWane Center. I recently attended an all day workshop that was located in an event center on the second floor of the McWane Center and thought it was a really nice area that could be used for a variety of occasions. A negative about using this space is you can hear everything going on in the museum. While I love that kids are having a wonderful time at the McWane Center, it was a bit distracting. Fortunately that's the only negative, there's many more positives. They offer a 30% discount for non-profits to rent this space, and there's several screens and other technological resources available if you choose to use those amenities. This space could even be used for holiday parties, birthday parties, or even wedding receptions! My inner kid made a promise to come back and explore the actual museum soon. read more

We went today and over half of the things do not work!!! If it's going to cost over $50 for 2 adults and one child to get in then at least make sure everything works. They Itty Bitty Magic City was below par for entertainment. The kitchen was missing over half of its food. The balls to the play area were all inside a climbing area that they had closed off.! The last three times we have gone the slide has been closed! On level one the shadow thing, the light saver, the magnet, race track and gloves all didn't work There was also several things on level 3 (art exhibit) that didn't work. Our child was only entertained for all of 10 minutes and ready to leave because there was nothing for him to do. We will not be back and will spend our money elsewhere. read more

The science center has some great points, and I'm always up for showing children how fun science is. I have to say I was disappointed in the lack of cleanliness. Today, so many germs and diseases are going around that no one wants their kids to catch. The just mice size children and toddler's section smelled gross and was greasy and dirty all over. Some of the exhibits have been there since I was in school, over 10 years ago and are in horrible condition. The big piano you can run and play on was in terrible condition. My son ran across it and only one of the notes played. All in all, I must say I was disappointed. read more

The first time I went to McWane was soon after it originally opened in the late 90's. Through the years I've been back numerous times with my son for Birthday parties, field trips etc.. Today was the first time for my 3 yr old daughter. She loved it. Not a lot has changed and there are only a few newer exhibits but it's still a rather remarkable place. It's great for young children up to 3rd or 4th grade. I don't think I will ever see the benefit in purchasing a season pass. Once a year or less is an adequate number of visits for me. You can see / explore all of the various experiments and played with the different displays in a single visit. If you've never been and you have kids in the 3-10 range I would highly recommend this place. It's a lot of fun to lay on a bed of nails for the first time to see basic science experiments, build, create, read about dinosaurs and see varied touchable exhibits. My son always loved petting the stingray and sharks watching the informative videos and reading fun facts about various animals and dinosaurs. We always play on the virtual games, build race cars, play the giant walk on piano like in the movie Big.... There are a number of very familiar exhibits. New to us was Itty Bitty Magic City which is super cool and fun for toddler/ preschoolers. Tons of active play areas and a really fun touch water exhibits. There was also a small train and zip line on the 3rd floor. It appears this place is leaning toward younger children with the newer exhibits/ activities. Which works for me. I think there is still enough there to do for the whole family if you've never been. It's a very unique indoor family adventure destination. If you only have older children you may still find some of the exhibits interesting and fun if they're not too cool to play. It's $9-$12 per person for the exhibits only. I-Max is extra. We skipped that today and just played. It makes my wife sick. To be honest it messes with my equilibrium a bit... $5.00 to park in the deck. There are adequate restrooms and snack machines on each floor. There is a small food court. It's a really good time for parents with small kids. I would absolutely recommend. read more

Terrible staff that is inexperienced especially the presenters in the early education department and science engagement department. Poor management. read more

Extremely disappointed! We went on 2 Jan, and I will likely never return. They charged full price and had no signs up saying the 3rd floor was closed. Once we went in so many of the exhibits are broken and then as we went to venture to the third floor we found out the floor was closed for changes. Which I completely understand that you change exhibits and you have to close down, but you shouldn't charge the same when you are down 25%! Also my kiddos wanted to do the flight simulator and we waited in line (sign posted said pay at tickets or at simulator) we get to the front and then we're told we couldn't purchase our tickets directly from the simulator. Before getting there, I live in Prattville so it was a drive, my family and I had all discussed becoming members but now I doubt I'll return. It's sad because Alabama doesn't have much in the attraction department and now this experience has tainted my view. The least they could have done is discount the tickets or posted signs, or had something on the website. read more

McWane Science Center is one of our favorite places to visit as a family in Birmingham. The option for an IMAX movie is great and our youngest loves spending time in Itty Bitty Magic City (which is like stepping into a kids sized town where they can pretend in a farm scene, vets office, mechanic shop, water play, grocery store, and restaurant - there may be more I'm not remembering, but it's fantastic). There are several floors of activities for kids that are all centered around learning science. It's a must do stop for anyone visiting Birmingham and for families who live here, the annual pass is a worthwhile purchase. read more

Highly recommend! My two year old absolutely loved it especially the dinosaurs! We really can't wait to go back.

The McWane Science Center is a great place for people of all ages. There is plenty of learning experiences to keep everyone entertained. They have a variety of food options and include every child in the activities. Great place to learn in a fun way! read more

A very cool place to take the family. The McWane Science Center is very educational and has some unique, hands on activities. The IMAX is awesome! read more

I recently accompanied my 10-year old son on an overnight Cub Scout campout at the McWane Science Center. The boys had a blast. The shark and sting ray "petting" aquarium was a bit hit! A few of the exhibits could use some repair work, but overall it was a great experience. I was disappointed in the IMAX film, however. "To the Arctic" was a blatantly political propaganda piece that was long on emotion and short on fact. I had to set the record straight with my son afterwards, which did little to inspire his faith in the scientific credibility of the Center. read more

Omg I wish I knew about this place when I was younger! I think I had just as much fun as the kids. So many hands on activities and interesting ways to teach kids without it feeling like education. read more

We recently became members at McWane. Our four year old LOVES it and we usually spend four or five hours there. She really likes to spend a lot of time in the Itty Bitty Magic City area, which has plenty of imaginary play opportunities, such as a grocery store, veterinarian's office and a farm area. There's also a pretty large playground with a slide that entertains my daughter for quite a long time. Sometimes there are educators showing the children animals, like rabbits or turtles, and allowing the children to touch them. It's a great place to go on either a rainy day or a day when it's too hot to be outside. read more

Soooo much fun for my five and one year old kidddooosss... Three floors of fun and excitement. We'll definitely be back. We love taking family trips to Birmingham. read more

See all

My kids loved this amazing center. They were plenty of hands on exhibits that allowed them to be creative and play. They were learning, and having a blast at the same time (imagine that!); what they thought to be a giant playground was in reality an outstanding classroom! My kids were five and three at the time, and I could see that it would have been even more enjoyable if they were older. This may be the jewel of Birmingham, and I just wish we had something of a similar magnitude and quality in ATL. read more

My family has had a membership to the McWane Center for several years. It is one of the few indoor entertainment options in Birmingham. My kids enjoy the permanent exhibits. The temporary exhibits on the 3rd floor are hit or miss. The star attraction is Itty Bitty Magic City. It is an enclosed area with kid sized cafe, farm, grocery, vet, garage, fire station, and house, as well as other activities that appeal to younger kids. McWane has set an upper age limit for this area of kindergarten. The age cap makes this area a welcome respite from the numerous school groups running all over the rest of McWane. McWane has allowed older siblings of kids younger than 5 to enter, but they are known to be rude about it. The staff at the check-in desk are consistently not helpful and treat us with open disdain for coming to check-in. The rude staff and large crowds make going here a stressful experience from a parent's point of view. read more

Really great kids play area, and much larger with more exhibits than I expected. There were a lot of great different sections focusing on various branches of science, which I appreciated and when the kids get a little older they will too. read more