This is a really cool place to spend the day with kids. The staff was very kind and helpful. They…read moreplayed a short film for us that explained how the fossils were found in the area. There are many fossils and replica of fossils. You guide yourself on a tour, they give you a booklet to use to guide yourself. Each station has information on the fossils, history,etc. There is an outdoor area with replicas of the homes of the native Yokuts tribe that was originally in the area. There is also an outdoor pond with plaques in front of each different plant that surrounds the pond. It was a really cool learning experience. You can pay a bit extra for fossil digging. There are 19 fossils to dig up, that can take about an hour. We spent about 3 hours there. They also have a cool little gifts shop area.

We've taken our dinosaur loving grandson there a couple of times and he is always delighted. They…read morecontinue to add sights and experiences as the exhibit grows and the excavation continues in the back 40. Go there and measure yourself next to the Wooly Mammoth and you'll be glad you didn't live when they roamed the Central Valley!

Drove ~1.5 hours to visit this museum for a solo birthday trip. The SR-71 immediately welcomes you…read moreto the museum. Tickets are purchased inside the gift shop (yes they take cards) and they have a paper map to provide you with the airframes and where they are located. 80+ jets/bombers/cargo/helicopters for you to enjoy. I was VERY surprised to see some specific jets/bombers there and surprised to see some very rare aircrafts. Being a son/grandson/nephew of Vietnam vets (I Corps, ARVN working alongside MACV), I'm biased in saying the Huey and B-52 were my favorites (besides seeing the F-15, which has been/always will be, my favorite jet). The weather was slightly wet then hot so bring a waterbottle with you as this is primarily an outdoor museum. The indoor museum was also nice to get cooled down and learn some history (which I very much enjoyed). Dropped a donation here before making my way to the gift shop to purchase a Postage Stamp Huey and a magnet. Would've loved to have taken my dad here if he were still alive. Forgot to mention, seeing a AV8B Harrier, a Vulcan and the Peacemaker...blew my mind. The sheer size of the bombers is just crazy.

What a fantastic collection of aircraft. They have some unique planes and has one of only two Avro…read moreVulcans in the USA. They are all outdoors and it was very hot when I went. Otherwise, I would have stayed longer. Give yourself a few hours at least.

It's amazing site to see tourist guide very nice explained everything had a very good time. Thank…read moreyou.

Shoutout to Kelsey, our awesome tour guide. She walked us through the Forestiere's underground…read moregarden and spoke proudly about its history. My family came here to visit not knowing what to expect. It was a great experience learning how Forestiere built these tunnels so intentionally and with innovation. The guided tour is about 60 minutes and includes a lot of walking with some stairs, so be prepared with comfy shoes. However, there's also benches in the tunnels if you need a quick seat. The tour ends in the grand ballroom which connects to the gift shop. There you can find citrus sorbet made from the fruits of this garden. I had to give that a taste and it was sweet and zesty. I went home with some postcards to send to friends too. This place is also California State National Landmark No. 916! You must add it to your bucket list of adventures.

Great experience! Kids will definitely love coming to see the museum and shows. For $5 per show,…read morethat's a great deal. I'm not sure if the actual museum is free because we just walked in after the show. They show tons of animals in their habitat and a gift shop. I can't wait to bring my little guy.

This is a very interesting place! A group I was with toured the Great Valley Museum, Planetarium,…read moreand got to check out the skies by telescope in the same night. The entire thing only cost $10 per person. Hard to beat that. The museum had some incredible exhibits and very knowledgeable Docents to guide you through a very informative tour. There was areas of the museum representing the different types of habitats found in this area. Super interesting! They also had a kids exploration area complete with some various reptiles and even a few tarantulas that we were fortunate enough to be able to get very close to for a really great look. The planetarium was exceptional. If you haven't tried it you really should. The icing on the cake was the telescopes on the roof. We got to see a few planets, and a galaxy or two.

If you're interested in the history of mineral's & mining then this is the place!…read more Boasting California's official mineral collection containing over 13,000 objects from California and around the world. While taking a tour you will find many gems, mineral specimens, crystalline gold, mining artifacts and a mine tunnel you may walk through. This collection has been in Mariposa since 1983. Prior to that, San Francisco was its home for over 100 years. We spent most of the morning & afternoon exploring this spectacular place. Very informative about each specimen and the history surrounding it. The two rangers hosting this site are full of information and colorful stories. A must see! My only caveat is they don't allow anyone to take photographs inside for security reasons. I sure would have loved a close up picture or two... No worries, I still had fun. https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=588

We all really enjoyed it! I've never seen so many gorgeous minerals and rocks in one place! It's a…read morefairly quick trip but even my 7-year-old enjoyed it!

This is a nice place for younger children. Lots of stuff for kids to play with to see how things…read morework. Reasonably priced at $7 per person for all day with re entry. I'm excited to see what else they bring in to expand.

My 2.5yo had a blast here - I was surprised at how many things he found to play with here, from the…read moresandbox with monster trucks, to the tractor area, to the fire truck outside and the toddler room. I would totally bring him here often but the hours are a little problematic for us. His nap time usually starts anywhere from 11-12 and they don't open until 11 most days. He does much better in the mornings than in the afternoons in terms of mood and listening skills. I wish they could have at least one day a week where they opened at 9am for the little ones, but if not, then I guess we'll see if he's still into it after he drops his naps in the future.

The Mariposa Museum and History Center is a gem of a place--and a great way to stave off the…read morepost-meal slumber after lunch at 1850! There is SO much information available, and it's stunningly coordinated and handpainted; an art installation on it's own. We learned so much about the local history and area, and it was neat to see it presented in a way that really brought the history to life. The staff were all very warm and welcoming. I would DEFINITELY come back because there's just no way to read everything in an hour. I highly recommend.

The Mariposa Museum & History Center was founded in 1957 and filled with exhibits featuring Native…read moreAmericans, Spanish settlements, the Gold Rush, Yosemite, and Mariposa history. I admired the cool artifacts outside. Inside were stories and more artifacts from the old days. Great place to learn about Mariposa's past.

Was an amazing experience!! Tour guide was very…read moreknowledgeable. Wish they had the fruit for sale. It was perfect for the picking

It was beautiful and quiet and refreshing. In addition to the bonsai collection itself, the…read moregrounds of the park were restful and relaxing. A gem of a stop!

We met family from Sacramento here today, we're from Bakersfield. We have never been here before…read more 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.

Awesome place for the kids to learn and run around. Was looking for a place for the kiddos to play…read moreand 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.

High recommend The Modesto Children's Museum to anyone with kids. I first visited as a teacher with…read moremy PreK/TK aged students during a few yearly class field trips. The kids LOVED the climbing structure and big slide AND the water room. The museum also has a light room where children can manipulate magnatiles and create colorful light projections. There's a shopping/store area where children shop, play in the juice bar area, and ring up customers. The air flow area where children can use air to make beach balls float and color scarves shoot through vacuum tubes and fly. There are a couple areas that alternate themes and activities. There are family bathrooms. There's a low stimulation room if your child needs a sensory break. This room also doubles as a nursing room. Every single employee is incredibly kind and helpful. I loved MoChiMu so much that I got my 1 year old a membership for her first birthday so now are regular and attended our first story time at closing the other night. We mostly stay in the little rainbows area that is specifically for children 0-3. They can climb, play with light projector to make colorful projections on the wall, manipulate the giant colorful light bright wall, read books, or rock or bounce on the other movement toys. The museum is probably ideal for kids when they start crawling and seeking movement to maybe 7/8 depending on the child's interests and developmental age. My baby loved watching other children and listening them talk and play at around 6 months, and now she's climbing all over the little rainbows area and walking around to look at and explore the rest of the museum. Anywho, check it out when you can. Yearly membership's go on sale sometimes too so look out for that. You can also get 4 free tickets once a year if you have an adult library card through the discover and go page.

Was a great place for my grandson to run around and explore, with many different types of…read moreactivities he was able to try!! Staff was super sweet and friendly.