I brought my almost 4 year old granddaughter here recently. They have a toddler area and a Kids Town area. The Kids Town area was her favorite with water activities and some interactive exhibits. The toddler area was ok, with some large building blocks and a few other things that she enjoyed. The motion gallery and several exhibits were non-functioning, but for a 4 year old it didn't matter, but it would to older kids. The colorful escalator, the numbers hopscotch and even the small scale Mackinac Bridge were a hit. She LOVED the science show with the gases, fire and exploding balloons although she covered her ears for the 'booms'. Pricing is outrageous I think - $69 for 2 adults and a toddler. What?! I can go to the Outdoor Adventure Center for $5 a head (senior price), and $5 for her. The Nature Center on Belle Isle is FREE. Parking is free but limited, I got the last spot, my bf who met me there had to find street parking. The gift shop was nice and of course on the way out so we ended up with a stuffed animal and some mystery sand adding another $20 to my bill, so $89 for a 2.5 hour visit. OUCH. read more

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What an awesome museum for kids to explore and learn! We had free tickets to come visit and check this place out and we were not disappointed. The kids were free because they are 2 as well. The parking in the lot next to it was $8 and its gated so it felt really safe. They have a ramp if you have a stroller. They offer stroller parking too. We walked around the main floor and checked out the exhibits. Then we went to the lower level and played in the kids area. The kids loved it. They do clean 12:30pm to 1:00pm. We were able to play for an hour. They loved the water section. There was dancing fruit in one of the rooms and my son was dancing a lot. Another room had soccer balls that he was throwing. They had a pretend kitchen area and a seated area with magnetic blocks. My kids did not want to leave. When we walked out they had a demonstration at the science stage at 12:30pm about fire. That was really cool. They also have IMAX theatre shows. We did not want to participate in that because our kids would just scream. We did go to the dinosaur exhibit on the third floor as well. Overall, it is a nice, clean, and fun museum for kids. We will definitely be back! read more

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We went here with our 8 year old granddaughter and she enjoyed all the activities that are available at this location. We went primarily to check out the newly refurbished planetarium with the much ballyhoo'd 8G upgrade. I believe there was a malfunction during our visit. The program ended abruptly and shorter than advertised and the imaging was blurry. Hopefully they can work the kinks out for future visits. Fun for the kids, it was very busy. read more

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Great experience! Recently visited w an 11.5yr old and a 10yr old and both were very engaged with exhibits and had a blast. How did I not know about this little gem sooner!? read more

Michigan Science Center - Museums Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

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We love going to the MSC. There is so much to see and do. Our grand children love going. read more

Michigan Science Center - Enjoying the gala at MSC - Museums Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

This was a fun museum that you can surprisingly spend 3 hours here. They do have live activities in various parts of the museum at different times of the day. Insure the museum there are also other paid exhibits to see. I only wish so much stuff was not broken during the visit. 2024-20 #551 read more

Michigan Science Center - Museums Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

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I love that they have activities for kids to do hands-on stuff. When we went they had coffee filters that kids could color and spray with water to see it spread out. They had the option to leave it there to dry and come back later, which was so helpful. Another activities was that they could color a large index card and then instructed us that we would be able to cut a hole big enough to fit our whole body. As a teacher I knew the "trick" but I loved watching grown adults be confused until the end!! They previously had a Lego area on the 4th floor which was neat and people could design stuff BUT now they have something that I think is cooler - it's all about flight. Birds migration, space travel, etc. and it was very family friendly but would be neat to see just as an adult too. They offer so much to see at the science center that it can be overwhelming but my kids knew exactly where to find the things they loved when we returned for a second visit. read more

Michigan Science Center - Museums Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

This museum is very interactive and should have good topics for kids and adults. Many exhibits are broken or out of order and the flow of the museum is difficult. The holiday show was not worth the extra money, it was long and boring. The café area is terrible, only an expensive vending machine for food with dirty tables and no napkins/utensils. No hand sanitizer anywhere, even where children play. I have been here three times over three years and these issues have never improved. read more

I took my son and he enjoyed it. He liked all the interactive displays. He's 12 now so he liked building things, creating electrical circuits, and the live science show. We went to two shows: the turtle odyssey and the laser light show and both were really good. Parking was pretty easy although the signs of where to park were lacking. I finally found where to park. There's nothing really good to eat inside but we packed lunches so it wasn't a problem. Make sure to pack food and drinks when you go. read more

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Parents!! Don't GO HERE THINKING THEY OFFER FOOD! Haven't been here in 13 years and disappointed. No food selections so pack your lunch, drinks and snacks. Luckily we did. No napkins and the tables and chairs super dirty. Not enough hand sanitizer in the exhibit areas or signs to find. Flu, covid and colds are still people. Suggestions: Add vending machines, If no full kitchen is offered have selections that offer snacks, drinks and even light lunches. They are out there trust me! You have the space to house them science center. Or sale items in the gift shop and place a second sign in the lunch)room table area so people know. Replace harsh cleaning supplies with more eco friendly supplies when the area was finally cleaned giant sprays while we were eating was being used and left hard chemical smells. Sitting here writing this while I witness 3 group of families stressed and disappointed at the little vending machine with 4 items. I love you Detroit but still a poor man's museum, with things that can been changed and not cost a lot of money. read more

Thank you for staying open so kids have things to do! We started our adventure trying to go to the outdoor adventure center, but like many other places, they were closed. The science center was awesome. Kept my daughter entertained for almost three hours, that's huge! Let's start with parking... not fun, I absolutely hate parking in Detroit. The lot attached to the building was full before 10 am, which is when they open. You can drive around and find a lot behind it somewhere. It's $18 to get in for anyone over the age of two. A little steep considering the amount of things that were closer and inaccessible due to Covid. One of our favorite places was at the top of the stairs, the Stem playground. We made paper airplanes, pretended to engineer things and my daughter loved the little tube that blew the little nets high in the air. She probably spent a good twenty minutes on that. I cannot wait till our state can open back up so we can partake in more activities and explore and get out of the house. Definitely come check this place out, it's a lot of fun for kids of all ages and hopefully their curious minds are entertained. read more

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It was fun to go and see the Michigan Science Center. Staff was super nice and it was so much to see. If you want a place where your child can learn this is it. Also they had a science show and that was of course fun also. read more

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My brother and I agree that this place is a little on the small side, but the offset is that the admission price is on the small side. And when you show your Bank of America card like he did, you get free admission on the first weekend of the month. The two biggest problems with this place are 1) the lack of signs directing to parking and the entrance when you're on Warren, the main street. 2) There is an abundance of shoutouts to the museum sponsors: Michigan Blue Shield, Pfizer, etc. Rather that having these logos plastered around and embedded into the signs, which detracts from the scientific message, they should consider having a large sign/banner at the front that lists their sponsors' names. Also, this earth display gets me, shouldn't it be tilted approximately 23.5 degrees? Now I know that I'm being picky, right? But is that not scientifically accurate? The exhibits include geological analysis, transportation engineering, the human body, astronauts and the solar system, electricity, a swinging pendulum to illustrate the earth's motion, nanotechnology, solar energy, and an overall environmental consciousness. Plenty of stuff for the kids to do. I liked the exhibit on statistics and probability and the bell curve over which region each dropped ball was going to land. read more

Michigan Science Center - Shouldn't the earth's axis be tilted? SMH - Museums Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

Unfortunately, this was a miss for me. The best part was the 3rd floor popology. The rest is kinda blah. They need to rehab the facility. There was a demonstration of something at the science stage and the worker talked so fast, I could barely understand her. I don't know how kids could get anything from that besides the visual aspect. I think there is more bad than good here and for the cost, it's completely overpriced. Save your money and walk around the DÍA or another museum. read more

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I grew up in Oakland County and came to the Detroit science center as a kid in the 1980s. This was our first time at the Michigan Science Center with our own kids. I was really impressed. The shows and exhibits were all great. Parking was reasonable and nearby ($10 Valet, $7 at DIA, or street parking for free on weekends). The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. In particular, our 4 year olds like the little kids area on the lower floor. Also, we have a membership to the science museum in Boston, so our admission was free. I didn't find the sponsorships annoying at all, they didn't get in the way of the exhibits, and given Detroit went bankrupt, I'm glad there are corporate sponsors. read more

All of the staff are incredibly kind but the center itself is so disappointing. I feel bad for the staff having to make the most of so few exhibits, especially ones that don't even work. We've gone about once a year for the last 9 years or so and it has gotten worse every time. After today, i doubt we'll be back. For what?! So much wasted potential. read more

Love coming here with my little one. I wish some of the activities were updated as they've worn down a bit! But overall a great place to take an adventurous 2 year old. read more

Our recent visit to the science center was very disappointing. On the disappointing side: Half of the interactive displays did not work. The building was tired looking, old and not well-lit. No staff was available to answer questions. It seemed expensive for what was offered. On the good side: easy to access and acceptable parking. We had fun with the 'math walk'. We cannot comment on the Imax experience, as we did not take time to see the movies as we had a younger child with us. I would not return nor recommend this visit to others. Sorry! read more

*** Wow, you've come a long way, baby ... fun! *** http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/UReltP5QesHD5FRNmBgNAQ?select=Bj0dw1oqiYZBhzGj3hT0fw Took the son here this morning for the IMAX feature, "Deep Sea". it's an hour in length and beautifully done. The rest of the center surprised me. It has changed much. All in a good way ... the anatomical model, pendulum displays, electicity/electro-static illustrations, and space exploration area. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/UReltP5QesHD5FRNmBgNAQ?select=bP-_w5cLDOvzFFkJMV4qmw *** For only $24, we got all this? I've paid $24 just to park in LA! *** read more

Michigan Science Center - Entrance - Museums Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

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Brings back childhood enthusiasm for science and technology. There is a fixed fee for annual membership and a minimum donation per group. Great for kids to interact during their science demonstration. Very informative and interesting facts about the NASA moon landing. For kids who are really into science, inquire about their workshop. There's a good vendor for Fastfood, snacks and drinks. Across the street is the Detroit institute of Arts. Parking is free on Sundays. read more

Dark, dirty, most exhibits closed off or "out of order". It is shocking that they are open, that they take your money, knowing that most of the stations are out of service. Walking through it with my child I felt ashamed that I drove her there instead of some place else. I cannot emphasize just how crazy bad it is! read more

The last time I had been there was when it was the Detroit Science Center. Now that it has changed there are some significant changes and for the good. My visit this time was with a middle school field trip. Trying to keep an eye on five middle school aged teenagers who are not all friends was daunting. The one thing I enjoy when I go there is the space program exhibit and the assembly line. The highlight was the IMAX show about Earth that had been filmed from the International Space Station. Pretty cool. read more

I went to the Science Center last week and I will disappointed. More than half of the exhibits are out of order or just not working. The lady giving the presentation was very loud, no matter where you were in the building and the exhibits were not very engaging. I don't think they should charge full price when half of the exhibits are not working. I was definitely disapointed. read more

Maybe this is good for a little one but so many exhibits were broken or so basic an 11 year had a hard time finding something interesting to spend time on. I'm so disappointed. The best part about this place is the staff. All friendly and smiling. We saw one IMAX which we thoroughly enjoyed . But we had to buy tickets to the museum to be able to buy tickets to the movie. For 3 people, $57. So not worth it. read more

Amazing space for the kids to learn and run around. Especially in the winter time! Also, the membership is only $75 per year. So it's totally worth it. There is a great special if you buy a membership in November 2019! read more

I have to agree with the previous reviewer... it was disappointing just how many exhibits were closed. We were last here 5 years ago and had a fantastic time. My kids still had fun today and we used our reciprocal museum membership so it didn't cost anything, therefore I'm fine with the experience. But I would have been pretty disappointed if I had paid admission price. I hope the museum is able to fix things up and get back to the way it was! read more

At first when I saw the 13.95 price tag I was a bit uneasy but we had a day to kill and it was either this place or the art museum across the street. Seeing how I was with my dad and I am pretty sure he isn't that interested in art we picked this place. I went online to plan our attack of the place. After researching I realize that the 14 dollars was a STEAL! We arrived right when it opened at 12pm on Sunday. We signed up for the 1pm showing of the planetarium and the 3pm showing of Hubble in IMAX. The place was huge. We spent 4.5 hours there and seeing how it was Halloween the place was pretty empty. We loved all the little hands on exhibits. The planetarium was nice but I fell asleep half way. The IMAX experience was like an one in a lifetime thing. DOME IMAX and with only 10 or some people in the room. That in itself was worth 14 dollars. At 4pm we were also able to attend the engineer theater. My dad had the entire place to ourselves! Moving chairs, spraying water and air, it was an interesting experience but the videos were kind of boring. My dad and I had a blast! This is the best science center I have ever been to. So much better than the one in SF. Definitely should come here. The 14 dollars is totally worth it. Watching a 2 hour movie cost 11 or so dollars. Why not spend a couple more bucks and come here. It is a 4 - 5 hour experience and it is educational! read more

This place has so much to do and see. It's a great place to go during the cold Detroit winters when outside activities aren't an option but you have a toddler with tons of energy. My daughter (almost 2) finds something new every time. The family membership is around $70 for a year and so worth it when you consider it's around $15 per person (over 2) each time. Valet parking is $10, but so far I've had no trouble finding street parking. read more

This is one of the most amazing science centers in the country! From the human body to mummies to the solar system, the Detroit Science Center has it all. So my first memory of it was a 3rd grade field trip. I remember eating the freeze dried astronaut food and watching a live science demonstration. As an adult it continued to meet my expectations, with the IMAX theater being one of my favorite parts of the museum. There's also a planetarium and food court. Admission is cheap and you can bring your little ones! read more

Michigan Science center is a terrific place for any age! There is something for everyone here. A hidden gem in the city behind DIA. It is always pretty quiet here! Space, construction, Energy, play area for under five, manufacturing! read more

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Oh what fun with science!!! First thing's first, THANK YOU Detroit for reopening the science center. It is an amazing place to learn, explore, and research how things work. I took my 6 and 9 year old boys for the day. They were in awe from all the machines and experiments. Even though it was busy that day we had no problem checking out the displays. There is more than one floor of fun here so either give yourself an entire day or buy an annual pass. We decided on the family "awesome plan". Okay, it's not really called that but it gives you everything. With the pass I was able to bring a guest, see the special displays, go to the IMAX, and the planetarium without any extra fees. It even gives us half off or free admission at other participating museums including the hands on museum in Ann Arbor. We weren't able to see everything they had but my boys were enthralled! Make sure you check out the electric show. It's hair raising!!! read more

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I haven't been here since I was a kid, and I decided to come since Bank of America offers free admission on the first weekend of every month to this place, so the date, his kids and I shuffled down here to check it out. To say that I was excited was the least. I've recently been checking out this sort of stuff and had the Science Center on my short list of places I needed to visit. Prices here are higher then I had anticipated, and even though I had free admission, tickets were between $13 (with no movies or extras) and range up to $21 depending on what package you get. The lady talked me into the $8 extra for two movies since the date and his kids had already purchased two movie tickets. We noticed on the map half way through that the movie times were sporatic, and half way through we had only enough time to catch one which was the Engineering movie. That was pretty cool with moving seats and water that sprayed. The museum itself is kind of a weird lay out. We didn't know where to really start, so we just kind of wandered through. We noticed that there was a lot of wonderful interactive displays, but they were also sponsored by businesses, which I found kind of weird. For example, right when you walk in, there's a Bank of America display with teaching kids how to manage their money. That's great, but the kids seemed to be more interested in playing with the hands on stuff then anything else. They do have a lot of cool displays here, but I found it to be weird. Lots of writing and notes about what it's all about, and even for school aged children, they seem to be interested in being more interactive then standing and "learning" if that makes sense. The kids aren't going to read the signs like the date and i did. Also, I didn't seem to see a lot of staff on the floor. It would have been nice if they had "tour guides" or people who could answer questions and such. Overall not a bad place, but since I've been hitting up a lot of different museums lately, I feel that this one isn't my favorite. I remember it differently from when I was a kid, and want to like this place, but wasn't overly impressed at all. I kind of felt deflated when I left like "ok, now that's done, but do I want to come back?" Not so much. I find myself more motivated to go back to the Henry Ford Museum, or the DIA first before here. Not a bad experience, but not my favorite place either. read more

We took our toddler here and he had a fantastic time. There is a kids town, more on that later, that is for kids less than 5, and the rest of the museum is best for slightly older kids. A large LEGO area, a section on construction with a Mackinac bridge replica, pendulums (penduli?), a love interactive scientific demonstration station, a mini tornado and 'zero gravity' balls, and tons of different creation stations are just some of the things you can enjoy. The kids town is small but PACKED with things toddler appropriate. There is aleso one small section for kids 2 and under. An excellent water play area, ball pit, mini grocery store, mini veterinarian clinic, toddler computers and library kept my son engaged for a long long time. He did not want to leave. They have a small parking lot or you can street park or use the DIA lot next door for $7. Tix are $17, but a membership is $35, so it's worth it even if you go just twice. There is a cafe that serves the usual family friendly fare. There is a planetarium and 2 theaters with frequent shows through the day - you do have to buy tickets for these ahead of time, though! We enjoyed our Sunday visit to the Michigan science center and will be getting a membership for future visits! My son keeps asking to go back. read more

EXCELLENT museum for children, so many hands-on activities and room to move. As an adult, I also enjoyed and took advantage of all the exhibits, which did elicit some looks from other parents/guardians, but whatever. My zoo membership also earned me and my companion free tickets to an IMAX movie, which was quite the experience. I prefer to come here during the week to avoid crowds. read more

Michigan Science Center - Museums Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

Family fun day Sunday! great place to take your kids very educational and there is something there for everyone. My only complaine is that the gift shop has been CLOSED FOREVER! read more

The Detroit Science Center is amazing. The reason why that statement is interesting is because I am now a grown woman and I said the same thing about this place when I was a little kid. Where do I start? They have the freaking Tilt-O-Rama if you're ready for some barf-o fun walking around like an astronaut! Who wouldn't love that? The Sparks Theater is a gorgeous homage to the way light and heat affects us all -- and the best part is that it looks like you are going to be electro-shocked, but it is 100% safe. For Halloween, they programmed their robot to carve a pumpkin! It took awhile, but hopefully the robot will crank them out faster this year. I can't wait to sese it. The travelling exhibitions are always worth checking out, they really get the best of the best. I can't wait to watch my son play here. It will be an excuse for me to get brushed up on my physics and magnetics in a fun way -- he'll be asking and I'm going to quote this place! read more

Michigan Science Center - Museums Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

I went here with a group of English language students, ranging from age 2 to adult. Customer service: I was very pleased with the fact that we could bring outside food in and/or have food delivered. The staff was very helpful when we discovered that my company had booked the wrong package for us. They did all they could to accommodate and assist us despite the mix up being on our end. Exhibits: -There is a pretty large "Legoland" area that the younger children really loved! -KidsTown was a great experience for the 5 & under children in our group! -I was disappointed that several of the machines around the center were out of commission. -I wish there were more hands-on activities available in the main areas of the science center (outside of KidsTown). Advice: Call/look online in advance to get the planetarium schedule as well as the time for the SparksLab demo (where the children get to touch the ball that makes their hair stand up). read more

While the actual center is great for kids, the customer service when arranging a group event is very difficult. while, I know a lot of groups come in, phone calls need to be filter and space is not always available, they make it VERY hard to make changes or adjust a resevation and when working with schools/kids. You would think they would be a little more family friendly. I had a negative experience working with them a handful of times and gave 3 stars because the actual facility is great, however, I will not hAve my group come again, which is actually pretty upsetting. read more

We spent a full day here and could have stayed longer. It's FREE for the entire summer which makes the trip even more inviting! My sisters and I took our 5 children ages 0-3. We spent a decent amount of time upstairs looking at the construction equipment and machines, then playing with the giant LEGO. I brought lunch and my sister purchased from the cafe. A hotdog, chips, and drink was $3 which wasn't bad. We ventured downstairs after thinking we would likely leave soon... and then we found Kids Town. Have children under 5? Go to Kid's Town. Run, don't walk. It's a little tricky to find but we spent hours there. It's a mini town with a water table (complete with smocks), a grocery store, ball pit, art center, dress up, gated in room for babies 2 and under, and so much more. We have a little business near our house that charges over $10 a day to play in the same sort of setting. My kid was exhausted upon leaving and took a long nap. We weren't sure if our kids were too young for the science center, but I'm so glad we went. It was a successful day! read more

Such an amazing place for a day with the kids! So much to do from hands on activities to shows to watch! It was even fun for me! They had an awesome lunch spot with inexpensive food items or you can bring your own food in with you! And all summer it's free so that's definitely a plus! So everyone should make it out this summer. Only down side was the depth expo was not child appropriate! One video had a naked woman and one voice recording was talking about reproduction and about his penis and I grabbed the kids so fast I don't even know what they were talking about! Other then that it was a spectacular hands on museum! read more