Great experience at the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology. We went on a Sunday…read moreand it was not crowded, which made it easy to walk around and enjoy the exhibits at our own pace. There are a lot of informative and interactive areas, including exhibits on memory, energy, plate tectonics, Earth science, the geodynamo, chip chemistry, and the Micron memory megafab. I especially liked that the museum had enough depth for adults to actually learn something, while still being very kid-friendly with hands-on displays and play areas for younger children. My only small gripe is that a few of the exhibits and interactive devices felt older or worn, and some were not fully functional during our visit. Given the age of the museum and how much hands-on use these exhibits probably get from younger visitors, it is understandable. Hopefully they continue repairing and refreshing them, because the museum itself is definitely worth supporting and revisiting. The building itself is also pretty cool, with a historic exterior and a spacious multi-level layout inside. Overall, this is a great educational stop for families, kids, and adults who enjoy science, technology, and learning something new. Highly recommended.

The perfect place to take your kids, especially in the winter season! Such a gem for kids &…read morecurious adults. There is always something new to explore. We love coming here, and every visit feels a little different because they keep adding new, hands on areas for kids to explore. The newest GROW exhibit is a huge hit with my crew, especially the part where they buy eggs and pretend to run their own little farm stand. It blends imagination, real world skills, and ag technology in such an engaging way. I also loved the Amateur Nature Photography winners wall. It's such a beautiful way to celebrate local talent and get kids excited about nature. As someone who loves nature photography myself, I could've stayed there all day. A few favorite spots: Building Bricks area -- my boys love making forts Science Playhouse -- a multi-level indoor play area with climbing, sliding, and exploring. Indoor playgrounds are rare these days, and this one is fantastic. Micron area -- super engaging and surprisingly educational. Vending machines and bathroom layout -- easy, clean, and parent-friendly (a huge win). And don't miss the Dome shows. It's always worth checking the showtimes. My kids love grabbing popcorn and watching the short movies and planetarium-style features. This is one of those places where you can spend 30 minutes or three hours and feel like it was absolutely worth it. Staff is friendly, everything is clean, and it's genuinely fun to watch kids learn through play. Highly recommend for families, nature lovers, and anyone looking for a relaxed, meaningful outing with young kids.

Absolutely worth seeing. Beautiful woodwork and design of a home that started in the late 1800's…read moreand kept developing. Miraculously saved for us to see it today by a women's group in the early 1900's. The tour guide was so helpful and knowledgeable.

Came to Binghamton on a layover and had TONS of time so decided to check this place out. Didn't…read morethink it would be that great but I was wrong. The mansion itself, from the outside, is three stories.....or is it.....and absolutely beautiful on the inside. Lots of great things to look at and take pictures of. I won't post my pictures cause you need to see it for yourself. Tho I'll give you one glance with this pic of myself. The tour guide Amanda was fantastic! She was very knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. The tour lasts an hour and is only $7!! You need to go if you're in Binghamton! Definitely worth it!

What an incredible museum!…read more If you know me, you know I have a deep love of historic architecture. Now I've seen my fair share of octagon houses - and often being volunteer-run historic sites or restrictive museums, it isn't too often I get the chance to get a complete top-to-bottom tour. However, we happened to be in the right place at the right time for the Wilcox Octagon House Museum! This place is only open on select Sundays throughout the year, all of which can be found on their website. This place is entirely volunteer-run, and the women we met who gave us a tour of the site were incredibly knowledgeable, not only about the site itself but about the intriguing things going on in the world throughout the house's lifetime. We started on the bottom floor and learned about the structure itself, and all of the changes it went through as it changed ownership from its original builders, the Wilcox's. It was very interesting to see how at one point the house had been turned into a duplex, had a remodeled 1940's kitchen, and the unique and oddly-shaped closets. My favorite fun-fact was that the house was so highly taxed when it was constructed because each room - including the tiny closets throughout the house - was taken into consideration when being taxed. As we moved throughout the house, we were able to see the super-cool wine cellar in the basement, original kitchen, plus the top floor and the gorgeous windowed overlook with an amazing view of the surrounding town of Camillus. The volunteers were very informative and friendly, and understanding of the fact that we were kind of in a rush, only because we had plans to catch a boat ride at another museum a short drive away. I am so grateful that they were incredibly accommodating of us! In short, this was an incredibly cool place to experience, and I absolutely recommend coming here if you happen to be looking for something to do on a lazy sunday. A historic home like this is truly a treasure and it always feels good to support small volunteer-run historical such as this.

We had a great time on our tour at the 1890 house. Our tour guide, Rose was fantastic and very…read moreknowledge about many elements of the house and background of the family who lived a the home prior to it becoming a museum. Definitely recommend this tour.

The house tour was great. We went around Halloween time which added a spooky element. It was…read moreinteresting to learn about Victorian period customs and lifestyles in this region. I highly recommend.

Beautiful and historic place with knowledgeable staff. Great experience for everyone…read more They should add two dollars to the price of a ticket so you don't have to look for one dollar bills in order to ride the merry go round with a charge of $1.00. Not many carry cash anymore much less dollar bills. Just add it to the price and let people not have to fumble looking for more money once inside. Also the gift shop was so incredibly hot it was sickening to be in there.

Been wanting to come here for awhile as my mom kept sending me it on fb lol. Knew we'd be up at my…read moremom's this summer so we of course planned a little trip to Cooperstown. We got here an hour before closing which probably isn't enough time but my son is 3 so it was perfect for him. The carousel which I thought was super cute my son ran for dear life from. It's a carousel! lol. Seriously the way he ran you'd think we were trying to lure him to the carousel of death. So sadly no ride on that but everything else was really cool to check out. Random chickens around my son was happy seeing it all. Gift shop was closed as we left but we came back the next day to check that out :) I definitely plan on coming back here as my boy gets older where he can actually pay attention to things.

I didn't know much about Syracuse on the whole other than they have a university. And that the Erie…read moreCanal passed through here when it was a major mode of transportation. I am glad that I came to this museum as it added to my knowledge of the Erie Canal. More than I thought I knew. Do check out the website ahead of time. It has some important information. One such thing is parking, if you are lucky enough, you will be able to snag a spot reserved for the museum parking in the city lot located across the street from the museum. Find the spots that are labeled "Visitor Center Parking," this place doubles as the visitor center as well. Otherwise, there is street parking available at a small cost. Also from the website you will find the hours and price for admission. Admission here is technically "pay-what-you-wish" meaning it can be whatever you feel an admission is. But they suggest $12 at the time of me writing this review. Once inside you will be greeted right away. The staff here is mostly volunteers but definitely know their stuff when it comes to the canal. I was given the layout of the museum and suggested where to go first. The museum is two floors and it is suggested to go through the first floor first, unless you need to use the restroom, those are upstairs. If that is what you need, you can start upstairs. I started off by just checking out the first areas of the exhibits and was approached by another volunteer who took me on quick once through about the canal and important dates and events that marked the opening of the canal. You also find out that the street in front of the museum is named Erie Boulevard because that was once the canal route. That is until it was rerouted. The things you learn when you just listen. Then I was sent on my way to make it through the museum. I went slow and took a lot of pictures so I could go back to them in case I missed something. I really enjoyed the set up of this museum. You go through an explanatory phase of the museum and then you get to explore set ups and walk through displays. Take some time to explore the canal boat as you can walk through it and see what it was like to travel by canal. Believe it or not, people still travel through the canal for leisure travel and they have had visitors here that have shown up via the canals. Once you complete the first floor, trek upstairs and take a look at the displays of the businesses of the day. Bar, pottery place, general store, and theater. All meticulously put together and showing what it was like back in the heyday. After you have taken in everything in the museum you can head outside and take in a bit more. On the canal side of the building you can view the boat inside and what the weigh station looked like. Street side there are a few things to check. Their garden area is beautiful and a nice place to catch some rest. Fun fact, Syracuse was a major stop on the canal because of all the salt. Hence their nickname The Salt City.

Whether you're a Syracuse resident or just visiting, the Erie Canal Museum is a must see…read more The Museum is small but mighty. It packs fun and education all into one place. Meander around the self guided museum to see a variety of exhibits including a boat you can actually sit in! The museum is great for all ages; young and old. The staff is super friendly and the admission price won't break the bank.

On our way home to CT from Western NY, we took a pit stop at the All Things Oz Museum, and we're so…read moreglad that we did! My family loves the original movie, especially my mom (who also read some of the books). We did the guided tour, which was super informative and very interesting! The girl who took us around was super friendly, and we enjoyed chatting with her. We were impressed at the memorabilia they had, and it was cool getting to learn more about L. Frank Baum in his hometown. They even had a cute photo op at the end. Definitely worth the stop if you're in the area!

We stumbled across this place and it was an incredible find. If you could take the guided tour,…read morewhich is no additional cost, definitely take it. Mark was our guide and gave a fantastic description of many of the details that we would've just walked by and never understood. I would highly recommend visiting this museum.

Finally made a trip here!!! Kids spring break. Perfect rainy day escape for an energy burn for…read morecurious minds. Our MOST membership got us in free (saved about $60) Free parking on site You can bring a cooler and eat in Community area (tables and plenty of seating) Great outdoor space for kids to run around Area for water play, Lego building and a cool weather and tornado section Reptiles/snakes/fish section & even got to meet a reptile which was a bonus!

We took our kids (3 years old and 11 months) to check this place out. What a find!…read more There's a lot of really cool science concepts that they definitely don't understand yet, but they still had so much fun exploring. We spent hours here! There is a section specifically for little, which they loved! The water table and the pet/vet section especially. In the "big kid" sections our 3 year old loved seeing all the fish and lizards, the little penny black hole and the vacuum tubes with the Pom-poms. Even the outdoor area was a blast! So many cute and clever ways for kids to learn and play. We had the hardest time getting him to leave. I ended up convincing him we could get a stuffy at their gift shop to take with us. Never thought I'd buy a stuffed white blood cell, but here we are! Again, super cool! Lastly, the staff was all so pleasant and nice, which is always extra appreciated in a kid-centered place.