Arizona Science Center Review

It's a wonderful facility for science geeks of any age. The IMAX theater and the planetarium are real attractions for us. They always have something of interest going on.

A message to ASC - I want a refund of our admission equal to the amount of interactive displays in disrepair. I reckon 15+% will suffice. Always excellent concepts for engagement and learning, but it is seriously bordering on ghetto. Have some pride, and some respect for patrons and bring everything up to standard while temporarily closing displays while in repair.

Visited with my 10-year old Daughter while in Arizona for Spring Break at the end of March 2016. The planetarium was awesome with a very knowledgeable guide. The POPnology exhibit was going on while we were there. I absolutely loved, loved it! I think my Daughter was a little too young to appreciate it to its full extent though she said she liked it. A must see if you are a child of the 80s! The rest of the museum was good with a lot of hands on stuff to do. Also had a good lunch at the cafeteria.

Old or young, kid or adult, THIS is the place you want to be! You don't have to be crazy about Science... it's an all around fun and exciting experience from the giant IMAX movie theater, one of the most modern Planetariums in Arizona, and awesome special exhibits that are truly fun, incredibly educational, no matter what your age is. All this plus a outdoor water play area, a cafeteria that is clean, reasonably priced with good food!

You can't go wrong here. .the staff is especially AMAZING! It doesn't get much better than this! I thought it was going to be a snore-fest (that I would be out of my mind with boredom) but it was quite the opposite! I found it incredibly enjoyable and I am an adult! My kids LOVED the place and they want to go back again and again and again!

Plan to spend all day there because there is so much to do and see. Everything is in house with 4 floors of awesomeness!!!! They do a lot of 3D IMAX movies that the kids and adults love. The Planetarium is truly impressive in every way. The exhibit are ALL interesting and fun. My favorite is the "Forces of Nature" exhibit where you sand a platform and it simulates fire, snow, rain, earthquakes, volcanoes! I LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!!!

I know I already said this but it cannot be understated, the staff is incredible! They are working there because they have a strong love for what they are doing. They are pleasant, entertaining, fun, informative, and just everything awesome! I LOVE this place! I am going to become a member of the Science Center which has incredible benefits is you like going all the time as I do.

GO HERE! You will seriously love it!

Kids and parents will habe a blast learning and playing. A must do for the summer or a weekend

Too over price. I am currently here for the eclipse event. I paid nearly 100 bucks just for the 5 of us, not much going on here, food is expensive, snacks are over price. I say if you ever go to los angeles, visit the California science center. Its free to go in, so much to do there. Way better then here at the az science center.

A lot of the exhibits are broken and the closest parking garage is $12. You have to pay extra for any of the special exhibits. Its a neat experience to go once though.

We got an annual pass on Groupon, so right away our first visit was worth the annual pass. We couldn't get enough of exploring all that there is to do. The highlights for my kids are the Forces of Nature, where you experience all different types of weather, All About Me, where you learn about bodies, babies and more, and Get Charged Up, where there are hands-on activities for kids to learn and explore. It's great!

I went to the AZ Science Center for their Pompeii exhibit and Super Volcano show in the planetarium. It was all very neat. The staff was friendly and helpful, the facility was clean, we parked in the garage right by the center so it wasn't a long walk. There's a cool area with some interactive water feature for kids (made me want to be a kid again, looked very fun). I will definitely go back for other exhibits. I could see being able to spend a day here w/ kids and keeping them fully entertained all day.

Well this place can be a little expensive it's always fun to walk around specially if you got kids keeps them definitely interested

Fun Fun Fun! Love this place. Great for the kids. The exhibits were detailed and informative and we learned alot. The girl doing one of the experiments (I think her name was Jessica) was great. Fun for the whole family and not very expensive. Definetly go if you get the chance.

So with the mixed reviews and the overall rating of 4 stars I decided to go and check it out. Let s just say this is mostly for children and not adults. Not worth the price for admission. Even the planetarium show was a waste of time for adults.

75% lame, 20% fun for kids, 5% is actually interesting. Also, admission only gets you in the door, the good stuff costs extra.

Parking garage cost too much and they didn't let me know before I bought the ticket then tell me to bring parking ticket in for discount. Bad service

This is a really great museum for the size. The paleontology displays are especially enjoyable. The local history section was well displayed. The roof top area was great (was there for an after hours event).

Had a great time checking out the many exhibits with my family. We're in town from N.Y. and were intrigued by the Pompeii exhibit, leading to a full day of enjoyment by a bunch of late 20s early 30 year olds acting like schoolchildren on a field trip! Steven was hilarious and made the planetarium show a blast. Highly recommend seeing any show this guy does. It was called the "Grand tour of the Solar System" and we left more knowledgable and in a great mood for the rest of our stay. Michael Collins will not be forgotten!! (Look it up)

The Science Center is a great place. Unfortunately, MESMERICA does not add to the experience. An overactive graphics generator with endless elevator music. Overpriced. Overrated. An hour of my life that would been better spent doing anything else.

So much that it is overwhelming to young children. Best for older kids to get your money's worth.

It could be a nice place if their displays worked. Most of which was broken making it hard for kids to actually explore the exhibits which is supposed to be part of the appeal of the science center.

I think that the fact they have small kids on display as mummy's is pretty messed up I don't need to see dead baby's just my thoughts

My Family has gone for years and will continue for years to come

I remember how much I adored this museum as a kid, and it does still have some neat things, like the weather simulator. But when I went there today with a culture pass, I was admittedly disappointed. There is very little aimed at adults or even at an adult level. Too many of the displays are partially broken. And a lot of the displays that work are really dated-- CRT screens with clunky rollerball and button pointers. I'm fairly sure many of the displays haven't been technologically updated since the 90s at best. This is despite the high entry price, the fact that all shows cost significantly extra, and the newer exhibits that have opened there, including a subscription-based maker space.

This science center would do better to update their displays on the human body and brain, to take better care of their exhibits, and to add a bit more adult-friendly content.

The Science center is very educational and interactive. There is quite a bit to see here and is not too costly. The biggest bummer was most of the interactive exhibits were not working or just plain broke. Also if you would like to attend one of the films in the theatres at the science center, there is an additional cost for approximately the same price as going to the movies. If you have a big family or multiple people in your group, this can get costly very quickly.

We went to the Science Center to see the Pompeii Exhibit and spent $52.00 because we had to pay to get in as well and an additional $12 for parking. Way too much to spend for just wanting to see the Pompeii Exhibit. We walked around since we paid for it while we waited for our scheduled time to go in and found several of the children's interaction activities broken. The only thing that was worth the trip was the Pompeii Exhibit. It's very informative and the artifacts are amazing. The story behind it is very sad. This is a wheelchair friendly building.

Great exhibits with plenty of interactive engaging modes for kids from 3-95. The price was steep but out membership at our hometown museum help buffer the damage.

Don t forget to check out the sweet insect collection on the 4th floor!!

Fun way to get out of the heat! Definitely a good spot for school-aged children. It gets pretty crowded on the weekends so plan accordingly.

I grew up in Arizona so the Science Center was always on the field trip list. However, up until recently I hadn t been in easily over a decade. It might ve been more exciting as an adult! You can spend an entire day there, just wandering around and playing at all the fun exhibits. Victoria the T-Rex was the main attraction for me and seeing the skeleton up close was breathtaking. If you want to take your time and see everything, I recommend going on a weekday. There s something for everyone- kids and adults alike! The gift shop is reasonably priced and the coffee from the cafe was amazing. I recommend checking this place out if you haven t!

Cost way too much for the experience. They should not be charging for the imax shows.That would at least make up for everything else. The imax show seemed like it was created with 1990s technology. Graphics were lame. Definitely not worth 9 bucks to see. I might've felt better if Imax was included but its an additional charge on top of $16.95 fee. Waste of money if you ask me. $70 down the drain.

One thing i dont like was all the kids running around take controle of your kids people other wiss its fantastic

I love coming here with a friend or family member to spend some time learning about new things related to science! Great place to visit if you're in the area.

had a very good time! super fun and interactive. learned alot!

My kids enjoyed themselves; it was educational. Restrooms needed a little cleaning.

This is the only public science museum open year-round in central Arizona. The exhibits change regularly and there are many special events. Prices are sometimes high, particularly for non-members.

Great to have this exhibit in the heart of downtown Phoenix. There are several interesting ideas that kids love. Close to good restaurants and parking, this place is a great place to make a weekend visit.

Saw the Mummy exhibit when we went - phenomenal. The science center is a great place to bring kids: allowing them to explore different topics in a hands on, fun way to promote learning.

I've taken my kids here repeatedly. They just couldn't get enough. Very well laid out.

Love this place! I become a member every year and have used it all around the country at other places.

Went to this AZ scientist center for the first time and it was great. Saw lot of classes for school kids. Saw lot of crafts done by kids that was really amazing.

I took an inquisitive just 5 year old. The museum seems dark and dated. Many activities in disrepair. I think the sponsors of them would be ashamed that their name is associated with them. Expensive entrance fee for what you get. Extra $$$ for each special exhibit. Most exhibits were geared to older than than a 5 year old. Biggest hit was the fireball stage, sand and water table, and the walk through stomach. She liked the plumbing connectors where you build pipes connecting to a drain, but all the kids were asking where are the corner pieces . There was maybe two corner connectors and lots of straight pipe. How hard is it to go to Lowe s and get some? Ask for a donation needed today.
It also seemed like most exhibits were more reading and less hands on. The things that were hands on, there was only one.
There had to be at least 5-7 school groups here. They didn t look like they were learning anything. Just running around, taking over the interesting exhibits, then moving on, then a new group came in. This also left little time for individuals to get close if there was something good.
We like bugs, so were interested to see the don t forget to see our bug exhibit. It looked like someone s donated collection tossed up on a counter. There were some interesting specimens, but we wanted to learn where they were from. No one around, no details.
Come on Phoenix, people travel all over to go to museums when they visit a city. This is a poor representation of our community. We drove 45 minutes to get here, and definitely will not be back.

my kid loves this place, the kids learn at the same time they are having fun

The Arizona Science Center is a great stop for the whole family. The center really has something for everyone, but is clearly aimed at K through 12th grade. There are four levels and many different areas, focusing on a variety of things from the human body to weather and even unique events like the animation section as a limited run event. Areas can be accessed via stairs or elevator. All the staff we encountered were friendly, the bathrooms we pit stopped at were clean and stocked, and all the areas of the center we visited were well maintained and clean. Plan to spend more time there than you may expect to, especially if you have children in tow. There is a planetarium that we visited, as well as some other unique features that we will plan to catch during the next visit. The cafe outside the entrance was quite tasty, if a tad pricey. The gift shop, which is also outside the entrance, is a nice size and had a great selection of the fun things you would expect, as well a large selection of science kits and science themed home experiements etc. I recommend stopping in and if you happen to get a deal on Groupon, then don't pass it up. While you're in the area, the Children's Museum is close by as well.

Had fun with our three year old and Grandma. Something's weren't working but we did see Victoria

We had a good time. It s in a fun area. My only issue is that several exhibits were broken- levers didn t pull, iPads weren t connected, pieces broken off. Overall the museum is showing its wear and needs to be updated and taken care of. It s a little dated. The extra exhibits like Victoria were super technical and in great shape. I wish the museum was kept up a little nicer.

Arizona Science Center is great for kids. Great for them to touch and learn through the variety of exhibits and they love it. The daVinci exhibit didn't have anything authentic within it. So if you think you are going to be thrilled with seeing something he wrote or produced you will be disappointed. If you like to look at interactive video books and see his illustrations replicated, then go the exhibit. Personally, I can stay home and read about daVinci. Thank you Groupon, as I would not have been happy to have paid full price to the daVinci exhibit.

By far one of my favorite museums in Arizona! It was super fun as a kid and is super fun now, too. It's so big, I don't think I've ever covered the entire museum in 1 day. Prepare to spend a lot of time in there, as you'll probably need 4-6 hours if you want to look at everything and not speed through. I love how they have a specialty exhibit that changes every 9 months-ish. Last time I went it was an Egyptian mummy exhibit! Highly recommend.

I'm surprised anyone would give the science center less than five stars. Yes, I've been to Chicago, and New York but this is here, Phoenix. Once you slow down and engage, there's a lot to learn! And there's something for all age groups. Great for everyone!

I was there from WI. I read the reviews and should have not went. They were so true lot of things there were broke, Or out of service. My son is 8 years old and loves science. But this place is more like a 5 year old place. Not worth the $55. After being there for 20mins we left. I think we were there that long because u have to walk far.

Sad, tired exhibits. A lot of things don't work right. Needs updating. Totally not worth the money, especially for the TRex exhibit. Take the kids to something else.

Lower your prices a bit. You're not Disneyland. Worth visiting yes. But there are a lot of families who want to go but can't afford the high ticket price.

This is the best place to help educate your child! My son loves going here and it is so fun to watch him learn so much!!

Wonderful family experience! If you have kids and you're in the area, it's a must do. Groupon has great deals, so check before going. Our family was there for almost 5 hours and could have easily stayed all day and our kids range from 2-14. Everyone was entertained and had fun. I say skip the Shark Encounter. No actual sharks. More of an eco-conscience display than anything and kind of like walking through a PETA pamphlet. Make sure to validate your parking for a huge savings. Have fun!

Spent 2-3 hours in the Pompeii exhibit at ASC. Can't say enough about the multimedia displays, videos, reconstructions, artifacts, and absolutely amazing overall display of this historic event. Well done, lots learned and will be remembered!

Decent, but more of an advertisement gallery for various AZ companies than an exploration of science.

Great place for all ages. I'm an engineer and I find myself learning something new each time I visit. I love the planetarium and IMAX showings. The Arizona Science Center makes Science fun for everyone.

Fun to be a kid again. Amazing job of turning science and learning into interactive kiosks. We wanted the kids to learn on vacation and this was a fantastic place to visit. They also validate your parking.
We unfortunately came on the same day that every elementary school within AZ decided to have an outing here and the place was packed. Fortunately the place is large enough to easily accommodate bus loads of kids and us without a problem.
Come. Explore. Be a kid. Have fun.

Took my mother here for her birthday to see the Pompeii exhibit. It was amazing. The people who worked here were all super nice. Even after we left and found put my mom lost her key fob. They were all super helpful and let me retrace my steps until I found it. Can't wait to go back to see more. Also, big thank you to the people running the Pompeii exhibit and the info desk for being a big help and being awesome about it.

I kept waiting to see the "Wow" and never did.
The pathway in the exhibit was not conducive to being abl to easily move around and read the exhibit information.

Very disappointed! After going to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science this made me want my money back! Half of the machines were broken so you couldn t use them! Everything is out dated and very little hands on activities. Being a science museum you would think they would have experiments to do and hands on! I would go spend money here ever again!

If you're just going by during a regular day and are paying full price, then you may very well be disappointed. However, if you come to the various events, you'll have a great time, and a membership will feel like it ends up paying for itself.

Science With a Twist is a great monthly adult-only after-hours party that blends science, dress-up and cocktails quite wonderfully. There are also various family/children-oriented events, including the annual Snow Week.

The planetarium shows can be pretty cool, but they're also not cheap.

The mirror maze was so fun to walk inside again and again. Unlimited experience with one ticket. The lady at the admission desk was so very nice. The 3D movie was also very good. Unfortunately, I was allergic to the moldy air on the fourth floor. Remember to park in the Heritage and Science Park Garage. The information zone will validate the parking for you and it's much cheaper.

Just spent $115 to take my family to the new Mummy exhibit. We we're so excited! Now after being it was the biggest waste of time and money Ever! The whole exhibit will take about 10 min to go through but even after that we had to deal with rude staff members. My sons grandmother decided to spend $100 in the gift shop buying the kiddo toys to discover that they don't have bags for everything .You can biy a tote rhough. So there we are trying to navigate the science center with an armful of stuff so then we left. Most disappointing day ever .Don't waste your money.

This is a great place to escape the heat with young children - AZ Science Center. Watch for special movie showings. We attended the special museum engagement - Pompeii The Exhibition and it was AMAZING!

It s a really nice place, but it s not worth the price. A lot of the exhibits are for children which is not bad. But you do have to pay extra for the main exhibits.

My son and I found this place during a recent trip to Arizona. It was a good choice for an afternoon to kill before a ballgame. There is a good selection of interactive science exhibits. Plan on 2-3 hours.

Our first stop was the Mummy Exhibit. I was very impressed with this particular exhibit. I have been to several other mummy exhibits throughout the years and I have to say this was the most informative and inclusive of world-wide occurrences that I have seen. No phones, cameras, or video are allowed inside the exhibit itself. You start out as a group but you can go as fast or as slow as you would like. I took a bit longer than the rest of my group and it was not a problem. There is a lot of written information as well as the displays themselves. This particular exhibit is a rotating one so it is not always at the Science Center.

We went when they had the Titanic exhibit, and it was downright awesome. The woman with whom I went was a health food fanatic, so we did not eat there, so, I can not say anything about that. However, it was a nice exhibit, we were treated well, my fellow tourists were friendly, and it was just a wonderful experience.

Really fun, lots of hands-on experiments and activities for budding scientists to explore. If you can, do stay for some of the live demonstrations. The host was lively and kept everyone focused on learning. While pricey, it was worth it.

This would be a great place to bring kids. I just wish it was a great place to bring adults. Exhibits are hands-on but not too in-depth they re a little overly simplistic to appeal to kids. I learned some fun facts but was often left wanting more information and explanation. It s a nice air-conditioned time-killer and if you have curious kids they ll probably love it. But if you re an adult wanting to expand your mind and gain a better understanding of the world you live in I think you d be better (and more affordably) served by a good documentary.

We went to the Arizona Science Center to check out the Pompeii exhibit that is being displayed till May 28th, 2018. This exhibit is amazing! It's not every day that you can see 1000 plus year old historic artifacts that are so well preserved up close and personal. The exhibit was laid out very well, had plenty of time to walk around read the facts and history behind each artifact, I would highly recommend the audio tour. Everyone should check it out before it leaves Arizona. The science center it self is pretty cool as well. Plenty of fun activities for adults and children alike.

Love this place and the traveling exhibits - Pompeii exhibit is really unique and worth every penny to see! I often go to play with all the regular stuff as well, it's a great place for the kids to run around and touch everything. They love the water area in the summer time and I love the air conditioning and the fact that I know they are learning something every time we go. I love our membership, it's well worth it. P.S. Check out Groupon for discounts.

I had a total blast here with my family on vacation last week. We were in Phoenix to see the Pirates @ Diamondbacks series, but this place was within walking distance and easy to get to, so we took a break from all that baseball to check it More

It's a great museum for older kids. My kids loved the planetarium and the temporary giant insects exhibition

I would recommend this for very young kids as the offerings are not that great for older children or adults. Sparse museum with interactive activities, but too expensive for the value received.

Great activities and exhibits. Hands on. Also had planetarium and other exhibits

As an out of state visitor who hasn't been there before, I LOVED a lot of the interactive exhibits... but a LOT of things weren't working properly. (So glad the digital world stuff was working. It was a blast!) Even so I would be glad to come back in a few years when my nephew is old enough. We had fun, despite the holiday crowd on Monday.

Also, having only two people manning the desk with the odd system of wristbands seemed really clunky and slow especially on a holiday. It was our fault for not thinking to buy tickets in advance- but if you didn't want everything, it was one wristband for general admit, one for the movie, one for the two of us that wanted to do skycycle and stuff had to be hand written on a bunch of it. It was exhausting just watching. Minnesota Science Museum seems to have lines down to an art form.

Staff was friendly and helpful but they are cramming way too many people in the Pompeii exhibit. It was almost suffocating. You didnt feel like you could take the time to read a description of the pieces on display because there were so many people trying to see it. And that's if you could get close enough to read it in the first place.

Fun and exciting activities that last all day, bring extra cash for things, free parking garage around the corner. Don't forget to grab a map at the ticket counter.

Cool spot. Came out feeling like Bill Nye, you know, the Science Guy. Teachers get in free. Very interactive. Make sure you get your parking validated.

Most of the exhibits are broken or don't work. Most of it is just computers or televisons in a fancy display, playing a you tube video. Not very hands on. The 17 bucks you pay just gets you into the building to see 3 floors of poorly run museum. Parking also costs money. The only nice part was the planetarium and this is an extra 9 dollars per person. Save your money, or get free tickets. They spent too much on the building and not enough on the actual contents or quality.