California Science Center Reviews

Amazing seeing the retired space shuttles, space suits and tools up close

Came here once 2 years ago, came here again. This time to finish up the exhibits I've not seen. The endeavour is still as awe-inspiring as ever. Plans for its permanent home is on display, supposedly ready in 2018, complete with booster rockets. I'll definitely come again.

I love this place, one of the most impressive, interesting and educational to visit. Children friendly, the center is dotted with interactive games for children by which they can explain the magic of nature and space. The flagship remains, however, the possibility to see the Endeavor. Being a few steps from a space shuttle that has accomplished many missions is incredible, as it gives goosebumps to be able to read of all those brave men and women who flew into space. Do not miss this experience, you will not regret it.

Disappointed with the African American sparce and interesting display.

Awesome loved the experience. Smidge pricey but all in all awesome

Incredible this sample of scientific development, especially in the race to reach new worlds with the space shuttle, highly recommended to awaken in young people the interest in exact sciences

The 6-year-old boy opened the door from 10:00 to 15:00, and the good science museum, the small basin friends can play a lot of interactive equipment. There is also Imax, which is very big. If you want to see it, you can check the timetable in advance. The parking lot costs 10 yuan once.

Really great experience being there. The endeavor looks majestic as ever. Construction is going on atm..

great opportunity to learn whilst having fun. 12$ for parking space, but no entry to the museum. Good mix btw. nature and science.

This is a great n fantastic place to visit and to learn all year along !!! I highly recommend to all people who come to/ live in Los Angeles. There are wonderful exhibitions, displays, iMAX movies, museums and gardens. There are so much to learn, to enjoy, to educate, to share with ...........

Excellent place to take your young ones to learn and explore science and technology. A lot of hands on activities and museums.

Normally I don't like museums a lot, but California Science Center was really interesting, entertaining, and it was free. Moreover, on the ground floor, there is a restaurant and a gift shop. When it will be possible for me, I will come back for sure.

The website information was confusing, but the center is a real treat. Check out the theater!

It is a great museum that is extremely interactive and fun!

Space shuttle is really awesome
King Tut exhibit had interesting artifacts

4.5 Stars.
The Endeavour is a mainstay exhibit, while other great ones come through. I was part of the team that installed King Tut's build & 1st stop on World Tour. The Aquarium Area does a great job.
It is an Educational Institution of SoCal/LA. Lots of school kids, so call ahead to figure less busy times if that's preferred.
Groupons make it very inexpensive, other than the parking.
Enjoy!

Great place to visit, and the staff were very helpful :-)

Interactive museum ideal for children and curious of scientific experiments, has many interesting things, its admission is free and has an Imax room for the projection of 3D movies, there are attractions within the museum that if it has a charge as the Hurricane Simulator and the bicycle suspended on a cable. It has a food court with different types of options to choose from.

King Tut exhibit was fascinating. Loved the IMAX movie that accompanies the exhibit was very well done. My kids really loved seeing the Endeavor up close. My son loved the aquarium room!

Amazing! This place is huge, so much to see. Definitely worth going. From seeing the space shuttle Endeavor, to learning about oceans and deserts there is something for everyone. The exhibits about earthquakes are fascinating, and the math area teaches kids through hands on experiences. Kid friendly and lots of delicious food. Admission and parking are free. Food is about $10-$15 per person.

Great space for children.
Permanent expositions presented are in need for some major updates thus 1 star off.

First timer it was of all things the same day as the raider and ram game, we were still able to get in and out without any problems and found parking fast our time of arrival was 11:30am

We visited here for the main reason to see the space shuttles but were thrilled with all the other exhibits that are there. We ate here at the market shop and I was very happy to find that all of the salads, wraps etc. we're all clearly labelled vegan / vegetarian - This makes life so much easier for myself as a vegan and made the whole experience better.

Beautiful museum. Free admission. $2/ticket to see Endeavor.

They have great traveling exhibits and the rest of the science center is free. It's awesome!

A great time for everyone no matter what your age. Need to check the current schedule the events change often.

Free admission they say but most people are here to see the Endeavour space shuttle which cost money to go in, lot of exhibit are out of working order. A family can easily spend a day here

This place is cool. Only 2 dollars to see Endeavour.

Went to the Tut exhibit, expected more but it was interesting.

Its definitely a place for kids probably 10 and below. Not much to do or look at unless you pay for it

Pretty small facility. Went through the whole thing before lunch. I have been here several times for their special exhibits. Most recently for Body World's which was amazing. Will be returning at the end of the month for King Tut's exhibit.

Great IMAX and displays... parking at $12 a little steep...

Lots of broken exhibits on the museum floor. Interactives range from very well done to super basic. Very few mediators to be found.

I have loved my experience with CSC ever since I was a child. The latest was just as eventful for me and my kids!! All based on pure donations they still maintain a diverse and hands on experience that all kids and adults will love ! All this for a small entry fee of absolutely nothing!!

Free admission. There are still alot to see other than the space shuttle

I occasionally work here but it is definitely worth a few trips a year.

Good for the kids to have hands-on experience in learning science.

We only came here to see the space shuttle. We planed 30 minutes but stayed a few hours. Ruined our day plan but it was surprisingly much fun to discover so many things.

What a wonderful museum with a great experience to see the space shuttle. The space shuttle exhibit is well worth it. The exhibits leading to to the actual shuttle are great. The aquarium and touch pools are a hit with kids. One star was removed due to a number of exhibits being in need of repair and were out of service.

Definitely not what it used to be. All the focus is on the Stolen King Tut Tomb Raid treasures. It's obvious all the money is being invested into the King Tut exhibit. Everything else is run down and needs attention. If you went here as a kid and want to bring your kids here now.... Don't unless you are only going for King Tut and the gift shop. Very disappointed at what I seen.

Went for the King Tut exhibit. Second time for me as it is so good. I recommend going to see it before it leaves.

awesome! Children like it very much. You can see a lot of things. And it s all free

Seeing the space shuttle and watching the montage of everything done to get it here is just jaw dropping every time.

Great place for family to visit. Educational and interesting.

If you like science you should go to visit this place is very good, it is a place full of stories

FANTASTIC Museum with PLENTY for kids and adults of all ages to see and do! This was fantastic for my 5 year old and I could have spent way more time there. The best part is that it is FREE!!! Technically by donation - but with zero pressure.

Full disclosure, my review of the Dog exhibit that is currently there would be entirely different... more like 2 stars. I made the awful mistake of spending nearly $20 to do that, when I could have had a free day at the museum with all the other amazing things! But we did get to see the Endeavor, if tickets for the Dog exhibit, so that was cool. Oh! You need to see the Body Works part! There is a huge woman that is just strange. The whole thing is a bit outdated - but the retro ness is super charming. It evoked feelings of the Diet Coke of 1990's EPCOT Center.

For parents with small children: There are MANY fun zones that are essentially science based play areas, closer to what you'd find at a play place. So that is super helpful. The highlight for us was definitely the aquarium section. That was super cool. But we really enjoyed all of it. I can't wait to go back!

Parking is $12 (so it's not exactly a free day) - but totally worth the $12. Drinks are expensive, so I'll bring my own next time. We had lunch there and prices were as expected for a place like this and for museum food, my cheeseburger was pretty delicious!

Now here's a great place to take the kiddies or a date, vast halls filled with hands-on informative exhibits. We especially loved seeing the Space Shuttle Endeavor! Certainly worth the trip downtown for locals and tourists alike, especially those with an interest in our big world of human knowledge and technology.

Such a great place to let kids run around and explore.

I could spend a week at this center. So many different places in on area. Kid friendly...

Awesome Imax experience. Good amount of the center is free. The Endeavour is giant!

Been coming here over the years and it never gets old! Recently visited to check out the Endeavor and King Tut! Lots to learn. Come prepared as the parking only takes cash! (Surprisingly). I am guessing the Endeavor exhibit is permanent now and they've done a great job at building it while keeping the public interested.

Ok, to be fair, I didn't know what type of museum I was walking into. When someone goes to the King Tut exhibit they are not expecting an interactive Children's Museum. This just threw me for a loop to start with. Once I got over that shock, I was still distressed by the sheer number of people that were in this museum. It made for a very uncomfortable experience, and kind of ruined the atmosphere for the grand exhibits that were displayed.
Additionally many of the interactive exhibit pieces throughout the entire museum were out of order, but poorly labeled so, which caused children to beat viciously on the already broken items. This museum has potential, but needs some help with crowd flow and control, as well as some TLC for their exhibits.

Great place to visit to learn about science. Fun place. Free entrance. They take money donations.

This is a fun place to explore the scientific world, if you have the time. The rotating exhibits are always very cool. What isn't always perfect are the shows on the IMAX screen. We recently went to see the Dogs exhibit and IMAX show. We purchased the combo package and stood in line for the show. By the time we actually made it to the theater, they were already 20 min behind. Because of the timing of the show, it would have only given us about 40 min, max, in the exhibit, because that, too, required a timed ticket. This was not a good experience and they should really re-think how they coordinate those sorts of things. We ended up just cancelling the IMAX show and going to the exhibit. The exhibit was excellent, but we were totally bummed that we weren't able to see.the IMAX show. Those were the two things we drove all the way up there to see.

Nice exhibits. Place to learn. Great 3d IMAX theater. Parking pricey.