Carnegie Science Center Reviews

Great place to take your kids or for adults... Fun for everyone

Cool way to teach kids about science with experiments about water, nature, and there's a Cold War-era submarine you can go into, which is really awesome.

Great place to take the kids, we checked out the mummies exhibit.

This is a family favorite for spending a morning or afternoon. The robot exhibit is one to enjoy.

Need wait 15 minutes to see cashier when you purchase online, no scan your ticket, need to find you in the system, the line to buy tickets go faster.

For adults, there is less science than I'd like, but the exhibits are nevertheless interesting. For kids, there is less science than I'd like, but the exhibits are great. And they have a really nice reef aquarium. Oh, and a SUBMARINE!

I love my Carnegie annual membership. My 3 year old and I try to visit once a week via bicycle preferably. Can't wait to see the newly improved location.

WAY too crowded, 1/3 of the hands-on exhibits were broken, and the staff could not be more rude & disinterested. The only highlight was the movie theater, but that was an extra charge to an already expensive entrance fee!

Great place everything is amazing especially the model railroad layout.

Plan on being here a few hours. There is so much to do. Many floors of fun and education for my 10 and 12 year old. We've been coming for years.

Everything is clean and they are taking the necessary precautions. The kids still love it and learn so much every time they go.

I enjoy going to science centers when I travel to different cities but I d have to rate this one pretty low on the list. I will point out, that I am a young adult. Nonetheless, this science center was quite overpriced. We went to a few other attractions around the city (Heinz History Center, Andy Warhol Museum, etc) and they offered student discounts and had much more to look at for the price. Not to mention there was a field trip of kids running around but it s to be expected at a science center. The only exhibit that was worth seeing was the robotics but not worth the $20 I spent. I would rate Houston, Columbus, and Chicago above this one.

Our entire family loves coming to the science center. The kids especially love the interactive demonstrations, and they nearly have to be dragged out of Sports Works. We have a museum membership and most of our time is spent at the science center. I just can't say enough about this place. We are very fortunate to have it here in Pittsburgh!

Sportsworks is a fun place; however, we had a very disappointing day today. Staff at the rock wall would not let my daughter on. I waited in line & she stepped out for a bit with my older daughter. After being in line for 45 minutes & at the line s end, where you harness up, there is a notice about no line holding. This verbiage should be at the beginning of the line NOT the end so that people are aware & can comply. Regardless, it was not unfair to people behind me. I was a single person who waited in line for a single participant. I was not holding a spot for more than one person. I could have climbed the rock wall, technically, because I never left the line. And, that s what I would have at least insisted on had I not been wearing sandals. In the end, I let 6 people ahead of me when I reached the start, and my daughter wasn t back yet.

Staff was inconsiderate & bullying in their response to my suggestion that the sign can t be fully complied with due to its location. They refused to harness my daughter & we left disappointed. By this point an hour of my life wasted.

Be aware that staff will not accommodate any momentary departures from line, restroom breaks, etc.

Photo below shows where the no holding line sign is (at the harness attaching section on the left) See the long line reaching out to the right.

We have been there twice. We love the planetarium and Omnimax Theater. It is very hands on for the whole family. Love the robots. Very clean. Food great. Fun day,but very crowded and busy the two times we were there.

I've taken my kids to science centers all over the country and we enjoy finding new activities along with the exhibits you might expect. Carnegie Science Center is clean and well maintained. We enjoyed some unique activities. The fact that it includes the submarine and SportsWorks was just a bonus. The miniatures and trains are well done showing an early Pittsburgh. The robotics floor and space exhibits kept the kids entertained. H2O has typical water activities and interesting information about the PA river life. And the microscopes are high end and easy to adjust, with nice size monitors.

Our kids love this place! Exhibits rotate throughout the year which makes every visit unique. The coolest part is that they make the exhibits accessable to all ages and abilities. The only drawback is the food court. Pack a meal or go somewhere else for healthier dining options.

Great place to go with or without your kids. Such a positive learning experience for young and old alike. Pittsburgh is lucky to have CSC here. The laser shows are awesome, the ever changing displays make this worth a visit every few months. The train room is just mind blowing.

Today, the day of the Movie Marathon in honor of renovating the theatre, was a perfect example of inept management. We called at 2 PM about a movie we wanted to see running at 5 PM. We asked the phone receptionist if we needed to book. We were told "No it is first come first served." We arrived at four thirty and found a long line moving very slowly. There was only one person selling tickets which might have been adequate if all they had to do was sell tickets, but obviously more was going on as each person had a long discussion with the cashier. When at 5 o:clock we arrived at the head of the line we were told, "The movies had to be booked". That one cashier was actually handling bookings as well as selling tickets. We were told the earliest movie we could attend was at 9:30. That is five and a half hours later. I have since looked on the web site and it also states: " Admission to all Omnimax movies, Laser Shows, and Live Demonstration Theater shows during the movie marathon is first-come, first-served." I understand why it was changed. At show time it could have gotten really ugly, and may already have done so. The administration was not very good at thinking things through. This very negative experience comes down to 60% ineptitude and 40% inevitable chaos.
Yes The Science center can be a great place for kids to learn, but a large percentage of the kids we see there have either passed the point of intellectual overload, or else they never did care. Whichever the case may be, many are just mindlessly milling around pulling levers and pushing buttons oblivious to what the display is about. Thus a fair percentage of the displays do not work correctly.

I've gone to a few events at the Carnegie Science Center, it was a great place, very clean, and interesting exhibits. Must visit if you are in Pittsburgh!

my husband and I took our 2 toddlers to this facility and had an enjoyable experience until we discovered someone stole our double stroller which we paid 250.00 for from the stroller parking area. security claimed they had no recording of this area and that we were just at a lost. We were treated very poorly and unprofessionally. We will never return do to the poor customer service and every chid facility should have cameras in every area. so if you go hold your belongings tight.

Great place for kids... or without! We stopped during a weekend trip without kids and still had a good time. We will definitely be coming back with the kids! The laser show was cool, the movie theatre experience was awesome, and the submarine we toured was definitely a new experience! There were a lot of hands-on interactive learning areas for the kids... and even adults. Lots of kids around, but the place kept everyone moving between exhibits and shows! This will definitely be something your family will enjoy and remember!

Great place to bring your kids had a great day not to expensive would recommend it for anyone young an old everyone can learn something from this place..

Our 11 year old granddaughter loved all the interactive hands on things to do. The Mummy exhibit was very interesting and we all loved the light show. The sub is awesome and so was the guide. The miniature village is AMAZING. Each house was hand crafted. The gentleman was interesting and informative.

We held my wedding reception here and it was fantastic. The employees were patient and helpful, the view was beautiful, the food was delicious and the entire time was lots of fun. It's wonderful for both special events and everyday fun.

The Art of Lego display was well worth the visit. Great for adults and children.

There are many different things to see and do there and in the area.

Very boring. Went here for a school trip. Half of the things are broken and unusable and you had to have a wristband to do most of the things in the sports center. The funnest thing was the submarine and even that wasn t that fun it smelled bad and it was very tight. The only reason I m giving this joint two starts is because it s overall clean and it s not the worse science center I ve been to.

Has not changed much over the years. I would like to see a better experience. Its more a one and done place.

This museum is fun for kids 3-100. There is a children's section on the top floor for younger kids. It can be overwhelming when it is crowded but if you visit at the right time the exhibits are fun. There is no bubble exhibit....I feel like you can't have a science museum without a bubble exhibit.

This is a great place to take your kids for the day. Very wide range of exhibits to keep everyone interested.

Other then the model train and the submarine it was pretty lame. Lines waiting to do anything just don't move. Displays or interactive things are boring

I feel as though the exhibits could be updated to allow for more learning. I understand that the museum is for children, but there should be the option of learning more. For example, there is a robot with which people can play air hockey. That is great for getting children interested. For an older audience, they could add an explanation of some of the technology at work. It could provide a new layer and something for the older audience to do while waiting in line (for kids or themselves).

Overall, I love the fun elements, but they could be made richer with some more signage and explanations.

Had so much fun. The mummies were expensive though.

Such a fun museum! I LOVE the model train village and the Requin!

A lot of things to appeal to all ages and interests. Robotics to bodies (be warned, the kids will like this area), to submarines to weather to animals to NASA.

Nice place to go and learn about some scientific history! And the sportsplex is very fun also!

There is a exhibits from all types of science. Something for everyone of all ages. Just go. You'll enjoy it.

Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Environmental. Long ago the four nations lived in harmony, but everything changed when Biology attacked. Only The Carnegie Science Center master of all science knowledge could stop them. But when the world needed them the most, they were there. Place is freaking lit! 10/10 will come back- Katara, probably and me

Amazing place.
Great venue for entertaining kids and nerds of all ages. There is an abundance of exhibits and interactive displays throughout the entire building.
It could be an all day family outing, an ideal place for a class field trip, or a fun way to spend an afternoon playing air hockey against a robot.

Always evolving and never static, there s something for everyone. I ve been a member for years and brought my daughter when she was small. Now she s pre-college and still finds the exhibits and experience fascinating and so do I.

A great place to spend the day with the family - especially if you have kids. My son and I really enjoyed going in the submarine.

The museum was fine but they say they close at 5 and then when we go stand in line for half the stuff, we get told unfortunately this is closed now... we waited for 20 mins in line for the skytrail and then get told at 4:20 the last group of ppl were the last ones. Then we go to the rock climbing wall, same thing. So we pay to go to the museum and the sports building or whatever for the kids to have fun only to be told nope sorry tough luck. Very displeased,,, the only reason I even have 2 stars was because of the main museum....

My kids always enjoy coming and spending the day with the family. We have a membership and come several times a year

Not that impressed. Paid to get in, NO ONE checks. There were very few staff to guide your experience. They are doing tons of construction and the place is full of dated and worn displays. Many were out of order. Submarine closed at 4:30 in the afternoon on a Saturday. Overall, very crowded and not well managed. Online purchase of tickets is not available.

We bought a Membership last year and is completely worth the cost. Easiest Family Day ever.

Great place to take the kids. My daughter loves it.

We loved it! So great i beat the robot in air hockey and no one else did around me haha so that was great. We got a 1 year pass while there. The man that greeted us was knowledge, fun and easy to talk to! We will be back I'm sure of it! The submarine was awesome and check out the "high voltage" show for kids (it was awesome and Emily was amazing) we don't have kids and we really enjoyed it.

We're members and spent over $40 just for the art of the brick exhibit. It was a disappointment to my children. It's definitely not worth the money we spent.

So happy this place is still here. I cam growing up so it's great to take my daughter.

Young kids love this place... I took my 3 young nieces here and we could have stayed for 6 hours (but we only stayed for 2.5) only there's not much for the adults to do except watch their kids.

This review is specific to the "Art of the Brick" exhibit. I guess I'm not sure how the museum justifies $20 for an exhibit (which doesn't include admission to any other part of the museum) that can be seen (in its entirety) in 20 minutes. I was able to look at and read everything that had been written to describe the art in this amount of time. By the way, they don't offer any student discount for this exhibit. There are some really interesting, beautiful, and creative uses of Legos here. There are also quite a few famous pieces of art that have been recreated using Legos which I didn't find all that interesting.

Okay, I'm going to be the realist or bad guy, whichever you prefer. This is the worst excuse for a science center I've been to. Ones I've been decades ago were more interesting than this as well as others around the country. I expected more from Carnegie. Our daughter is homeschooled and we went on the premise of this being a highly educational experience. At the age of 10 it fell flat. She is studying a Unit on Space Science and except for replicas and some relics it was a waste of time. We went to a Plantarium show and although I understand liberal society accepts evolution, which I had to learn in public school, it was so incredibly over bloated with evolution that there wasn't anything remotely interesting. Robert Redford lended a great narrative voice but the content was grossly inflated and we honestly laughed at the amount of propaganda. My husband said, "the graphics were excellent and that's about it." There was no center line of accepted facts between evolution theory and creationism where they talked about how the earth rotates, revolves, the constellations, the galaxy in which we live. There are simple accepted facts on both sides, none of which were addressed, accept maybe the point that we live on earth, there is a moon, there are meteors and we have an atmosphere. It was not a planetarium show with the name of stars and constellations. Even though the description said that would be covered. The other displays were mediocre at best. She tried to engage but it just wasn't interesting. There wasn't any purpose. The preserved specimens were not labeled in a manner that was understood easily or even legibily at times. Instructions were vague at best at most interactive stations. I see a lot of positive reviews but question why. The H2O area smelled like mold and we wouldn't let her in the water. You didn't even have to go in the room to smell the mustiness. Several of the robotic interactive displays were broken it not labeled as such. Upon looking inside it was understandable as to why. The Rx robot needed restocked. The X-ray screen was corny and the robots were just not interesting. I was just so disappointed. Honestly, the whole thing was pop science, not meaty. It was almost, should I use the word, stupid.
Maybe my expectations are high because we frequent Smithsonian museums in D.C. and are used to that level of quality. Carnegie is a waste of money. We did not watch IMAX because none of the shows were interesting enough to do so nor did we visit the SportsPlex. We wanted an engaging and instructional science experience. Do not go if that is your desire. Yes, there are play areas. My husband likened it to a semi educational SeaBase that is near us in Greensburg with arcades. Our daughter simply agreed it was nice we got to spend time together but was underwhelmed. She said, "I like Washington, D.C. a lot better." The train display was probably the best part but not labeled nearly as well as Phipps.
That is my two sense, especially for any homeschool families who are looking for an educational experience. Don't waste your money. We are members of Phipps. That is money well spent. We always learn there and my daughter has been able to point out a Slipper Orchid on a local advertisement since going there. Each time she learns something new.
Carnegie Science Center is a lot of money for nonsense. They are under construction. Maybe improvements will follow.

Very fun place, our daughter had tons of fun, alot of stuff to see and do, the sports complex next door was fun as well we were probably there for a good few hours until they closed, I am from Cleveland and I liked Pittsburgh's science center better honestly.

Went here with an 11 yr old on a Friday. I've been here before and I am quite disappointed how it has degraded over the years. The IMAX is now replaced with the Rangos, which is essentially a 3d movie theater. The mens restroom was AWFUL. I've seen gas station bathrooms cleaner than this. Water was EVERYWHERE as well as toilet paper and paper towel all over the floor. Couldn't find any staff to address it. For a place that has hundreds of kids come through every day, I was very irritated that none of the hand sanitizers were working, meaning they were all empty. It seems they have taken away some fun exhibits and replaced them with less fun, less interactive exhibits for young kids. They also seemed quite understaffed. Throughout the floors there were not many staff around for assistance orquestions. Lastly, I was disappointed in how many things were not working. I just have counted at least 5 interactive things that were empty (robot medication dispenser), broken, or just plain didn't work. What has happened to the science center?

Really cool place to take the kiddos to explore! I loved it too. You can play air hockey against a robot! How cool is that?

Love the shows at the Works Theater; Emily and Kevin really capture my kids' attention more than any other presenters - kudos to them!

I've love going here every year! The Sport Complex and Robo World are our favorites!

Of course it makes for a very busy & engaging day. $5 no-hassle parking. A robot serves frozen yogurt. Lots of different themes and subjects throughout the facility has something for everyone. Going during the week, we didnt expect so many school trips, so it got a bit busy. The submarine was interesting at first, and then it got a bit tedious and boring, not for everybody.

Unbelievable time. Great family destination. Going through renovations now so no theater but still tons of exhibits and the scince kitchen is super fun!

One of the best places in Pittsburgh to take the kiddos.

Clean, friendly and outgoing staff, lots of exhibits that are all operable - we had a blast yesterday at the Carnegie Science Center!!

We arrived around 1 PM on a Wednesday afternoon, and the museum had only a handful of visitors anywhere we happened to be throughout our time there. I m sure it is much, much more crowded on the weekends, so my advice is: be able to breathe and roam leisurely by going during the week! We are currently homeschoolers (took my 5 and 7 year old boys), so I know that may be easier said than done for most, but if you re able to sign your kids out of school for a day to take your own educational field trip, this is definitely worth it!

The boys loved the miniature train set-up - it s huge and is super well taken care of! The H2oh! area was really nice, especially the section with the wildlife (most PA natives, some not). The fish tanks were beautiful - sparkling clean! It was such a joy to behold the fish, reptiles, amphibians, and so much more. There was even a very well taken care of microscope area, with specimens neatly ready to observe...or, just put your hand under and check out your skin and hair follicles! It was great because the images appear brilliantly clear on a screen in front of you - no hassle of gaping down a tube for little ones!

We saw the Mars Madness show at the Buhl Planetarium - it was wonderful! There was a live introduction to the show, with fun audience participation (props to the man who entertained our group! Top-notch!), then the show itself was high quality and very informative and interesting.

One of my favorite areas, which of course we didn t visit until the tail end of our time at the Center(!), was the BodyWorks section. So, so many fascinating, hands-on exhibits about the human body! Again, everything extremely clean and perfectly operable.

We also went through the USS Requin submarine, which is included in your admission price to the Center. It was very cool to walk through the narrow passageways, to get a glimpse of the living and working quarters of 80 Navymen!

We ve been to a few other childrens museums, and this tops the list so far! I feel like we d need another whole day or two to really take in everything the museum has to offer, and even then, I d still come back more often if we didn t live two and a half hours away!

Kudos to you, Carnegie Center! We ll be back :)

Highly recommend the theater shows! They are a lot of fun!

Welp, it could have been a lot better. $20 for outdated science. There is so much incredible technology these days and the best ya get is an old planetarium, some not-so-exciting fish tanks. Not awful, but not impressive in the least.

There are interesting movies here at the Carnegie Science center Rangos theater I saw the movie called "Beaver" , and the interesting mummies exhibit. They price everybody fairly. The pizza down stairs is fresh.I got a little bit of free stuff. I'm only giving it three stars because it's too crowded,the merchandise and food is too expensive, and some of the exhibits are outdated, and they need to change. The museum can be enlarged with more exhibits.

Really fun for kids to go. Wish they updated it more.

Lots of fun to go to, but wait for their 21+ nights, where they bring in a catering company to do drinks and food, and they have a lot of their exhibits going well into the night.

Great place for kids to learn and have fun at the same time

It's an amazing place. Wonderful for children and adults. If your in Pittsburgh you must visit!

Great place to visit for family with kids. 4 floors of fun exploring.
Forth floor specially designed for little kids - under 6 years old.
Second floor - everything about space, robots and train. It was very popular place for both of my kids - 3 and 12 years old. On this floor they have small and free of additional fees planetarium.
Museum maintene very well social distance requirements and keep everything clean.
I am strongly recommend for fun and education experience.

I took my 3 and 4 year old here on a Saturday and it was so packed we could barely use any of the interactive exhibits. On top of that the ones that weren't popular and we could get to were broken or didnt work well. It was most likely so packed because it's the middle of Winter and you cant do much outside. I would still advise going on a weekday if at all possible. The cost for an adult is $20 which is overpriced considering there isn't much for one to do other than the rope course. They really need to update things because a lot is still there from years ago when I was still in school and went on field trips. This isn't the best place for kids under 6, I would recommend the children's museum for that. My kids had fun but I wont be bringing them back till they are well into grade school.

I love this place it s a good place if it s raining or you don t have anything to do

"mummies of the world exhibit" was fabulous I have been to many there and this was very good