COSI - Center of Science and Industry Reviews

Does anyone know anything about the planetarium? I would love to take the family.

This place is a complete rip off for what they offer. The prices for parents are a joke, and any added thing costs additional 5 per person unless you choose to do everything which is an additional 15 a person. We picked one thing to add on which was the planetarium which was cool, but paying 20 bucks to all see a short show was a joke. Maybe have haha of greens or a souvenir of some sort to offer after like a bag of the gems the kids had to hunt for. Felt price gouged for everything. Kids were starving for lunch so we hit the cafeteria only to not feel comfortable with ordering anything for my son who has a dairy and egg allergy. I would think being a kid place they would be more sweet up for things like that, and it's not fair for us to all eat pizza while our other eats only applesauce. Even their bagged potato chips had dairy. Some things were nice to be hams on for the kids but a lot of places were useless. It might be worth it if you live here to become a member, but if you are traveling here you and your kids could have a lot more fun going elsewhere. I am seriously disappointed especially since it is the #1 thing to do here. We left hungry with empty pockets and will never return, but glad we can check it off our bucket list.

i loved the sherlock holmes exhibit and the adventure express (witch cost extra) but as a whole the museum is to expensive for what you get half of the interactive exhibits were broken when we went the first time we went back only because they had the sherlock holmes exhibits but its got a lot of good things to do especially with .kids between 5-12 though as an adult (kinda) it wasn't worth the price

Very neat museum for getting children into science! Entertaining and fun, even for parents and older kids!

Went about 6 months ago and im 13 and still had fun will go back with my younger brother.

I went there as apart of the Lego league convention and couldn't go anywhere and the food was way over priced but the people were nice.

Children's science museum. The US scale is big. But adults do not have anything to look at.

Honest review: I grew up in Columbus and remember it being a lot more fun. It has been a long time since I ve gone and wanted to take my niece and nephew for the afternoon. Tickets were highly overpriced for general admission and half of the exhibit stations were out of order or a complete disaster. It was crowded (which is expected) but I just felt like we could have done something similar for a much cheaper price.

My cat loved the experience to be pushed in a stroller here!

My kids love COSI! The Little Kidspace is awesome, and they've loved it at age 2, 3, & 4 so far! Always clean. Great food and snack options. Can't wait for the park to open next year!

Very dissapointed. For the cost, I would have expected a better experience. Many of the interactive exhibits were broken, and there weren't many to start with. In addition, above the cost of the admission, they charged fees for arguably basic add ons. It is not an affordable family activity based on your bang for the buck. The one bright spot .. the superpower dog movie. I liked that.

COSI is one of best science museum to visit! We make sure to go to it every year. There is so much to see and do there. And there is something for lots of all ages. On the 3rd floor is a great enclosed play space for kids through 1st or 2nd grade. The kids can pretend play hospital/doctor, farming, house and so much more. The cafeteria is good and decently priced. The staff is very helpful and friendly! Also try to catch the rat basketball or do the high wire bike. Overall, it's a great place to visit!

I would not recommend choosing this place as your outing. It was a waste of time and money. They have a "Life" room which was very elementary as it did not give you much knowledgable information. Their gadget room was taken over by children making messes and breaking things. The planetarium was not open. The video game room was about the only room that was in tact and kept its purpose. The outside area did not serve much meaning. When walking into Cosi they have dinosaur statues which to me look like a waste of money because what purpose is metal serving for knowledge. They also have a wind machine that you have to pay $2 to get into so after going through each room experiencing nothing you want me to pay extra to actually do something? If you need a break from your kids where you don't want to give them much parental supervision this place is perfect for you.

I would go there if I were you it does not cost a lot of money and it is ton of fun

It's been almost 20 years since I've been to COSI -- back when they were at their old location. Being that far in the past, and several college parties (thanks Ohio State) later, I barely remember what was in the old COSI, but I remember having a good time.

So it's no surprise that I finally got around to taking my kidlets, I got lost trying to find the new location. But, thanks to the handy Waze app, we found it and I dropped the kids off at the door with their mom while I went to find a parking spot. Now this should have been a precursor of what's to come, as anyone that charges $8 to park is going to have high admisson prices. So, I did what slightly overweight folk should do....found a spot on a side street.

Entering the center, my kids went haywire at all the lights and gizmos up front and restraining them was becoming a challenge. We made our way through the ticket line and upon purchasing our tickets, my wallet felt like it was now empty as the prices are bloody high. I mean high to the point that the people that this museum SHOULD serve won't be able to visit due to the ticket prices.

Anyway, moving on. The exhibits were nice, well spaced out and about 95% were in working order. Like a few other commentors mentioned, there really isn't a flow here -- it's more organized chaos than anything, so getting from one to another is can be challenging on a busy day.

After a few hours of exhibits, we decided we were hungry and since we didn't want to lug the kids and out of the car again, we decided to take our chances with the cafeteria. A few other visitors mentioned that it's 'cafeteria food', but ok, so we went ahead and went to the cafe.

$40 on a 2 sandwiches, a salad, and some chicken strips later, we were sorely disappointed in the food and the prices of it. I know it's a museum and not a restaurant, but c'mon folks....

All in all we had fun at COSI, but I doubt we will go back anytime soon as it is too expensive for what it is. If they ever lower the prices (doubtful) or have some super special event, we might come back, but until then....

All of our kids for two generations still love this place!

We love this place! So many fun things to do for our kids. We especially like the water area and the huge room of different rooms and toys to have a freestyle play. We've visited multiple times and have always had a blast.

Quite possibly the best science museum in the country. Cosi has it all from gadgets, ocean area, heart, space and more. They also have a specialty area that gets changed out periodically This is a great experience for kids and families. Highly recommended.

We became members and its a weekly outing for the kiddos. Always something to do. The staff if friendly and engaging and everyone has a great time! There is a secure play area with plenty of activities along with a movie theater, some special attractions, and a coffee station! Parking is easy and plentiful. Could get crowded at times but its all good!

One of must see place in Columbus. Great place for kids to satisfy their curiosity

My daughter's (13, 12, 10) had a blast! Their favorite thing was the tight rope unicycle.

Fantastic museum. Lots of things for kids to do and touch and learn. Very few things are out of order. The variety of stuff to do keeps them interested got a long time, and the exhibits have just the right examples to give quick explainations of what is happening.

Absolutely perfect place for everyone! Not just for kids.

Great for kids and adults, but make sure you set aside a whole day, the place is huge and it's great to really be able to take your time with the exhibits.

Too much to do in one day. Great activities for a multitude of ages.

This is an amazing experience. There are so many awesome things to do. I saw the Mysteries of china film and did the choose your own adventure space like thing. It was a really good experience. You can do all sorts of stuff and it is hard to do in just one day. You can even ride a unicycle across a rope over the exhibits if you are up for it. I highly recommend doing it and is something that you can spend your whole day at.

Perfect service from the staff. Planetarium staff were the best. I will go back because of them. Few problems with un supervised children, but that was not the staff's fault.

COSI is very fun and my kids love it. It is always better on days without crowds, when you can get in more activities. The movies are fun too. I don't think my kids truly understand some of the science, or that there even is science, behind many of the activities though. They are just enjoying themselves.

Perfect way to spend a day! We had a lot of fun with our 5 year old exploring and learning though play and interaction.

Definitely not like the old Cosi... Will forever and always miss the original version of Cosi. This new version is way more expensive with not as many exciting activities as the old Cosi. I'm sad my children will never know how fun the 1st Cosi was.

Our three kids love it. It s got lots to enjoy: a water part, cinema, play area, 1950s town, 1800s town, and much more. The food is good and reasonable also.

Lots of fun displays, but definitely geared more toward kids 10 and younger

For children and adults alike. Combine fun and learning.

Ever since I was a kid, I've enjoyed science and industry displays and explanations of the technology we take for granted. Mixing in some nostalgias helped me connect with my parents and grandparents. It was nice to see that tradition carried on in Ohio.

We went Sunday February 11th. We arrived early but was able to walk right in. Everything seemed to be up and running. My kids loved it. So didn't their father and I. I recommend the do-it-all package, we did everything we wanted, some a few times.

Wonderful wonderful time! We stayed from open till close and wanted to stay longer. There were a few broken parts that I wish, for the price, was fixed. It s expensive, but I felt was worth it. Riding the unicycle was a blast, my six year old loved the simulator, and the submarine was cool.

Excellent science museum. Something for all ages and interests. IMax, planetarium, simulators, dinosaurs, kid space and much, much more.

It was on Ok experience. Very pricey. Many exhibits had stations that did not operate properly. A lot of empty space between exhibits/stations. We enjoyed the Boonshoft museum in Dayton much more.

Alright for adults too! They offer some COSI After Dark programs and great films

A phenomenal asset in Columbus. COSI has something for everyone, kids and adults alike. Their shows are highly entertaining without skimping on any educational value. The number and variety of exhibits mean that you can really get the most from your admission fee and spend literally the entire day exploring. My family and I stayed from open to close, and I didn't want to leave!

Some of the equipment is a little outdated, but it s still a fun place to be. My dad recently bought a family pass for my sister and I so i m glad i get to go even more. I have a lot of memories here and i m glad i get to keep making them here. Even at my age i have so much fun here with all the activities, it s a great and fun interactive place if you wanna take a day trip in columbus.

It was so great that we joined so we can go as much as we want now.

Fun for kids, parents and grandparents. Lots of activities. Good quality displays and helpful staff.

Very interactive family experiance! We bought the annual membership cause we knew we'd be back more than once!

COSI building is very modern and of course exhibition is great.Kids and also parents do enjoy science empirically.To experience all will take the whole day. :) The price is worth it.On the day it closed 2 pm for a private event. In the weekend, there was Latin festival behind COSI.it is riverside and fun.We can walk to the downtown (there is the State House as well) through the big bridge, safe zone.
Refined appearance. The admission is an American price, but it is a good quality and quantity. Kids can enjoy the exhibition all day long. At this time, there was an exhibition of Sesame Street. HONDA car frame on the first floor? And there was something like a buggy (probably) arcade. You can relax along the river behind. Cross the bridge to downtown. Is there a state capitol or church? and so on. It was an extremely safe area during the day (walking travelers).

Absolutely fantastic for kids of any age. They're supposed to touch and climb and hold everything, so as a parent, it's incredible. The little kids area is well-conceived, with cubbies, stroller areas, family restroom, nursing area, tons of interactive exhibits, and even a little sitting area with tables, chairs, sink, and paper towels for snack time.

I hear there are things for adults too.

So fun! A little too big for some of the kiddos in my tutoring group, but they really enjoyed it. :)

Always great for kids. So many things to see and do for everyone

We visited May 31st. First, we had difficulty finding the parking - we had an old GPS which delivered us to the old entrance and there were no directional signs. We parked (illegally as it turned out) and walked in. The young people (we saw no adults at the information or ticket areas) explained where to drive to, so we left and moved the car into the underground parking garage. We rode the elevator to the top and exited - again, no signs. We had to ask a family how to find the museum.

So we get our tickets. At no time do the young people mention that you can get your parking ticket stamped for a savings on parking (the signs were facing the building so we never saw them until we left.) It would be nice for them just to ask and then stamp your parking ticket when you purchase your entry ticket!

The museum itself is great for children - many of whom run around banging things, never reading or learning new things - but that's the way it has always been with hands on museums. We enjoyed the rooms on Egypt, the Silk Road and the dinosaur room. Much of everything else is geared for children.

In summary: it would be great if the museum had more signage for parking around it; for a hands on museum for children, it is just fine; as a science museum for adults, it is banal.

This place was really crowded and this place was also crowded with strollers and the elevators where cramped most of the time but some of the attractions were cool overall COSI is a pretty good science museum but however some of the attractions weren't working but most of them were.

I loved this place as a kid and I recommend it for any family with kids out there. Not geared towards older children or teenagers, but still a great experience. I love how many of the comments complaining about COSI also happen to be the ones that have the most grammar errors. 5/5