Discovery Centre Reviews

Small attraction which teaches about National Education and has a small cinema showing local films and blockbusters although the showtimes are extremely limited (check web for details). It tends to be pretty empty unless you visit on a day where there is a school tour. On certain days there are also visits available to the army museum and a bus tour around an army camp.

Free tour to the SAF Camp. Free entry for Singaporean and PR!

a tour inside amry campus by private bus provides by SDC.

There is a tour to SAF cadet school

Pros
-Cinema!
-Understand more about Singapore Army Forces
-A brief history of singapore

Cons
-Far
-Not much food choices
-Exhibition are not updated (Since 2000)
*Visit there you will understand
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Felt already very happy at the beginning of the camp tour by seeing the A-4 Skyhawk. Hope coming back.

An out of the place location to locate an exhibition centre that exhibits our Singapore Story. Would be better if it is centrally located. The military exhibits could be better viewed at the army camps like Safti, oeti or bmtc.

To understand more about the Island Country's past and present. This place is a must visit for history lovers. Although only 50 years of independence, the interactive experience here provides an enriching experience.

Free parking, interactive multimedia to entertain visitors, clean premises, friendly staff.

First time for me.Came with a group of PSLE students from church. They enjou the outing!

Nice peaceful place for movies. Selection is not great but you can easily get seats and watch on the huge iwerks screen for only $7. They also have local films that are free for Singaporeans and PRs.

Having been to different sience / children museums this one is old and outdated. Some things to not work. Most at not interactive enofhe. Goah, there was a button to gonybrogo a slide show. Would have gotten a 2 star but the outside watet park made the day. Mind you, we still took 3hr and kids enjoyed most

SDC is definitely a place for all ages... can recall memories, learn new knowledge and interact across all ages. Super love the 2 videos done by the polytechnic students! Great fun for our 7yos kiddos for the afternoon! Will return for their high quality iwerks movies!
Thank you Uncle Christopher for the insightful guided tour!

Very friendly staff, easily accessible to residents of the east, very good movie choices too!

From race riots to fires and everything else in between associated with the birth of a nation. The Singapore Discovery Center has it covered! With great detail from educated staff and a clean facility promoting crowd engagement with interesting exhibits and great lessons on the islands heritage.

It was okay,didnt knew there is a bus tour and i also didnt knew there is a tour for those NS cadets during BMT. Watch a video of the history of our army was pretty cool too as an welcoming act

A refreshed outlook on the new exhibit gave an enriching experience for a memorable family visit experience don't forget to take the bus tour ride into SAFTI

Free, more in-depth understanding of Singapore, the good place for the baby

Best place for the cheapest movies any day of the week despite having to walk quite a bit from the MRT. Pretty sad they're showing The Emoji Movie this month though (August 2017)

A place where events are held all year round. Great place to visit with family and friends. Theres is not much eatery in this place but there are a few fast food restaurants near the Joo Koon MRT,just a few meteres away.

Interesting place for the kids and family.
Free movie are a huge bonus and the occasional military parade are always an eye opener.

Defence science centric exhibition. However, the backbone powering some are too outdated

There are activities to do inside, but still boring. Would rather go to Science Centre.

Walk thru the centre to discover Singapore history.

Houses a military museum nearby as well. Facilities quite new. Very empty and quiet as it is far from mrt. Good for tourists who likes quiet places.

Had a Teh-O, sat down in the al fresco section and enjoyed the fountain in the middle of the man-made pond spraying water about 6 metres in the air...

It's a great get away from the city! With various physical activities such as paintball available, you can have a lot of fun with your friends and family and enjoy the great views as well. Must visit!

Very good place to visit to learn more about Singapore's history. It has a movie theatre that is very big and shows blockbuster shoes and smaller films. The movie ticket does not cost that much and could offer a better experience than traditional movie theatre at shopping malls. The centre has a boat ride that cost only $2 and is available when there is no rain. The boat requires the rider to pedal for it to move and that the boat needs to be manually steered. It can be a tiring experience but it will be worth it. It lasts about 15 minutes. The gallery inside the centre has many fun activities that can be played with your friends and family members. It also include a quiz on how well you know Singapore. It is fun to compete with each other to see who knows Singapore better. The gallery consists of a war game and stimulation where players can control assets of the SAF and defeat the enemy forces. Overall, I had a great time at this centre and can't wait to visit again soon.

Came here to do the new escape rooms. It was a disappointment. Game Master was rude and cannot guide players properly. So instead of giving hints, he just gave answers.

We were planning on doing all the rooms but this first experience ruined it for us. Will not come back. Not recommended.

Extremely dated . Most of the exhibits aren't even working . Place was empty and creepy . Do not recommend.

Very interesting place, with a 3 storey tall theatre. Fun for all ages

Wonderful experience for both local and foreigners to learn more about Singapore

Half of the place is under renovation. No idea when it will reopen.

Went here during my primary school, secondary school and NS (oh god...) days. There's something for everyone, from science to history, at really affordable rates. I guess it's one of those places that parents would want to bring their children.

This place has my favourite movie theater where you can pop in just to catch a movie and leave. Instead of having to go to a crowded mall with no parking spaces.

The place was very interesting as it shared some of Singapore history and admission is free of charge

The S'pore Discovery Centre (also Singapore Discovery Centre), is an 'edutainment' and tourist attraction located in Jurong West, Singapore. The centre includes exhibits which display the history of Singapore as well as an insight on the future. In 1988, the idea of building a museum to showcase the history of the SAF was first mooted. This idea was later evolved into the concept of the S'pore Discovery Centre (SDC). However, SDC is not merely an educational tool for the SAF. It is a platform that provides plenty for Singaporeans to think about and helps them prepare for future challenges. In October 1992, MINDEF approved the setting up of the S'pore Discovery Centre (SDC) at the cost of $70 million. Located on the grounds of the SAFTI Military Institute, Mitchell Giurgola & Throp Architects developed the architectural design for SDC. Previous buildings by these architects include the SAFTI Military Institute and the Australian Parliament House. SDC was officially opened by then president Ong Teng Cheong on 23 November 1996. In 1989, SDC started a review of the Centre to change from a historical site to an issue-based orientation. In 2001, Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA) was selected as the design consultants for the project. RAA are planners, designers and producers of museum exhibitions, visitors centre and educational environments. They are behind many famous institutions such as the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. and the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. A presentation was made to the Singapore Totalisator Board in 2002 and a grant of S$25 million was approved. Redevelopment work started in December 2002. In its first phase it developed in a story telling interactive experience showing Singapore's recent history - living under the flags of Britain, Japan, Britain, Malaysia before becoming an independent nation. Milestones in that journey were picked out in a theatrical setting.'Singapore Today' showed the vibrant life in late 20th century Singapore. Interactive quizzes allowed visitors to discover facts about Singapore. The visually dramatic 'future' exhibit showed that war and peace are two sides of the same coin. Other galleries include mini-theaters showing the role of tactics and planning in everyday life and showcased the Singapore Armed Forces. Indoor exhibits include 'So Singapore Theatre, Gateway, Portals, Build it, Crisis Simulation Theatre, Harmony Circle etc. Outdoor exhibits includes a playground and the a display of aircraft. The Chief Exhibit Designer for the Centre's creation is UK based Neal Potter. The centre was planned by Canadian company Lord Cultural Resources and the building was designed by mgt Architects from Australia. Start your amazing Singapore Story journey with the 3 Gateway History media pieces Fire, Earth and Wind. Find out more about Singapore's milestone events on our road to nationhood and discover what had shaped Singapore to the global city she is today. Check out the Contradiction Wall behind the screens as well. This Wall highlights honest and witty statements about Singapore.

Place for Singapore history and understand local culture.. Nice interactive games as well.. FOC for citizen and PR.. Nice!!.. Too bad the Army Museum next to SDC is closed for upgrading..

The activities were generally well planned and were generally engaging though could be improved upon. There was however only a limited amount of activities there and the location is quite secluded (by Singapore standards). Food options were rather abysmal and the prices were too high.

Some facilities are unresponsive or under maintenance and cannot be operated. However, if the air is cold, don't be afraid of heat.

Very nice place for kids and for adults too. Must visit.

Stall owner took my friends money and didnt gave us food

Nice place to learn about Singapore past and present

Good place to spend weekend with family. Miss the pizza stall!

I have been here many times and i must say the activities and exhibits are great. I usually enjoy spending a day here with my son and his friends. However, like most free things, people do not value them and do not treat them well... The equipment show more wear and tear than usual... at least by Singapore standards.
And this being a snapshot showcasing Singapore's best and future... I hope that everyone, from visitors to staff do better.

Entry is free for Singaporeans so you can learn more about this history of Singapore here

Suitable for young people to learn about local through game interaction

Nothing changed after so long. Still the same old exhibitions.

Great place . Loads of interesting information and background knowledge of Singapore's founding fathers.

Excellent place for kids to learn. The location is near an army museum so you can reach two places in one visit.

A great place for the children to learn more about the history of Singapore. Interactive displays.

The day I happened to visit was late and the day was not open. Abandoned because I could not wait because of the schedule. I came all the way and wasted my time.

A great place to educate oneself about Singapore. I believe Secondary Schools organise annual trips for their students to visit this area as part of their Social Studies subject. The place also offers several interactive facilities and a movie theatre with a stall selling popcorn. A spectacular place to visit indeed!

Great place for finding about the history of our armed forces