McWane Science Center Reviews

Super fun and interesting, kids loved it, would go back if we lived here!

Very fun for all. Went with my just turned 4 year old and almost 8 year old. They both had a great time. Science center has a great mix of play and experiments, special exhibit was really interesting. Water exhibit engaging. We came for the dinosaurs and they were great. Highly recommend this place for a fun afternoon with kids. We spent 3 hours here and that was perfect.

Great place for family fun. My Granddaughter loves it.

Perfect place to spend a day with Children (and even without them). If you are with Children, don't forget to visit itty bitty magic city on second floor (the floor with Dinosaurs). Also remember your time in itty bitty magic city is limited to one hour so make the most of it.

Parking is a bit of hassle (on Weekends) so try to visit as early as it opens on Weekend (cost 5$ and you can ask for a token while buying tickets or you can pay with cash or credit cards while driving out)

What a fantastic museum! So much to do! You really need an entire day to get through everything. Just know that if you decide to upgrade your tickets to a membership to get the desk before 5 p.m.

My boys love this place. Something new year round and a fun way to learn.

Went with my kid on a class trip. She had a blast as did I!

Great endless fun and educational activities for the kids. My grands loved it!

Don t waste your time buying a ticket online. Not only was the website glitchy, requiring four tries across four different browsers (explorer, edge, chrome, safari), but when you arrive the tickets you wasted your time and paper on don t get you in. You still have to wait in the long line to get your sticker. So, there is no point in purchasing your tickets on line. Very inefficient.

Phenomenal!!!! My five kids and me were so fascinated! Decent priced food. We bought the membership.

Family oriented learning environment. The food was good and the kids enjoyed themselves!!

My son love it, plan to be several hours there, there are lots of activities

Wow! This place blew my mind. My kids and I spent 4 hours in this place and I'm not sure we did everything. We watched a film at the IMAX theatre there and it was amazing. The amount of things that they have to get kids and adults interested in science was impressive. They have a bionic area where you can learn about how science is helping people with disability to get back to somewhat of a normal life. The museum had an area about wildlife and dinosaurs. There's a place in the museum you can lay on a bed of nails. How cool is that? There is a room designed especially for younger children and while we didn't go in, it looked nice. I can't say enough good things about this place but I can tell you that it was worth every penny!

Great atmosphere, interesting topics. Easy to navigate.

The kids love this place. Buying a family membership is the way to go to take advantage of the discounts and members only events.

We had an amazing time visiting here! My son was astonished by everything they had to offer.. (but, hey, he's 9 lol)
Our favorite thing was the Imax Dome Theatre though.. AWESOMESAUCE!!
Simply breath taking!

We have been here many many times and my girls have always loved it. The main floor is by far a favorite, especially the bubbles. The 2nd floor has a bunch of dinosaurs and a place to dig fossils. It also has itty bitty magic city which is amazing, its geared for ages 5 and under. The 3rd floor can be lackluster at times but, the exhibits do always change. The basement level has stingrays that you can pet which is always a hit. The McWane Science Center is by far one of our favorite places in Birmingham.

So much fun no matter how many times you go or how old you are

Great place to enjoy science and hang out with your family or friends. I really enjoyed my stay there. The dorm is wonderful, you have to see the movies there.

Wonderful center for both children and adults. Great visit for my fience' and I.

My grandchildren really had a blast @ the
McWANE CENTER the atmosphere was awesome. I really enjoyed myself. And I will come again.

Had so many activities for children of all ages. My 2 year old was never bored very age appropriate activities for all the different ages.

Took my daughter there for her bday she was high pissed at me that we had to leave lol definitely a great place

I believe this is better than wonder works! Sooooooooo much more to do!!

This place is so fun for all ages. My 2 and 4 year olds really enjoyed Itty Bitty City on the 2nd floor. It was nice to know that they couldn't escape so I could focus on one child at a time. The other floors seem more geared toward older kids, but there really is something for everyone. It is also a really great price for a place like this. If you haven't been, please go!

Have been going here my whole life. I love how they make something as simple as listening to bird sounds educational. The whole museum is great for kids ages 2-12. Make sure to go down to the basement

We had a great time, the whole family from the little kids to the big kids had lots of fun!

Enjoyed it. But they need to make sure all exhibits function properly.

Great family fun !!
Feel like you on an amusement ride !!
Suggest the Family pass.

I havent been here since I was really little until my girlfriend and I went there for a date recently. It is a lot of fun and a good price for all the neat science demonstrations available to interact with. While it is more kid orientated, I think even most adults will have a good bit of fun here.

The 3 yr old LOVED it but me & my 80 yr old mom not so much. It would have been much more enjoyable had we had a guide or more detail but with 3 floors of activities to do and see on ur own was more confusion with guest roaming about it was just chaotic. After two& half hours there we started to leave, I was pushing my mom in wheelchair & the 3 yr old was sitting in her lap just as we exited the main entry (still on the walkway)the wheelchair abrubtly came to stop& I hurt my hand(cut my knuckle pretty bad) tryn to keep my mom& 3 yr old safe. Overall it could have been a much more enjoyable outcome if the slides,Zipline & theater would have been open but they were closed for renovations.

I had a wonderful time because it was the first time I had been since right agree it opened. It is a wonderful place to take children one in a while. I was, however, very disappointed with the number of things that were broken. Obviously the management just let's things go as many of the hands on exhibits hasn't been in good working order for quite some time. You would thin with all the money they make it would be in better shape.

Great museum for kids and adults. Ticket office employees are not very friendly or helpful. Also, IMAX times were inaccurate on the website.

We had the best time. There is something for everyone. Two grand babies (1&3) enjoyed itty bitty and the grown ups found tons to do as well.
ONLY disappointment was the cost of a bottle of water....fountains closed due to covid no food or drinks allowed ....then you charge $3.50 for water.

Great hands on place for our child to spend the day.

we live in Missouri stopped in on our way home to break up the drive...#1 Science center I have ever visited it's a magic house,science center, and mini aquarium all in one and worth every penny of there admission price...

Somewhat pricy, but plenty of entertainment for the price. My kids loved the dress up floor with the huge indoor playground. Lots of water play, hands-on science, and activities. The food inside isn't all that great, but you can leave and reenter and there are several restaurants outside within walking distance.

Education central, had a ball and all the while we were learning

Always a great place to take the family. A lot of the exhibits are very dated and some are simply not functional, but they have some new things to help make up for it. The Itty Bitty Magic City is excellent for younger kids. And the dinosaur exhibit is pretty cool, too.

Love this place. My only complaint is they need automatic doors at the parking deck entrances. It's a hassle getting in and out of those doors with strollers.

Flow of personnel smooth, non-congested. Always fun for the children as well as an enjoyable experience for adults too!

Great educational and fun place to take your kids. It's even a great place for adults. I have been to private events here and it's always nice.

Such a fun field trip. Plenty to do. Fun for all ages. Can't wait to go back. Would highly recommend. They have a parking deck next door.

Was here on a school field trip. It was great. Lunch provided for the kids was perfect for them. We enjoyed exploring all floors. One thing I loved was when a member of the staff noticed the student I was with was having sensory overload, he asked me if we needed to use the sensory room. I was so excited. He said generally use is for 20 minutes just in case someone else needed it. Door was locked from outside so no one to barge in on us. Lights were adjustable. Pictures below of what is inside. 2 big bean bags, a swing, a water light, and a few other things. Also loved they had family restrooms available for use.

My son loves it here! He likes that you can put your hands on everything and try everything. On our visit several things were out of service or not functioning properly. Half of the food choices were also closed.

Our kids loved it! Lots to explore and experience on each floor (3). We actually got a membership!

It's great if you haven't been there before, gets a tad boring after a few trips. A lot of cool science, interactive and educational things to try, but, they could work a little more on maintaining the exhibits, some are old and not functioning or falling apart.

Bring a child or grandchild, it is worth every penny

Great place! Tickets and annual pass are very reasonably priced, taking the many hours of fun that you could get by yourself or with family into consideration. My family and kids love this! In fact we recently purchased a pass for spring break and the summer so that we could go whenever!

The Place As Always Is Amazing! I visited the food court today for the first time and it will be my last. All of the women at the end of the shift at Subway on 3/31/2018 were EXTREMELY RUDE. I WILL NOT BE RETURNING TO THE FOOD COURT.

We always love trips to the McWane Center! My daughter loves the shark and Ray touch tank and itty bitty magic City is always a hit!

This is a really interesting, and interactive experience. My kids have loved this place since it opened. Membership is the best deal, easily pays for itself in two visits. With membership you can visit other museums in other states also. Very nice benefit. Membership also gets you free parking, normally $5.00.

Can't believe McWane Science Center is 20 yrs old. I took my daughter for the grand opening. Now my oldest niece volunteers there. I also took my other 3 nieces last weekend. There is something for each age to do.

Enjoyed my visit. We were there Easter weekend and had an opportunity to see a egg drop. The kids really enjoyed!

This place is always super fun and educational to take kids to. I'm a nanny and I've brought many many kids to play here and will continue to do so. They always love it and I can see their little light bulbs turn on when we go.

Great place to take the kids! They had fun and I had just as much fun. They have so many things to do inside of there.

Alright place love to watch movies in the I max center. The place just need to extend their businesses hours.

Amazing!!! Definitely pricey, but this is an excellent museum with lots of great hands on exhibits. Our girls wouldn't leave. There Imax is a dome and the seating is very steep - it seemed like more than a normal Imax but I'm not sure. If you don't like heights sir in the lower rows!

Lots of activities for children of all ages to enjoy. You will probably need more time than you think. After seeing first three floors, we found the lower level with stingrays and sharks you are allowed to touch.

We had a great time at the McWane center. Love all the hands on activity's and how each floor is different. They hosted our Christmas party from Mercedes-Benz and done a fantastic job. They had pictures with Santa, Mercedes provided us with full moon food, we made 2 didn't kinds or ornaments, and decorated cookies.
We done the IMAX movie and it was about the pandas. Cute movie but when we talked into the room I started feeling sick...not my cup of tea.
We enjoyed it so much we spent 4 hours there and eager to return.