Agnieszka J.
Google
I have very mixed feelings about the Center. On the one hand, the Atlantis shuttle exhibition was genuinely fantastic — beautifully done, engaging, and absolutely worth the visit. It was also great to see the rover and spacecraft models up close.
However, the whole “bus tour” experience felt more like a way to funnel crowds around the premises than something that actually offered meaningful content. The Gantry 39 platform was honestly a letdown — the supposed “launch simulator” boiled down to some steam and red lighting.
The Apollo pavilion didn’t help much either. First, a large group of people was herded into a room for an obligatory multi-screen presentation you had no option to skip. And because everyone is released at the same time afterward, the entire crowd spills into the exhibit simultaneously, which makes the whole thing feel even less thoughtfully designed. The second part — the room with real mission consoles — was definitely interesting, but still not enough to compensate for the overall format.
One thing that really stood out to me was how heavily the place leans toward entertainment rather than science. It has the vibe of a family attraction more than a space center meant to teach or explain anything in depth. As someone who genuinely enjoys the science and the engineering behind spaceflight, I left surprised by how little I had actually learned. The Atlantis exhibition proves they can do a content-rich, informative experience — they just don’t do it consistently elsewhere.
There’s also the issue of authenticity: either you already know most of the material and end up looking at it mainly for historical value (which is tricky, because there aren’t that many real artifacts outside of Atlantis itself — it’s mostly models), or you come with small children and treat it like an educational theme park. There’s not much in between.
Overall, I think I would advise skipping the bus tour (tempting as the “Apollo pavilion” may sound), staying on the main site, and spending that time exploring the parts that are actually well designed.
