Michigan Science Center

Oh my goodness — I am so excited to write this review! I used to come here back when it was the Detroit Science Center in the 90s, and walking in brought back so many nostalgic memories. The lights above the escalator coming out of the movie theater are exactly the same — it instantly took me back to my childhood. I hadn’t been to the Science Center in 30 years, and I had such a wonderful time. The experience was both fun and educational. I loved how many staff members were actively engaging with the kids — teaching them, helping them make crafts, and answering questions. There were so many great areas to explore — from the cave exhibits to the educational zones — and we spent hours there without ever getting bored. I even decided to become a member because we enjoyed it so much! The only reason I took off one star is because the Halloween light show was a bit of a letdown. We ended up leaving early, and honestly, it wasn’t worth the extra $3 in my opinion. Other than that small hiccup, everything else was fantastic. A solid 4 out of 5 stars — and I’ll definitely be back!

Detroit's premier interactive science center! Suitable for all ages! Very recognizable with its dome and unique architecture, the Michigan Science Center puts a emphasis on learning and interaction! Wind, water, automotive and much more on display for you to learn and play with! Very family friendly and family oriented! Come spend an afternoon at the Michigan Science Center!

My wife and I took our daughter here yesterday, and we drive all the way down from Traverse. They had a pretty cool Science show, plenty of activities and a game area my daughter loved. All in all the trip was worth it as she did have a blast. The only reason we listed as 4 stars instead of 5 is that there was unfortunately several things closed off at the time and or just not working. That’s said it wasn’t anything to the point where it would prevent me from returning and this really is a nice place to bring the kids. The game area was a nice way to finish up the visit and we especially liked the giant chess and connect games.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Fun, Interactive, and Perfect for All Ages” The Michigan Science Center is a hands-on wonderland for curious minds. From interactive exhibits and live science demos to the planetarium and IMAX theater, there’s something for everyone. The staff are friendly and passionate, making learning exciting and approachable. A must-visit for families, students, and anyone who loves exploring how the world works. I always take my nieces and nephews, but sometimes my husband and I go solo for the IMAX shows!

It's targeted to children but adults will have fun and learn, or re-learn, important science principles. Leverage, friction, distance, mass, lasers, etc. And to see how much fun the juveniles can have while not even realizing they are learning stuff. The IMAX theater, the science demonstrations, the planetarium (closing end of July '25, new one opening in November '25), traveling exhibits. It's a blast. And remember, science is REAL.

Precious and Jay were awesome in the gift shop. They went out of their way to help my kids find something to purchase. They had a great spirit and happiness that was nice to be around. The science center was really fun and my 9 and 11 year old had a blast. We could have easily spent another couple hours having fun. We will have to plan a longer visit next time we are in town. My kids favorite part was the science show. Jamie did a great job.

EV car show was a interesting experience. My Granddaughters had a blast. We love the Michigan Science Center.

Me and my son had so much fun at the science center. He's 5 and loved interacting with all the different exhibits. I definitely recommend bringing your curious kids. There's a lot of paid parking and art museums in walking distance.

What an awesome museum for kids to explore and learn! We had free tickets to come visit and check this place out and we were not disappointed. The kids were free because they are 2 as well. The parking in the lot next to it was $8 and its gated so it felt really safe. They have a ramp if you have a stroller. They offer stroller parking too. We walked around the main floor and checked out the exhibits. Then we went to the lower level and played in the kids area. The kids loved it. They do clean 12:30pm to 1:00pm. We were able to play for an hour. They loved the water section. There was dancing fruit in one of the rooms and my son was dancing a lot. Another room had soccer balls that he was throwing. They had a pretend kitchen area and a seated area with magnetic blocks. My kids did not want to leave. When we walked out they had a demonstration at the science stage at 12:30pm about fire. That was really cool. They also have IMAX theatre shows. We did not want to participate in that because our kids would just scream. We did go to the dinosaur exhibit on the third floor as well. Overall, it is a nice, clean, and fun museum for kids. We will definitely be back!

This was a fun museum that you can surprisingly spend 3 hours here. They do have live activities in various parts of the museum at different times of the day. Insure the museum there are also other paid exhibits to see. I only wish so much stuff was not broken during the visit. 2024-20 #551

I love that they have activities for kids to do hands-on stuff. When we went they had coffee filters that kids could color and spray with water to see it spread out. They had the option to leave it there to dry and come back later, which was so helpful. Another activities was that they could color a large index card and then instructed us that we would be able to cut a hole big enough to fit our whole body. As a teacher I knew the "trick" but I loved watching grown adults be confused until the end!! They previously had a Lego area on the 4th floor which was neat and people could design stuff BUT now they have something that I think is cooler - it's all about flight. Birds migration, space travel, etc. and it was very family friendly but would be neat to see just as an adult too. They offer so much to see at the science center that it can be overwhelming but my kids knew exactly where to find the things they loved when we returned for a second visit.

I took my son and he enjoyed it. He liked all the interactive displays. He's 12 now so he liked building things, creating electrical circuits, and the live science show. We went to two shows: the turtle odyssey and the laser light show and both were really good. Parking was pretty easy although the signs of where to park were lacking. I finally found where to park. There's nothing really good to eat inside but we packed lunches so it wasn't a problem. Make sure to pack food and drinks when you go.

Parents!! Don't GO HERE THINKING THEY OFFER FOOD! Haven't been here in 13 years and disappointed. No food selections so pack your lunch, drinks and snacks. Luckily we did. No napkins and the tables and chairs super dirty. Not enough hand sanitizer in the exhibit areas or signs to find. Flu, covid and colds are still people. Suggestions: Add vending machines, If no full kitchen is offered have selections that offer snacks, drinks and even light lunches. They are out there trust me! You have the space to house them science center. Or sale items in the gift shop and place a second sign in the lunch)room table area so people know. Replace harsh cleaning supplies with more eco friendly supplies when the area was finally cleaned giant sprays while we were eating was being used and left hard chemical smells. Sitting here writing this while I witness 3 group of families stressed and disappointed at the little vending machine with 4 items. I love you Detroit but still a poor man's museum, with things that can been changed and not cost a lot of money.

It was fun to go and see the Michigan Science Center. Staff was super nice and it was so much to see. If you want a place where your child can learn this is it. Also they had a science show and that was of course fun also.

All of the staff are incredibly kind but the center itself is so disappointing. I feel bad for the staff having to make the most of so few exhibits, especially ones that don't even work. We've gone about once a year for the last 9 years or so and it has gotten worse every time. After today, i doubt we'll be back. For what?! So much wasted potential.

Thank you for staying open so kids have things to do! We started our adventure trying to go to the outdoor adventure center, but like many other places, they were closed. The science center was awesome. Kept my daughter entertained for almost three hours, that's huge! Let's start with parking... not fun, I absolutely hate parking in Detroit. The lot attached to the building was full before 10 am, which is when they open. You can drive around and find a lot behind it somewhere. It's $18 to get in for anyone over the age of two. A little steep considering the amount of things that were closer and inaccessible due to Covid. One of our favorite places was at the top of the stairs, the Stem playground. We made paper airplanes, pretended to engineer things and my daughter loved the little tube that blew the little nets high in the air. She probably spent a good twenty minutes on that. I cannot wait till our state can open back up so we can partake in more activities and explore and get out of the house. Definitely come check this place out, it's a lot of fun for kids of all ages and hopefully their curious minds are entertained.

My brother and I agree that this place is a little on the small side, but the offset is that the admission price is on the small side. And when you show your Bank of America card like he did, you get free admission on the first weekend of the month. The two biggest problems with this place are 1) the lack of signs directing to parking and the entrance when you're on Warren, the main street. 2) There is an abundance of shoutouts to the museum sponsors: Michigan Blue Shield, Pfizer, etc. Rather that having these logos plastered around and embedded into the signs, which detracts from the scientific message, they should consider having a large sign/banner at the front that lists their sponsors' names. Also, this earth display gets me, shouldn't it be tilted approximately 23.5 degrees? Now I know that I'm being picky, right? But is that not scientifically accurate? The exhibits include geological analysis, transportation engineering, the human body, astronauts and the solar system, electricity, a swinging pendulum to illustrate the earth's motion, nanotechnology, solar energy, and an overall environmental consciousness. Plenty of stuff for the kids to do. I liked the exhibit on statistics and probability and the bell curve over which region each dropped ball was going to land.

Unfortunately, this was a miss for me. The best part was the 3rd floor popology. The rest is kinda blah. They need to rehab the facility. There was a demonstration of something at the science stage and the worker talked so fast, I could barely understand her. I don't know how kids could get anything from that besides the visual aspect. I think there is more bad than good here and for the cost, it's completely overpriced. Save your money and walk around the DÍA or another museum.

I grew up in Oakland County and came to the Detroit science center as a kid in the 1980s. This was our first time at the Michigan Science Center with our own kids. I was really impressed. The shows and exhibits were all great. Parking was reasonable and nearby ($10 Valet, $7 at DIA, or street parking for free on weekends). The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. In particular, our 4 year olds like the little kids area on the lower floor. Also, we have a membership to the science museum in Boston, so our admission was free. I didn't find the sponsorships annoying at all, they didn't get in the way of the exhibits, and given Detroit went bankrupt, I'm glad there are corporate sponsors.

Love coming here with my little one. I wish some of the activities were updated as they've worn down a bit! But overall a great place to take an adventurous 2 year old.

Our recent visit to the science center was very disappointing. On the disappointing side: Half of the interactive displays did not work. The building was tired looking, old and not well-lit. No staff was available to answer questions. It seemed expensive for what was offered. On the good side: easy to access and acceptable parking. We had fun with the 'math walk'. We cannot comment on the Imax experience, as we did not take time to see the movies as we had a younger child with us. I would not return nor recommend this visit to others. Sorry!

Amazing space for the kids to learn and run around. Especially in the winter time! Also, the membership is only $75 per year. So it's totally worth it. There is a great special if you buy a membership in November 2019!

Brings back childhood enthusiasm for science and technology. There is a fixed fee for annual membership and a minimum donation per group. Great for kids to interact during their science demonstration. Very informative and interesting facts about the NASA moon landing. For kids who are really into science, inquire about their workshop. There's a good vendor for Fastfood, snacks and drinks. Across the street is the Detroit institute of Arts. Parking is free on Sundays.

*** Wow, you've come a long way, baby ... fun! *** http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/UReltP5QesHD5FRNmBgNAQ?select=Bj0dw1oqiYZBhzGj3hT0fw Took the son here this morning for the IMAX feature, "Deep Sea". it's an hour in length and beautifully done. The rest of the center surprised me. It has changed much. All in a good way ... the anatomical model, pendulum displays, electicity/electro-static illustrations, and space exploration area. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/UReltP5QesHD5FRNmBgNAQ?select=bP-_w5cLDOvzFFkJMV4qmw *** For only $24, we got all this? I've paid $24 just to park in LA! ***

Dark, dirty, most exhibits closed off or "out of order". It is shocking that they are open, that they take your money, knowing that most of the stations are out of service. Walking through it with my child I felt ashamed that I drove her there instead of some place else. I cannot emphasize just how crazy bad it is!

Maybe this is good for a little one but so many exhibits were broken or so basic an 11 year had a hard time finding something interesting to spend time on. I'm so disappointed. The best part about this place is the staff. All friendly and smiling. We saw one IMAX which we thoroughly enjoyed . But we had to buy tickets to the museum to be able to buy tickets to the movie. For 3 people, $57. So not worth it.

I went to the Science Center last week and I will disappointed. More than half of the exhibits are out of order or just not working. The lady giving the presentation was very loud, no matter where you were in the building and the exhibits were not very engaging. I don't think they should charge full price when half of the exhibits are not working. I was definitely disapointed.

I have to agree with the previous reviewer... it was disappointing just how many exhibits were closed. We were last here 5 years ago and had a fantastic time. My kids still had fun today and we used our reciprocal museum membership so it didn't cost anything, therefore I'm fine with the experience. But I would have been pretty disappointed if I had paid admission price. I hope the museum is able to fix things up and get back to the way it was!

The last time I had been there was when it was the Detroit Science Center. Now that it has changed there are some significant changes and for the good. My visit this time was with a middle school field trip. Trying to keep an eye on five middle school aged teenagers who are not all friends was daunting. The one thing I enjoy when I go there is the space program exhibit and the assembly line. The highlight was the IMAX show about Earth that had been filmed from the International Space Station. Pretty cool.

Such an amazing place for a day with the kids! So much to do from hands on activities to shows to watch! It was even fun for me! They had an awesome lunch spot with inexpensive food items or you can bring your own food in with you! And all summer it's free so that's definitely a plus! So everyone should make it out this summer. Only down side was the depth expo was not child appropriate! One video had a naked woman and one voice recording was talking about reproduction and about his penis and I grabbed the kids so fast I don't even know what they were talking about! Other then that it was a spectacular hands on museum!

This place has so much to do and see. It's a great place to go during the cold Detroit winters when outside activities aren't an option but you have a toddler with tons of energy. My daughter (almost 2) finds something new every time. The family membership is around $70 for a year and so worth it when you consider it's around $15 per person (over 2) each time. Valet parking is $10, but so far I've had no trouble finding street parking.

Michigan Science center is a terrific place for any age! There is something for everyone here. A hidden gem in the city behind DIA. It is always pretty quiet here! Space, construction, Energy, play area for under five, manufacturing!

We took our toddler here and he had a fantastic time. There is a kids town, more on that later, that is for kids less than 5, and the rest of the museum is best for slightly older kids. A large LEGO area, a section on construction with a Mackinac bridge replica, pendulums (penduli?), a love interactive scientific demonstration station, a mini tornado and 'zero gravity' balls, and tons of different creation stations are just some of the things you can enjoy. The kids town is small but PACKED with things toddler appropriate. There is aleso one small section for kids 2 and under. An excellent water play area, ball pit, mini grocery store, mini veterinarian clinic, toddler computers and library kept my son engaged for a long long time. He did not want to leave. They have a small parking lot or you can street park or use the DIA lot next door for $7. Tix are $17, but a membership is $35, so it's worth it even if you go just twice. There is a cafe that serves the usual family friendly fare. There is a planetarium and 2 theaters with frequent shows through the day - you do have to buy tickets for these ahead of time, though! We enjoyed our Sunday visit to the Michigan science center and will be getting a membership for future visits! My son keeps asking to go back.

At first when I saw the 13.95 price tag I was a bit uneasy but we had a day to kill and it was either this place or the art museum across the street. Seeing how I was with my dad and I am pretty sure he isn't that interested in art we picked this place. I went online to plan our attack of the place. After researching I realize that the 14 dollars was a STEAL! We arrived right when it opened at 12pm on Sunday. We signed up for the 1pm showing of the planetarium and the 3pm showing of Hubble in IMAX. The place was huge. We spent 4.5 hours there and seeing how it was Halloween the place was pretty empty. We loved all the little hands on exhibits. The planetarium was nice but I fell asleep half way. The IMAX experience was like an one in a lifetime thing. DOME IMAX and with only 10 or some people in the room. That in itself was worth 14 dollars. At 4pm we were also able to attend the engineer theater. My dad had the entire place to ourselves! Moving chairs, spraying water and air, it was an interesting experience but the videos were kind of boring. My dad and I had a blast! This is the best science center I have ever been to. So much better than the one in SF. Definitely should come here. The 14 dollars is totally worth it. Watching a 2 hour movie cost 11 or so dollars. Why not spend a couple more bucks and come here. It is a 4 - 5 hour experience and it is educational!

EXCELLENT museum for children, so many hands-on activities and room to move. As an adult, I also enjoyed and took advantage of all the exhibits, which did elicit some looks from other parents/guardians, but whatever. My zoo membership also earned me and my companion free tickets to an IMAX movie, which was quite the experience. I prefer to come here during the week to avoid crowds.

This is one of the most amazing science centers in the country! From the human body to mummies to the solar system, the Detroit Science Center has it all. So my first memory of it was a 3rd grade field trip. I remember eating the freeze dried astronaut food and watching a live science demonstration. As an adult it continued to meet my expectations, with the IMAX theater being one of my favorite parts of the museum. There's also a planetarium and food court. Admission is cheap and you can bring your little ones!

Oh what fun with science!!! First thing's first, THANK YOU Detroit for reopening the science center. It is an amazing place to learn, explore, and research how things work. I took my 6 and 9 year old boys for the day. They were in awe from all the machines and experiments. Even though it was busy that day we had no problem checking out the displays. There is more than one floor of fun here so either give yourself an entire day or buy an annual pass. We decided on the family "awesome plan". Okay, it's not really called that but it gives you everything. With the pass I was able to bring a guest, see the special displays, go to the IMAX, and the planetarium without any extra fees. It even gives us half off or free admission at other participating museums including the hands on museum in Ann Arbor. We weren't able to see everything they had but my boys were enthralled! Make sure you check out the electric show. It's hair raising!!!

I haven't been here since I was a kid, and I decided to come since Bank of America offers free admission on the first weekend of every month to this place, so the date, his kids and I shuffled down here to check it out. To say that I was excited was the least. I've recently been checking out this sort of stuff and had the Science Center on my short list of places I needed to visit. Prices here are higher then I had anticipated, and even though I had free admission, tickets were between $13 (with no movies or extras) and range up to $21 depending on what package you get. The lady talked me into the $8 extra for two movies since the date and his kids had already purchased two movie tickets. We noticed on the map half way through that the movie times were sporatic, and half way through we had only enough time to catch one which was the Engineering movie. That was pretty cool with moving seats and water that sprayed. The museum itself is kind of a weird lay out. We didn't know where to really start, so we just kind of wandered through. We noticed that there was a lot of wonderful interactive displays, but they were also sponsored by businesses, which I found kind of weird. For example, right when you walk in, there's a Bank of America display with teaching kids how to manage their money. That's great, but the kids seemed to be more interested in playing with the hands on stuff then anything else. They do have a lot of cool displays here, but I found it to be weird. Lots of writing and notes about what it's all about, and even for school aged children, they seem to be interested in being more interactive then standing and "learning" if that makes sense. The kids aren't going to read the signs like the date and i did. Also, I didn't seem to see a lot of staff on the floor. It would have been nice if they had "tour guides" or people who could answer questions and such. Overall not a bad place, but since I've been hitting up a lot of different museums lately, I feel that this one isn't my favorite. I remember it differently from when I was a kid, and want to like this place, but wasn't overly impressed at all. I kind of felt deflated when I left like "ok, now that's done, but do I want to come back?" Not so much. I find myself more motivated to go back to the Henry Ford Museum, or the DIA first before here. Not a bad experience, but not my favorite place either.

I went here with a group of English language students, ranging from age 2 to adult. Customer service: I was very pleased with the fact that we could bring outside food in and/or have food delivered. The staff was very helpful when we discovered that my company had booked the wrong package for us. They did all they could to accommodate and assist us despite the mix up being on our end. Exhibits: -There is a pretty large "Legoland" area that the younger children really loved! -KidsTown was a great experience for the 5 & under children in our group! -I was disappointed that several of the machines around the center were out of commission. -I wish there were more hands-on activities available in the main areas of the science center (outside of KidsTown). Advice: Call/look online in advance to get the planetarium schedule as well as the time for the SparksLab demo (where the children get to touch the ball that makes their hair stand up).

While the actual center is great for kids, the customer service when arranging a group event is very difficult. while, I know a lot of groups come in, phone calls need to be filter and space is not always available, they make it VERY hard to make changes or adjust a resevation and when working with schools/kids. You would think they would be a little more family friendly. I had a negative experience working with them a handful of times and gave 3 stars because the actual facility is great, however, I will not hAve my group come again, which is actually pretty upsetting.

Family fun day Sunday! great place to take your kids very educational and there is something there for everyone. My only complaine is that the gift shop has been CLOSED FOREVER!

We spent a full day here and could have stayed longer. It's FREE for the entire summer which makes the trip even more inviting! My sisters and I took our 5 children ages 0-3. We spent a decent amount of time upstairs looking at the construction equipment and machines, then playing with the giant LEGO. I brought lunch and my sister purchased from the cafe. A hotdog, chips, and drink was $3 which wasn't bad. We ventured downstairs after thinking we would likely leave soon... and then we found Kids Town. Have children under 5? Go to Kid's Town. Run, don't walk. It's a little tricky to find but we spent hours there. It's a mini town with a water table (complete with smocks), a grocery store, ball pit, art center, dress up, gated in room for babies 2 and under, and so much more. We have a little business near our house that charges over $10 a day to play in the same sort of setting. My kid was exhausted upon leaving and took a long nap. We weren't sure if our kids were too young for the science center, but I'm so glad we went. It was a successful day!

Thre start of our experience yesterday was met with getting there and finding out it was a free admission day for Noel Nights. However, the site allowed us to purchase tickets anyway. It seemed to be relatively clean, that's why it gets a three instead if a two. Quite a lot of the exhibits don't work. The place maintenance in that respect. My kids still jaff a good enough time but, those were some disappointing and annoying things.

The Detroit Science Center is amazing. The reason why that statement is interesting is because I am now a grown woman and I said the same thing about this place when I was a little kid. Where do I start? They have the freaking Tilt-O-Rama if you're ready for some barf-o fun walking around like an astronaut! Who wouldn't love that? The Sparks Theater is a gorgeous homage to the way light and heat affects us all -- and the best part is that it looks like you are going to be electro-shocked, but it is 100% safe. For Halloween, they programmed their robot to carve a pumpkin! It took awhile, but hopefully the robot will crank them out faster this year. I can't wait to sese it. The travelling exhibitions are always worth checking out, they really get the best of the best. I can't wait to watch my son play here. It will be an excuse for me to get brushed up on my physics and magnetics in a fun way -- he'll be asking and I'm going to quote this place!

Kids love this spot. From live demo show to kids shopping market and water activity (messy) and now back to reopening IMAX! Just watched polar express and we all really enjoyed it. Definitely would recommend getting this membership!

There's so much to see and do every time is like the first! It's truly fun for all ages young kids and adults too!

Awesome place. IMAX movies are cool. The taped seats in the theater suck and all need to be replaced. Seriously every single seat has duct tape on it. Some things are broken- and appear to have been for a while. Some areas that need better cleaning attention. But lots and lots of cool stuff especially for the kids.

Visiting the new Michigan Science Center i.e. the old Detroit Science Center is like getting back together with an old girlfriend. The good things are still there, but she's a little bit older and it shows. And in this case, she's a little rough around the edges. After all, the Science Center was shut down from September 2011 to December 2012. Now don't get me wrong - I'm excited that it is back and I hope the people who saved it work hard to make it even better than what it was. However, they still have a lot of work to do. The bathrooms smell like they weren't given a thorough cleaning in order to remove a year+ of decay. There are old museum displays in the hallways of the lower level. Some areas are marked off with construction tape. The air seems kind of stagnant i.e. the ventilation system might need some maintenance. In the Kids Town, there used to be some small reptiles (turtle, etc.) in the "pet store", but now there are just empty cages. Some of the other exhibits seemed worn... For museum admission, $12.95 for adults, $9.95 for kids 2 to 12. Extra cost for IMAX, planetarium, and special exhibit. If you're a member of some other museums, you might get a discount. For example, currently Cranbrook Institute of Science members get in free. So they've re-opened the doors, but I wouldn't call it a grand re-opening.

Woohoo MI Science Center! First: Here, my friends, is the deal of the century if you like science museums. If you get a yearly membership here, you get in free to hundreds of museums all over the U.S., including Chicago's Museum of Science and Technology and Field Museum. The Michigan Science Center belongs to the ASTC, and membership here means access to all other facilities that belong to the ASTC. A whole list can be found here: http://www.astc.org/members/passlist.htm Now, about the MI Science Center itself - it is wonderful. They have a planetarium and IMAX theater as well as two floors of cool exhibits and interactive stuff. It is a great institution and Detroit is lucky to have it. Membership is completely worth it even if you don't use the ASTC benefits at other places, as you get extremely cheap IMAX movies and planetarium shows and free pre-showings when certain new films come out. The two things I would change about the place are the café - they could do with some better food - and the hours. I'm sure it can't be cheap to stay open late though. Monday - Tuesday Closed Wednesday - Friday 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sunday 12 p.m. - 6 p.m. Great place. I hope it never disappears.

My friend and I came here on Sunday and I was pretty amazed on the cool things I learned in here. I love learning new things and this science center offers different things. Reminds me of the science fair but better. Lol... Great place to go on a date, take the little kiddos, and anything really.

Eh...we came here back in 2009 before we had kids and had a great time! When we moved back to the area we got a membership. My son loves it and we'll likely renew our membership for that reason alone... But the reviews about broken/malfunctioning exhibits are true. We're there every few weeks and some items have had "out of order" signs on them most of the summer. Also be advised that the block area is pretty grimy. We've been to science centers across the country and, as far as cleanliness goes, I'm sad to say this is at the bottom :( What happened? I definitely recommend the Kids Town area in the lower level for youngsters, though I wish there was more signage for it; we didn't even know it existed until our 3rd visit. But the kids love it and it gives parents a chance to relax a bit. The shows and demonstrations are fun and engaging, and the science center does get some pretty cool exhibits. To sum up, this place is alright, but with a few tweaks it could be back to the way it was.

We recently went to the Michigan Science Center on Noel Night and it was hopping! We LOVED all of the exhibits and interacting with so many different items. I can't wait to go back on a less busy night and spend more time reading all of the items and playing with everything. Music, sound, light, space, all those things are covered. There are so many fun and interactive things to do, our two kids ages 13 and 17 had a blast with us. I told hubby that we should have a date night here! What a gem!

This place is a lot of fun and if you have not been in a while, I highly recommend it. However, if you have been here within the last 10 years or so, not much seems to have changed since it reopened. And they don't have a gift shop and do not know if/when they will open it, which is a bummer.

4 1/2 stars for the Detroit Science Center. This place is an absolute GREAT place to let kids explore, learn and blow off some steam! There are tons of hands on exhibits as soon as you walk in. There is a neat energy/welding/rock exhibit which was almost above MY head. With a four year old we didn't have time to stop and read but my son loved using the tools, playing with the conveyor belt and the moving floor thing. I'm not sure what everything was called but it was really cool! We went up to level 4 to the Dinosaurs Unearthed exhibit. This is a temporary exhibit which was small but really neat. The dinos had electric eyes that moved and roared when you got near them! My son was nervous at first but warmed up. We saw the Planetarium show Cardboard Rocket. As we left he couldn't stop talking about what planets HE wanted to visit! We also saw the Dinosaur IMAX show narrated by Micheal Douglas. It was a good mix of real archaeological digs and computer generated dinos. It was a little cheesy but my son loved it. There is a NASA area where you can launch a water bottle, electric machines that give you a zap, a display about how it feels to be older and a rock and roll studio! They even had a volunteer in one room doing a sound wave experiment for my son. At $45 for two adults and a child it was a great value. This Tuesday we had the place to OURSELVES! It was wonderful. My only complaint (and why it doesn't get 5 stars) was that several of the experiment displays didn't work. I noticed buttons not working, things not lighting up when they were supposed to, etc. Even with these little things I think if I lived here I'd have to get an annual membership.

I had high hopes since my childhood memories of the Detroit Science Center were great. I am sad that I can't give it the rave reviews others did. We had out of town guests who really wanted to go. This have us an opportunity to check out the new revamped museum. In theory I think the ideas are there but the follow through of actual upkeep isn't. Almost every exhibit had a piece or function that was broken or non working. From the plastic pegs in the first room of the colored puzzle motor pieces all the way back to the jam room drum set. Computer generated programs that malfunctioned to the kids town computers that had 1 out of 3 working. The bikes to see how far we've pedaled in space are clearly not fit for anyone under the age of tall teen. My little ones age 6 and 8 just about killed themselves trying to get the pedals going while simultaneously levitating above the seat. The bathrooms were flat out gross! There was no staff monitoring them to make sure they were clean, acceptable or functioning. We did not have the time to check out the IMAX theater or the planetarium but did get tickets for "Stingray Cove" After being to museums across the US that was a sad display of a few fish tanks. The space looked like a corner left unused. It seemed cheap and carnival-ish. For the price of admission I expected more. Clearly they have a good marketing department that makes their exhibits seem bigger and more intricate than they actually are. I'm hoping by the time we have insisting guests again that the MSC can get this mess cleaned up.

My trip to the Science Center was a long time coming and while it was at the end of April I think I can remember enough to review. It's been more than 20 years since my last visit and the fact that I don't remember much aside from a few things from the outside facade isn't surprising. However, the main reason for my visit was to take in the STAR TREK: THE EXHIBITION attraction. Admission was $18.95 for that and did not include the $6 "2-person simulator ride" or the additional fee to have the audio headset (didn't ask for the price). The Exhibition entrance was on the main floor and they head you towards the large elevator to take you up to the 4th floor. The simulator ride is located on the main floor and you can see it as you wait for the elevator. The elevator is all decked out with black lights and some writing on the wall. When you exit the elevator, you're on shown the way to the main exhibit of TV Show costumes for TOS, TNG, and Enterprise. DS9, Voyager and TNG costumes, props, replicas, etc. come later in the exhibit. It's hard to remember all that was there since photography is not permitted and they have people standing everywhere. They do have a teleporter pad for you to stand on and they "simulate" transportation to/from some place and you watch it on a monitor. You're able to buy a photo later from the woman who gives you a ticket just like they do at Cedar Point. This also happens when you find the bridge for Kirk and is crew from TOS. You're able to sit in the chairs and touch the panels but nothings moves. Again you're offered to take a picture and given a ticket for later viewing of your photo. The rest of the exhibit is walking along corridors you might have found on the Enterprise-D (TNG) and you're able to look in on certain rooms (i.e. Picard's quarters) or go in to see other displays of props/costumes/models/etc. The final display is a large, somewhat dark, room that displays a timeline on one wall that includes all the movies and TV shows. At the time of my visit, the newest movie was still empty at the very end. There were other displays along with one of my favorites: replicas of every ship (sea to space) to carry the name Enterprise. Mounted on a wall very much like those ships that were in Picard's Ready Room back on the Enterprise-D from TNG. Also in this room is the $1M model of the Enterprise-D and a huge Borg ship model. In all . . . I would have to give the Star Trek: The Exhibition a C+. It takes you less than an hour to navigate (approx. 45 minutes if you really stretch it out) and it feels like there is a lot that could have been put on display in the same space. As for the rest of the Science Center, I give it an A+. It's fascinating for adults and extremely entertaining for small children and slightly older children (teens may be bored). The Pendulum, Electricity Show, Laser Harp and quite a few of the hands-on displays are very well done.

The place is pretty great Apparently the way to go is by getting tickets on Groupon but I didn't know when I went. The place is great for kids and adults alike. I've been twice and both times it was way over crowded. It's fun and a good addition to downtown.