National Space Centre

The museum offers a fantastic experience for both kids and adults. Parking is plentiful, though it can get busy during the holidays, which only adds to the great atmosphere. The exhibits cover the history of space travel, rockets, and a range of fascinating technologies. It’s a very family‑friendly place, complete with a café, a shop, and engaging live talks and interactive shows. With the added bonus of a free one‑year return pass, it’s absolutely worth a visit. Museum staff are friendly. Museum is less busy after 1-2pm.

Well worth a trip. Lots of things to look at, good mix of real artifacts and narrative. Was very busy on the day we went but this don't stop it being a good day. There is a mini cafe which is surprisingly reasonably priced and lots of seating etc. planateriun was good too. Had to wait a bit to get in and the parking is a bit limited but managed it ok

Amazing!!! I've been recommending it to everyone ever since. The thing I've been recommending the most is the planetarium, definitely take some time in your trip to see a show, 1 show is free with entry, any more has a fee of I think £5? Don't take my word for it haha The very friendly and knowledgeable person at reception gives you a map, shows you where the planetarium is and answers any questions you may have. I went to an interactive counter where a lady was showing (mostly children but also me) rocks from space and we had to guess with magents and magnifying glasses which one was from Earth. Great day alone or for groups of any sizes.

Absolutely brilliant, this is my 2nd visit, my last being 20 years ago. Lots has changed, for the better, so much to see and plenty of hands on stuff for the kids. The Sir Patrick Moore planetarium is a must, especially the "One step beyond" showing, which is roughly 30 minutes, this was the highlight of our day and also the sight of the Thor Rocket which is housed here. The cafe is also pretty good and reasonably priced with a great selection ot items.

Good experience. Good location, ample paid parking space available. Small cafeteria inside. Reasonable prices. Planetarium show was well. Kids and adults will enjoy the visit. Rockets, models of planets, rockets, science history, world events, mission to moon etc, space exploration history etc displayed. Excited to see piece of moon on display. There is a Abbey pumping station museum nearby next to the car park in walkable distance. Worth a visit, keep atleast half a day or more if you wish to stay for planetarium show as well which happens two - three times a day. Will highly recommend.

We had a great day overall at the National Space Centre, but I was really disappointed with the lack of inclusive food options. There’s still no vegan ice cream available. It might seem minor, but for families like mine it really matters. My son has a severe cow’s milk allergy, and it’s heartbreaking having to say, “No sweetie, they don’t have vegan ice cream,” especially in 2025 when allergy-friendly options are so commonplace. It was also really disappointing to see that we had to pay an extra 50p just to request oat milk. For families managing allergies, this just feels unfair. Dairy alternatives shouldn’t cost more — they’re not a luxury for us, they’re essential. Please consider adding vegan ice cream pots and removing the surcharge on oat milk. It would make the experience much more inclusive and accessible for everyone. Fantastic venue, but these small details genuinely impact families with allergies. I really hope this can be improved.

The National Space Centre is a fascinating place for both children and adults. It’s especially engaging for Generation Y and millennials, showcasing the Cold War era, the development of technology, and the first steps in space exploration in an immersive way. You can step inside a Mercury capsule, see how astronauts eat and live, and even sit in a period-style room to feel the thrill of watching a rocket launch to the Moon on a vintage glass screen. The planetarium, presented as an animated journey, is truly impressive – even for adults. It’s a wonderful centre for both learning and fun, and the best part is that with just one ticket you can return all year round. Highly recommended! 🚀✨

Brilliant day out with grand children who were mesmerized by the whole experience. Whilst no the cheapest day out, the tickets are valid for one year and provide for repeat visits which we intend to do. Parking and food were good too.

It's an interesting place, depending on your age and knowledge of space. Plenty of interactive displays about various aspects of space: planets, stars, basic physics, and history. Be prepared for a lot of school children, and don't expect much when it comes to food or beverages. Just bring your own snacks. Parking is £3 for the day and the wifi is free.

The national space centre is a very good place to learn about the magical and fascinating world above us.Seeing the rocket ships will interest all types of people like kids as well as the older generation.The building itself is amazing and the way it's designed is so interesting to look at.

Very good place to go if you like space and want to learn about it. There are a lot of family friendly things to do there as well

Great museum with lots to see and do. My whole family loved it! Plenty of interactive things. Lots of school kids but they were all well mannered and polite. Clean, tidy and well maintained. Overall very interesting and highly recommended.

Very well done. Loads of information and interactive exhibitions. I was here 30 minutes after they opened and left 10 minutes before they closed. I still didn't manage to see it all. The cafe is ok, I've had worse coffee. The choice is limited, as you'd expect. Jacket potatoes were small and not terribly hot. One day I'll return to taking my own food to this type of place as most venues like this are poor value for money where food is concerned.

The National Space Centre will probably have played a small role in the education of most Midlands schoolkids. With rocket shells, space suits, planet models and a slew of interactive activities, it's a very child-friendly place and it's hard not to learn while you're there. I can remember being taken here for Science during secondary school - watching videos in the planetarium, eating dinner underneath Thor and comparing the relative weights of Baked Beans. Five years later, largely everything is the same - the layout, the actual displays and the exhibits. There have been some tweaks to the museum. The meteorology booth seems to have been redone, and there's a new, rumbly-voiced cartoon character anchorman who gives you a brief and debrief ("Can you do it? ... Well, that was... terrible."). Once you're done, your report plays on a big screen that everyone around the 'studio' can watch - and you can post the video to Facebook, Twitter or your email address. The videos in the planetarium are changed regularly. Today I watched "We Are Astronomers", narrated by David Tennant - the dome is the same, so they can't really change the experience vastly by adding more effects, but the graphics were very good. There's been a general move towards networking in the museum. There are QR barcodes on many of the exhibits, like the space suit for a dog, which give access to extra content like videos once scanned. Your ticket itself serves as a kind of key to everything you've done over the day - you scan it at different exhibits to record your scores and suchlike - and a few of the booths give you the choice of connecting to Facebook, Twitter or email to post your result. There's a space training section, Tranquility Base, where you can go through a flight simulator, monitor air and water levels, 'moon walk' (just a springboard, really) and the like - I remember seeing this before, but this time you can collect your scores from each task, get assigned a job in the shuttle and print yourself a card for £1. You can email it to yourself for free; there aren't any other options, though. The Centre promote their own Facebook and Twitter with QRs on posters with the promise of exclusive updates, though they don't seem to offer anything really special. The on-site cafe isn't bad. Serving up conventionals, excluding the quirky sounding soup of the day, cream of carrot and pineapple, I was met by a large range of sandwiches, soup, cous cous, noodle salad, cakes (including homemade flapjacks, brownies and carrot cake), yoghurt and drinks. It does look appetising and everything's labelled with whether it's vegetarian-friendly and if it contains nuts, but there are no ingredients lists and other dietary requirements like non-dairy aren't thought about. Turns out I couldn't actually eat anything in the cafe unless I forked out for some overpriced Walker's Ready Salted crisps or picked the feta cheese out of the cous cous... Concluding this review I'm finding difficult. On one hand - the Space Centre is seriously underwhelming on paper. If I didn't have the nostalgia behind it or my friends with me, I'm fairly sure I would have felt ripped off - tickets are £13 for adults and £11 for under-16s and concessions, and I've been to so many better places for free. The fact that there's been nothing major added in half a decade and their displays are out of date (e.g. a booklet that said "In 2009, we will..." and no acknowledgement of Pluto's downgrade or the recent achievements of the LHC) makes me question the actual value of donating to the Centre, past maintenance costs. Older and more knowledgeable visitors are likely to feel patronised and excluded - which really doesn't do any justice to their status as the "National" centre. Surely it should be a hub for space aficionados of all ages? For schools, however, or for smaller children with their families, there are clear advantages to visiting. It is informative, it is easy to understand and there are enough novelties to leave most satisfied. First-time visitors will easily be kept occupied for the whole day, and repeat visitors will too, with some patience. The centre offer a free upgrade to a year pass, if you're so taken, so it's easy to make up the tenner you've spent per person. I'd really like to see some more thought for repeat visitors, and not just one-time novelty trips, though.

I came here with my class on a school trip. The staff are very helpful and polite. There are lots of interesting things for the students to look at. The planetarium was AWESOME with comfortable seats. The food and drink in the small show was massively overpriced. 70p for a packet of Wotsits etc. The coffee was awful, I was the only teacher who went back for a refund as it was unacceptable (the other teachers were too polite). Overall great experience.

Usually full of school groups and why not. This place is fun and educational. Lots of parking and reasonable entry fees makes it a good day out. Not too much information so when you've had your fill you won't feel like you have missed lots. They take you through space exploration and Mir space station, tell you history of astronomy, explore the planets in our solar system. The Sir Patrick Moore planetarium is cool, good visuals and current story, which is about life on other planets.

Great day today on 9th may 2015 Brit sci fi weekend and I be at Star Wars weekend at space centre as well and staff are helpful and Brian blessed was a very nice guy and I met original puppeteer of scot Tracy from thunderbirds and the voice of Parker from thunderbirds as well and it was awesome day for it and the weather was great for it as well and a lot of Dr who as well of the old and new and I was talking to the original puppeteer of scot Tracy for ages and I had nice lunch and I looking forward to Star Wars weekend as well so let's hope I can be there

The National Space Centre sets the tone for your day when you arrive and realise you need to pay £2 just to park your car, before you then walk inside and pay £50 for a family of 4 to get in. I realise this place is a charity, but really? I was offered the choice to convert my tickets for free into a free annual pass which I did, but as I live in Nottingham I'm not sure I'll be making the 30 mile trip again in a hurry. There are some interesting displays and things to play with, but some of it now seems pretty old and tired. One machine takes a photograph of you (very poor quality), and then shows you on a screen how insignificant you are in the universe, as images zoom out from the spot you are standing on until you are at the edges of the known universe. Nice, but the audio commentary cuts out and gets distorted at times, and the whole thing needs an overhaul. Then there's the weather booth, where you can stand in front of a screen and read a weather forecast, which is then meant to be played to you on a screen outside. Again, some technical problems with this...the quality of images is like a poorly tuned television. The best thing about the visit was the film being shown in the cinema when I went, called 'We Are Astronauts'. Reclining in a special chair and watching the images sweep over my head ona planetarium style screen was quite exhilarating, if slightly nauseating. It's not a bad day out if you live nearby and it's a rainy day when you don't know how to entertain the kids, but if this centre reflects the state of the British Space Programme, it's no wonder Beagle 2 ended up eating red dust after an uncontrolled landing. I had a chuckle to myself as I wandered around, as the place reminded me of tired old tourist attractions that The Simpsons often find themselves at, with broken exhibitions and displays, and surly members of staff ruining the 'magical' atmosphere trying to be created. To be fair though, the staff here were friendly enough and I have no complaints about them. As others have commented, the cafe has a poor choice and is poorly staffed, with everybody purchasing things having to go through a single till after shuffling along a long line with their tray, and then panicking when they reach the hot drinks machine and feel that they are holding everybody up when dispensing their 2 mochas and 2 hot chocolates (someone wanted a tea, but I couldn't figure out how to obtain it, so the hot chocolate was ordered in panic instead as I felt 'the queue' was getting impatient...then I realised I should have pressed for 'hot water' and taken a tea bag from a basket, but this wasn't immediately obvious). Poorly designed anyway. To sum up, I think it's pricey, a bit tired, and not worth a trip of more than about 15 miles. A decent rainy day activity if you live nearby, or much better value if tickets are bought as part of the 'Stay Play Explore' offer, which gets you a ticket for various venues including this one for only slightly more than a ticket for a family of 4 is here. http://www.stayplayexplore.co.uk/buy_tickets.html

Really disagree with other review it's a place my family like to go again and again,1 family member even has a pass. Great place for all the family,it helps you learn about space while having fun,it has a large cafe,toilets including disabled and baby change. Great day out for all ages!

We have been a few times and it makes a good day out if the weather is rubbish. We've been on their star wars days which are fab! Full of characters and the children (and those young at heart) LOVE it! I tend to agree, we wouldn't go more than once or twice a year unless to an event. Not somewhere we'd visit over and over again, even when we did have annual passes. There is a large rocket, quite a few hands on displays and lots of interesting stuff to read. There is also a very good show in the theatre normally. When my children were under 4 or 5 they really did not particularly enjoy it and just ran around like lunatics, it was not til they were a bit older that they really enjoyed it.

The National Space Centre is located at the heart of Leicester and is easily accessibel for anyone coming from the surrounding areas or out of town. The first thing to consider is the price. It is not the cheapest place to go, a family or 4 or 5 going would probably cost around £50 - with Adult entrance fees being £12 and Children costing £10 per person. There are more expensive days out, theme parks and the like, but the cost is something many will have to consider during the current 'credit crunch.' As for the value, you do get a good day's out. I can only speak for myselfl, not having children, but I think the exhibitions and activities can appeal to both adults and children. I can't imagine really young children finding much interest in the displays, but there are some fun interactive activities to keep them interested. For me personally, I found all the displays informative and there was plenty to marvel at - the theatre show was definitely the highlight. Personally, I think one visit was enough, but it is certainly worth going to at least once, you will have to evaluate yourself if it warrants a repeat visit

Paid our final visit under our FREE yearly pass today (which you get when you 'Gift-Aid' your admission)...must be our 3rd/4th time and we live an hour up the M1...gives a focus for the day esp if weather is poor...and doesn't matter if you only spend a couple of hours with having a return ticket. The 360* planetarium theatre is only available on your first visit but is amazing. Our kids (4 and 2) love this place even though they are young there are activities and dress-up around the site. Adults could spend weeks inside and those interested in all things space :-) Food quality/choice and prices are what you expect from a captive audience although not extortionate like some places. Car parking which is £2 all-day can be paid either online in advance or with coins at the machine...shame really that it's not free! No doubt we'll be back for another pass at some point.

Well worth a visit. There is a great deal to look around and plenty of interactive stuff to help both children and adults learn. The planetarium is fantastic, excellent graphics. Yes you have to pay £2 parking, but its only £2! For a charity you can't complain especially when you can also upgrade your ticket to an annual pass for free if you gift aid. We will be taking my step-daughter here, she will love it!

This is a great plac for familes to go -great value if you are going more that once as A family ticket for four is £38 but you upgrade to an annual pass for free so go as many times as you like in a year. You do not have to gift aid to get the annual pass. your ticket gets you into the space centre and a showing at the space theatre which right now is stars a fascintaing fun 3rd talk on the stars. There are several different areas from plantes and interspace to the rocket tower There is loads for children to do from a few years old - there is the Flight Sim which is great and loads of interactive games for them to try and things for them to play on. There are lots of different information on space and britains space exploration. You can see moon rock and a little bit of mars in the space exhibit. There is only soup sandwichs and sweets at the cafe but the soup is nice The shop is filled with great things for the kids as well as some things for adults. Try the space food A great place for young families If you are going to the area for a few days a stayplayandexplore ticket for £50 gets you family entry into 3 of the following, space centre Conkers Snibston twinlakes or Twycross zoo A great day out we went for 5 hours and still had a few things to see

The sort of day's entertainment you enjoy once and then never again. There is quite a range of activities within this vast centre, plenty to keep the kids occupied, including some small rides/simulators and even a blue screen for presenting your own weather broadcast. All of the activities and displays have a solid scientific and educational background to them, but that is about as far as it goes. Once you've seen it, there's no reason to go again and considering the price (£12 per adult and £10 per child) I'd really save your money and go to one of Leicester's museums which are free!

The National Space Centre in Leicester is a terrific day out for the whole family. What makes the ticket prices particularly good value is that they convert to annual passes if you pay via Gift Aid, which seems to be the default option. The admission price is then treated as a donation. There's plenty to see for anyone with even a passing interest in space and many of the exhibits are interactive. There is also an excellent 'Space Theatre', for which there is a small additional charge. A number of special events take place throughout the year and the futuristic complex includes a café and a shop. Highly recommended.

This is a great indoors attraction for adults and children alike. An all year pass is great value for money if you reside in the area or plan on visiting more than once in a year. There is a number of hands on displays and simulation shows and different events throughout the year so wouldnt get bored going a few times in one year. only downside for me was the cafe not a huge range of food and very pricey for what was on offer, would advise taking a packed lunch.

Perfect for school visits or a day out for the family, there is so much to learn and interact with here. Often you will get special exhibitions like Dr. Who, Star Wars etc. and this is the perfect venue, in fact that is when I like to come here most. Annual membership allows you free entry to the National Space Centre, except during exhibits. There is a space shop that sells useful learning tools, as well as freeze-dried space food. They also have a cafe, but I have found this to be overpriced and understocked.

Wonderful exhibits. Brilliant for children an actually a fantastic wedding venue iv'e heard. Keep up the good work!

My husband and I have visited the Space Centre over 20 times with the grandchildren. There are always great events on, and the children never get bored. The cafe is handy for the family to have a catch up whilst the kids discuss what the want to see next. It is a real asset for Leicester, and I'm very proud to live in Leicestershire because of it. With children, or without, it's one of the best days out in Leicester.

Great place for a visit. Close to Leicester. Great for the kids as well. Expensive tickets for what its worth. Well can't have everything and I guess they need to pay for the site and the building. Often has good displays and great place for special events.

A good day out for children 7 and up, but for the younger ones, there is not so much to hold their attention. It can be pricey, but if you gift-aid your entrance fee, you can convert the tickets into an annual pass, or you can pay with Tesco Days Out Deals vouchers to quarter the 'real' cost. The theatre shows/films are great - if a little dizzying at times - and they do keep the kids enthralled - often my lot would be happy just to watch them over again rather than explore the rest of the site. It can get busy, so it's always best to get there for opening time, otherwise you could find yourself forever waiting to 'have a go'. Children who are noise or light sensitive may not appreciate some areas. Tranquility Base is, conversely, the noisiest and busiest part of the whole experience, but the kids love it, so you have to do it. Just make sure you have at least £2 of £1/50p coins per child as there are print-offs at the end of the activities, and rarely anyone around with change (the machines time-out, so get change before you start). A big gift shop - with the expensive stuff being the first you see (the cheaper stuff is the other side of the till) - but would you believe it, they don't do a simple pin-badge?!

Classic Leicester day out. We have very few things to be proud off and dont make the most out of our tourist attractions. Space center is one of the exceptions. A staggering piece of architecture too.

So having come on the recommendation of a friend who assured me the planets show in the planetarium was awesome I was really looking forward to being wowed. Having paid for the ticket I was then asked for a further £3 to park. On entry the place was full of children having a great time interacting with the exhibits which meant it was difficult for anyone else to get near them. But that's my fault for having half term week as my annual leave! As far as kids are concerned, it really is a great place to bring them. Lots to do and look at! At my allotted time I made my way to the planetarium and settled into my very comfy seat. The show started. "We are stars". What ensued was a GCSE biology/chemistry lesson with hardly a planet in sight. By the end I was thoroughly disappointed. I hadn't been taken to the edge of the known universe (or anywhere else), I hadn't seen the magnificence of our solar system hanging enticingly close and I most definitely hadn't been wowed!!! Furthermore, I DON'T believe we were created from stardust, I DON'T believe we evolved from apes and I certainly don't appreciate having this foisted upon me when all I wanted to do was look at planets. I don't remember any sort of write up on the website detailing what the show was about or I would have chosen to visit at a different time. Now, if I want to see planets (assuming they ever show them again) I will have to pay For a return visit. Not admission admittedly but fuel, parking and show entry. What a let down!

been today with a small school group. the simulator was an extra £1 on our visit but well worth it, the kids loved it. there was a thearte with a who wants to be amillionare type question session and interactive buttons. there is a landing tower. cafe on site, toilets clean, adequate parking. a thouroughly enjoyable day.

Extremely overpriced, Cafe choice is limited and pricey, take your own, extra charge for car parking on top of getting in, great if you live local and want to go over and over again but most people who visit don't live local so not really worth a second visit you will have seen it all first time, good for small kids if the hands on stuff is working, other age groups will get bored, They play on the fact that you can upgrade your pass for an annual pass for the same price as a day pass, why not just give one cheaper price for a day and a bit more expensive for an annual pass, why? because they know you prob wont bother going back again and its just a way of ripping people off with having to pay a full year price . Don't bother unless value for money day out dosnt bother you. there is the Abbey mill pumping station next door to visit much better, or Coventry Transport museum Free, RAF Cosford lots of space stuff there and Free, there is much better places to visit . I also found the staff attitude of the 2 that I spoke to wasn't good. very unhelpful. I will not go again.