Museum of Science

Très éducatif pour les enfants. Le parking est payant même avec l’achat du City Pass de Boston.

Came here over the weekend and as expected it was crowded! There were a ton of kids with their families as this is definitely more of a place for children. The prices aren’t crazy and fortunately my friend had a pass so we got free entrance and parking. The lightening show was an interesting free event to watch but other than that, I would say this isn’t really the place for 20-​something-​year-​olds on a Saturday afternoon but I didn’t expect it to be! Parking is easy and the staff is friendly and helpful. It’s worth checking out if you’re in the area.

I have mixed feelings about this place. I really loved this place as a child, when it was actually set up more like a true museum. Ever since the move to the new location (I was still young after the move), the entire experience seems to be more devoted to the 3 – 13 crowd rather than anyone with more than half of a brain. Granted, there were definitely kid zones back in the old days, too, but the whole place is just weird to me now. The giftshop is a prime example. In the old building (s), they actually had three separate gift shops-​each one with its own niche.
One was dedicated to science projects and the like. It was in the building across the skyway. There was one that was dedicated to kids items. And, there was one that was a mishmash of all sorts of things, but, again, not really aimed at kids; it, also, had a huge selection of books (I’d guess about 20x the amount of books they have now.) on all sorts of subjects. The current giftshop is 95% devoted to kids stuff. The omnitheater is still fun, and I will go to see movies there occasionally. But, this whole place has kinda lost me these days.
Also, on a side note, the cafeteria is hit and miss. Some things are bad, while others aren’t bad at all. For whatever reason, I’ve really liked their burgers a lot when I’ve had them. With that said, the Lancer people are kinda creeps. Not the most erudite looking crowd. Also, they don’t take AMEX, which really pisses my off. If you take AMEX at the giftshop and not at the food courts, it’s a little weird Science Museum. Just saying.
Finally, I wanted to say that the SM website sucks. I was trying to figure out times for the ominfest this week, and it took like five minutes of screwing around online to finally get to the showtimes.

This place is great. I take my 3 year old here often and often my 1 year old too. We go as a family and sometimes just 1 of us and 1 child.
As my son gets older we enjoy more and he understands and appreciates more of each exhibit. It’s an excellent place when the weather is bad too. Parking is awesome though I wished members got another 30 min to an hour as I sometimes feel rushed out of there.
It’s nice to have a place that you pull up, in rainy or snowy weather, can jump out without a heavy coat on and run right into the museum.
It’s also nice to be somewhere where I do not have to regulate my son’s movements really at all. He can simply explore with me behind him enjoying the process.
I highly recommend any of the annual memberships as a no brainer cost effective go to location for all seasons.

I have been taking my grandchildren, now 6 & 9, to this museum since they were toddlers. The older one pretty much knows it by heart and always has a different special place he wants to visit whenever I take them. The rotating exhibits are always exceptional and they appeal to all, no matter what level of scientific knowledge one has. All the special areas such as the 4D movies, Omni Theatre, the Electric Lab shows and the Planetarium are great. Love the reasonably priced lockers. The cafeteria has a wonderful view of the Charles River.
It’s a perfect spot to spend a day with friends and family, big kids and little kids. A happy spot! Be ready to spend the whole day there if it’s your first time, then go back often.
.

What do you expect from a world class science museum. They have great exhibits, which are enhanced with an educated eye. The Onmi is awecome and planetarium all that one might expect. They have a telescope in the parking lot (need to make arangmentes to use it), special exhibits and standing exhibits that are informative and impressive.
The butterfly place, theater of electricity and live animal presentaions are on the must see list.

If Bill Nye had not already grabbed the «Science Guy» moniker, I would be all over that! So you’re playing Trivial Pursuit and land on the dreaded Science category? I’m your lifeline. From Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry to Zoology, I am ready to soak it into my spongy brain and squeeze it out again.
Science is all about our place in the universe and discovering for ourselves, one little block at a time. MOS is the perfect place to encourage and stimulate those little developing brains of your kids, so that they’ll go on to be scientists, engineers and doctors to solve all the problems of the world. That’s a heavy burden, but they’ll think it’s just fun while they’re here.
The Science of PIXAR exhibit was what we came to see after seeing it plastered on billboards all over the city. It was excellent with lots of interactive displays and activities for both children and adults. It was a lot of fun seeing how movies like «Inside Out», «Up» and «The Incredibles» were made and the technology that PIXAR developed to bring us these great movies. There are also testimonials and humorous shorts from PIXAR animators, artists and programmers showing the process from idea to the silver screen. After Jan 10, the exhibition goes on a national tour, so if it comes to your city, be sure to take the kids!
Another great WHOA factor is the Theater of Electricity. Giant Van de Graaf generators create the artificial lightning that will stand your hair on end and make your heart jump. The Lightning show is done 3 times a day, so don’t miss out.
We didn’t eat in the cafeteria, but it looked interesting because it is run by Wolfgang Puck Catering. Maybe worth a try next time. Check out the gift shop on your way out because the kiddies are not going to let you out of there without at least a dinosaur or a spinny, light-​up thingy.
PSA’s: Open until 9pm on Fridays to get your Science on! Park in the garage (convenient but on the expensive side) or take the T.

It was not a great experience at all for my sister and I (24 & 30). Great place for kids but NOT for adults. Screaming kids running around unattended everywhere. You can barely see or touch anything cause of the amount of children. I understand they are kids and don’t know any better. Just be aware it’s not a place for adults only. I moved here from another state and wanted to check out the different museums in the area. Next time I go will be when my nephew is old enough. On a side note some of the exhibits looked like they haven’t been updated since 1990. Lastly, the kitchen staff seemed on edge. A little smile wouldn’t hurt.

Gran idea para pasar el día. Tiene una exposición muy interesante, y no solo para niños…también para adultos curiosos. Nos enamoró la exposición temporal Science behind Pixar =)

I loved the museum. I, a New Yorker, usually see science museums as the American Museum of Natural history. But this interactive museum has blow me away. The open design of the museum is great, allowing quick passage throughout. The shows at the Theater of Electricity are awesome, I personally saw «Lightning!» Totally a good place to go with your family.

This is a good place to keep busy for a couple of hours. I went here by myself and it was really neat. When I was here there was a Pixar exhibit you had to pay extra for and also a neat photography exhibit about food. It seemed like a lot of kids go here for field trips so that was a little overwhelming.

This place is so much for kids and adults alike. There is so much to explore and it’s a museum that encourages touching throughout most of the areas. It’s fun because you are learning of these wonderful science ideas without even knowing you are learning. T
The lightening show is by far one of the most spectacular events going on there. Terry was so energetic and a great host to the show. He broke down some complex idea about electricity and used the electricity generators to demonstrate including lightening that played the Mario theme.
I had the pleasure of seeing the Pixar exhibit while there. It was so cool to leave about how much work goes into the making of a movie and the get to play with all the different stations such as lighting graphic shapes room setup and stop motion.

Love coming here! Theres so many great exhibits, like the human life exhibit which is my favorite. They have lots of changing exhibits too. They also have a butterfly garden too that is really cool. You can get some really nice views of Boston and the Charles River from here too! You should definitely come here, its a lot of fun!

I’ve been here so many times, so why not give a review right? I absolutely love coming here, even if I am not bringing any of my nephews or nieces because it’s just educational and entertaining (for science geeks like me). My husband and I came here on a rainy day, and everyone was just so helpful and accommodating! We were able to see a live animal exhibition and ask questions, and the people presenting it were both so nice and answered all our adult questions about the alligator that they presented. With no judgment that I am an adult asking questions pertaining to the live animals, they answered it in such an elaborate and kind manner.
The food court, was just fabulous! We were overlooking the Charles river, as we were having a delightful lunch. Although there were many kids running around, it was still fun for me to hag around such a beautiful museum. We also went to see an IMAX 4D frozen planet film, it was just awesome!!! Water and snow actually comes down on you, yes– I can’t tell you how… but you gotta give it a try :.)
The parking for us from 1 – 4:30 was $ 14.95 for non-​members, and you can get it validated if you are a member. We are seriously considering becoming members :)

The Museum of science earns an easy five stars. If you are the slightest bit interested in learning something about the world around you, then there is something here for you. If you are content being as dull as a sack of bricks, then perhaps not, but otherwise this place is great for all ages.
My girlfriend and I were gifted a membership, which I can now attest is well worth its value. A membership will get you some complimentary tickets to the theater and planetarium attractions and discounted tickets beyond those, but it would probably pay itself off with just the general admission. Sure it’s possible to run a museum in one go, but at a place like the Museum of Science, you’d just be doing yourself a disservice. There are rooms for anatomy, nutrition, dinosaurs, electricity, geometry, space, the list goes on and on and on. It could take days to truly digest all the information available in the exhibits. And like I said, that’s just general admission. The special attractions really go above and beyond. I spent a good hour combing through their Pixar exhibit.
The cafeteria and gift shop are (unsurprisingly) overpriced, but let’s be real. People aren’t coming to the MoS for their culinary delights. In fairness to the gift shop, they do have some pretty cool things, but enough from me. This is really a place you just have to go and experience yourself.

I know I am grown but I had a great time at the museum! It is a nice refresher for all the science stuff they teach you in school but you kind of forget/​put aside for new information. I found myself saying, ‘hey, I knew that…’ I actually learned some stuff too!
So I had to go to Boston for a few reasons that day, but I decided to head there early to see the museum first, but I didn’t have all day. A few hours, sure… I haven’t been there in years. As I walk thru the zig zag seatbelt rope maze to get a ticket, I look up and see a wall of TV’s giving me options for attractions like movies and demonstrations. I saw the butterfly garden and added that, yes please, enchanted forest moment, check. They also had a Pixar behind the scenes movie and some other 4D movies. You can add whatever extra stuff you want to see at the ticket booth, or as you walk thru the museum you can buy the ticket for what you want at the entrance of each section. Very clever.
The garden was awesome, 80 percent humidity and nice and warm. They just float around.
They had a few sections where you get a wrist band and walk around an interactive room, answer questions about daily life and basically get a read on how ‘healthy, happy, active, safe, you are… or factoids about bones, organs, foods, walking styles… yeesh I could go on.
It was full of school kids on field trips and it was a little loud and hectic. But what do you expect, I wasn’t mad I was more bummed out that my grade schools never brought us to this place! I would have loved this… All the kids were having fun in this giant playground.
There was a little café area, and a great gift shop. Parking was easy and I would recommend this place to anyone. Hooray for science.

Five stars for this museum because of the outstanding Pixar exhibit! I was able to spend a few hours in the «Science Behind Pixar» exhibit. The exhibit is like taking a tour of Pixar, and seeing the process of most of their movies from modeling, lighting, rigging, cameras, rendering, and more. There are 10 – 20 interviews with Pixar employees that are inspiring and extremely informative.
I’ve taken a tour of the Pixar workplace in Berkeley, CA and this was even better than my campus tour. In this exhibit, I was able to experience the computer skills that are used at Pixar. It was a hands-​on experience, and I recommend it for kids ages 7 to adult.
Since I spent so much time in this exhibit, I was tired and only visited the Electricity show which was also entertaining. If I had more time, I would’ve explored a few more areas of this museum. Do yourself a favor and see the Pixar exhibit before it’s gone! Pro Tip: The Pixar ticket includes the prices of the general admission to the museum regular exhibit wings (so basically, $ 6 extra for Pixar).

«CHILDREN’S MUSEUM»
If museums were PBS programs, this one would be the Magic School Bus.
This is not a museum for adults.
This would be a great museum for young Children. It’s got a lot of tactile activities for kids to grab, pull, push, and twist. There was seldom a space where you weren’t confronted with an exhibit talking to you or making noise. This museum even has live baby chicks and tamarins. Everything is accessible and geared to young children, probably up to age 11.
I come to a museum to be inspired. I was inspired approximately 0.01% of the time here. The rest was frustration with the level of noise and lack of maturity of the exhibits.
I’ve seen the old Franklin Institute, the AMNH, Carnegie Museum, and the state museums of natural history of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. This museum is less like those museums and more like the Crayola Factory (which is great, but it’s not touted as the «Crayola Museum of Science»).

SUCH a phenomenal place. I always learn something. I love the interactive-​ness of it. The kids like actually running experiments (Though I do have to coax them to follow directions, still. But they’re better!)
Love the Lightning show. It’s a must see. Do not miss it.
I haven’t gone to any of the movies, or the PIXAR exhibit. We just spent several very happy hours on the general floor.
We also ate at the café. It’s expensive, and «ok.» a moderate amount of foods. They had a decent variety, tho, and as a Vegetarian I was able to find things that I could eat.

A lot of the museum is under construction; the exhibits seemed small and not worth the money. All
Of the exhibits did seem as if they had been worked on semi recently. I hadn’t been here in about 10 years. The omni theater was great! We saw just about every exhibit (did not pay extra for Pixar, the planetarium, or the butterfly garden) and also a movie in under 4 hours. We had a small lunch at the café; food was decent.

Best science museum in the world and be prepared to spend all day, that’s what I was told by my long time Bostonian scientist friend. Sure enough I spent all day there but it wasn’t enough time to check out everything.
My favorite was lightening show where they recreate lightening by using a machine (originally developed by MIT students and was donated). I always had this misconception about lightening but learned inside a metal is safe such as a car, airplane, train or a Faraday Cage (giant bird cage) like they had.
I also enjoyed genetically modified food presentation. She stated the fact so well, her presentation made me think about world population and food shortage.
Third floor had exhibit hall about human body. I enjoyed learning about my body and how efficiently I walk.
Those are a few I enjoyed the most but they had much more than that. I learned a lot in one day.
My only complaint I may share is food. They have nice cafeteria located outside the exhibits halls and stamp machine is located by the exit to stamp for re-​entry. Food is average cafeteria food. They had fresh salad section but they didn’t look that appealing. Chicken looked dried. Service was just okay. Since museum is so much to spend all day, I would like to see if they raise the quality of food, such as using organic ingredients.
If I live in Boston, I would definitely invest and buy annual pass.

The museum of science is a nice play to visit especially if you have kids or little brothers and sisters. A lot of the activities are geared towards the younger generation but there’s plenty of displays, crafts, and other sights that adults would enjoy. I recommend going during the week when more people or at work and school. On the weekends it’s over crowded especially around lunch time. I had a nice time there and I learned a lot from their displays. I did not go to the butterfly section but I will save that for another time.

Pros:
There is a ton to do here – my friends and I easily spent nearly 2 hours in the gigantic, 3-​story Blue Wing. I was disappointed when we found the interactive «Hall of Human Life» exhibit in the Green Wing with only a limited time left in our day – it was by far the most engaging section I saw. You start by picking up a free wristband with a unique ID#. Then you take it to around to the 15 «Link stations,» where you scan the wristband and find out data about your health (how many calories you burn in your walk, how high your foot arches are, how long your ears are, etc.) Some are more interesting than others, but I find it cool that you can then log on to their website, put in your number, and see your data along with all museum visitors’ anonymous data for each station.
Cons:
1. Several of the online HHL data charts do not seem to be very useful (defying trends predicted by research in a few categories, so the averages do not give much context to your results). Many young kids probably just enter random data. Still, it is interesting to see your own metrics.
2. This place is SUPREMELY crowded on summer weekends – would recommend going during the week and off season if you want to avoid literally stepping on kids everywhere you turn. They truly run amok here.
3. It’s so expensive! $ 22 for an adult just to get in, without access to special exhibits. Parking for 3 hours is $ 12.25. Luckily, if you have a library card, you can get a big discount. Through Brookline libraries, you can request a pass and get $ 12 off – my friends and I ended up paying $ 10 each, a more reasonable price.
4. Was surprised not to see more hand sanitizer stations (maybe I wasn’t paying attention)? I can only imagine how many germs are lingering in this place as everything is «hands-​on.»

A fun time for both kids and adults. Take your time and enjoy all of the exhibits. If you’re looking for something to do indoors on a rainy day, this is definitely a good option.
Pro tip: if you are a member of the Cambridge public library or Boston public library, you can reserve museum passes that give you 4 free entrance tickets to the main museum. You will still have to pay extra for the special exhibits.

This is a great place to spend the whole day… but not for the reasons you’re thinking of.
Let me recount all the times I waited in line on my last visit:
–30 min to buy tickets (because they had only two registers open for a horde of non-​members, and took several minutes with each customer explaining all the add-​on ticket options)
–15 min to get into the timed special exhibit
–2 min to get into main exhibit halls
–15 min to grab a prepared cheeseburger off of the counter in the cafeteria
–5 min to pay for said cheeseburger
–5 min to use the bathroom
–10 min to pay for parking
–2 min to exit parking garage
As a result of all this waiting around + the high prices, the atmosphere here approximates the Hunger Games or Soviet Russia. It seems like everyone in the building is either openly crying (OK, mostly babies, but still) or barely holding back tears of frustration. There are lots of cool, interactive features in the exhibits, but when it comes to using them, you’ll often find yourself pushed aside by unattended kids or discouraged by even more long lines.
A lot of the staff are unpaid volunteers, so they could not care less about customer service or the fact that you stupidly put your parking ticket in the wrong slot (uh, for example). Exception: shout out to the super nice lady who sold me tickets – possibly the only trace of human kindness on the premises!
Aside from the numerous staffing and crowd flow problems, the exhibits here are rarely updated, making the Museum of Science interesting for visitors to Boston but a bit of a drag for anyone who’s been here in the last decade.
If you’re still determined to go, bring your own lunch and soothing mantra. Above all, don’t let the unruly crowds drive you to violence, since you won’t be able to make a quick getaway from the nightmarish garage!

Tous les jours de 9h à 17h et jusqu’à 21h le vendredi. Entrée:17 $. Musée dédié au génie humain. Très varié, vous trouverez nécessairement un domaine d’étude qui vous interessera dans les thèmes abordés: le vivant, la physique, l’optique, l’astronomie, l’aérologie, l’électricité, les mathématiques… Un musée interactif dans lequel passer une demi-​journée par mauvais temps. Vous pouvez vous dispenser de la serre aux papillons et économiser les 4 $ de supplément.