My Wife and I decided to come here during our recent trip to SD and it was a lot of fun! We love taking silly pictures together and we had a lot of fun. Id suggest bringing your own tripod or renting one of theirs. We decided not to but wish we did. There are a lot of cool Fleet Science Center to take pictures with. Only complaint is its a little small and a lot of the murals are close together so you constantly have people near you trying to get their pictures at the same time. Other than that it was a great time and Id recommend!

My son is 2 and he LOVED it! The science center is interactive, which is especially nice if your kid can stay in one spot. Wish we could see the movies that are offered with the general admission. There is a skating rink inside as well, I general this is a great place for anyone who wants to learn a thing or two as well as kids.

Love this place. The only time we had an issue the staff were great at solving it and compensate us for the inconvenience. Staff is nice and bathrooms are always clean.

The museum has plenty of attractions and was very inviting. My kids loved the Pause-Play section. Imax movie experience was breathtaking. Even though they had the winter paradise exhibit, we really didnt enjoy the ice skating.The Fleet is San Diegos science center, bringing together the community, empowering educators and offering meaningful experiences that embrace the power of science and impact the world around us. Its right behind the San Diego Natural History Museum and you can park your car at the same spot to visit both these museums.Buy the San Diego Go Card to visit Zoo, Legoland, Sea world and Balboa museums.

My 5 year old loves this place! They have a lot of hands on stuff for kids of all ages. There was a live show outside of the gift shop. Our favorite is the play area and the Lego area.

Very fun place for kids and adults alike. Lots of hand-on activities which makes it so engaging. On busy days strollers are not allowed inside (just fyi, bring a baby carrier). To access the Play/Pause area, the wait is about 45 minutes but so worth it.

Maybe if I visited it a different time I would have enjoyed it more but myself and some friends went through pretty quickly. However, its great for kids and families thatll keep you entertained for a period of time, and theyve got films for you to watch depending on the times you get there.I didnt go during the adult night they had, but theyve got 21+ nights if Im not mistaken when they serve alcohol while you go around. So Id recommend going then if youre not with your family.

Great fun. Beautiful weather. Museum of Man excellent. Science center has superior IMAX movies. All staff VERY pleasant and helpful. Friendly to leashed dogs and children too. Wear your walking shoes and bring the family.

We always have a good time. We have the annual pass and it is a really good value. 2 adults and all your kids, plus IMAX tickets for less than $120 ( I dont remember the exact amount)

Went for the kids night out and they loved it! My girls range from 4 years to 10 and it was appropriate for each. They had pizza, got to free-explore the 3 main exhibits (the loved the brain and energy exhibits) and then they got to watch an IMAX movie with popcorn!! Much better than a babysitter and much preferred to the parents night out we tried at another place. Would definitely do it again. Worth the price!

A great place for youth oriented eclectic science exhibits, highly recommended for school field trips, if you can manage enough supervision. Includes a special little kid play and exploration area.

Great place for kids and adults to nerd out and have a good time

Adult Recess was an absolute blast!! The Whisper Machine was the favorite, though the slide and seat go round ball game were also super cool! The staff made things fun. I loved the club music that played along with all the neat science education fun we get to play with! The big kids were out tonight!! This was the last night of this event and I loved it! We had soft serve swirl and a cherry icee afterwards! Great place to have fun and then sit by the fountain at night to enjoy the lights.

This place is awesome! My daughter loves it, and we both enjoy its quirky exhibits. Lots of families, the exhibits change, as do the movies, so stop back often.

Great place to take the kids & family.... its a free museum only asking for donations at end of your visit. So many items of interest for everyone and its hands on meaning you can feel free to examine, handle and/or play with things being careful not to break or linger too long on any one thing. They have clean bathrooms and a small gift shop. Plenty of free parking. Located in Balboa Park which is lovely anytime of year you also have coffee & dining areas and several museums as well as Botanical Gardens.

Great for kids. Ours range from 2yrs to 9yrs. They all had a great time.Bathrooms were well kept, exhibits were engaging and involved the kids well. Spent over 5 hours there. We brought food with us and simply took a break outside at the fountain to eat. They stamp your hand so that you can get right back in.The IMAX dome screen is amazing (and pricey). Loved the show we saw.We have a membership through the ASTC for a science museum in another state and Fleet honored it. Its well worth the cost of a membership to save on the movies and pays for itself quickly.

It was a nice place educational for children but do not get the popcorn of the concession stand. The levels of salt in popcorn was way too much.

We would go every, single day with our grandkids if we could. They LOVED it!! The movie was spectacular, too.

Amazing fun for the whole familyIce skating although not real ice, was a bit dangerous without helmets but the kids loved it anyway. We come a few times a year and its always amazingEnjoy your time here

Luv the science Fleet Center close at this time but will we be reopening soon stay tuned

Its a good place for parent-child activities. Its still fun.

Exquisite experience to bring your kids me and my sister really enjoyed it we had loads of fun in the special exhibition. The museum os fun bu me and my sister as kids say the special ones are better. There was a lego one, an arcade one and there is a myth busters right know. There is a lot of activity for your kids and a show which is totally worth it . Insider tip: Tuesdays are free

Lots for the kids to do here. We stayed the entire day. The kids bounced from activity to activity and we never heard Im booooored!. Spent a long time building our own cardboard marble mazes and ended the day in the Mindbender Mansion where we had to solve puzzles to unlock a master code. Kids got their own certificates afterwards. Had lunch at the cafe inside which had a great selection of sandwiches, salads and hot food. Tons of fun and glad we went.

Hands on science exhibit mainly geared toward elementary aged school kids. Located in beautiful Balboa park. Hands on and self guided. IMAX educational movies shown daily on a large domed movie screen that spans across the entire theater. Reasonable prices; **military don’t forget to ask for that discount. The movie “Pandas” was super cute. If you have vertigo, you will most likely feel you are moving with the screen . Every Tuesday throughout the month, different museums and exhibits within Balboa park have free or discounted prices. This IMAX theater is something every kid should experience at least once.

What a blast! Not only is this fun for children but its a good time for adults! The movie was incredible tooooooo! Its in aa dome shape so youre looking all over and not just in front. I felt very safe letting the kids discover and run around. They were having so much fun while learning too. Theres also bathrooms all over the place so you dont have to go very far from the fun.

The exhibits and activities were really fun and it does seem to be a good place to bring children but thats kinda the issue with it as well. The place is completely filled with kids to the point where it kinda ruins the whole atmosphere. To me and my family, it wasnt worth the money.

I was sold an annual pass and told I could use it at the museums near my home. After charging my card, I was told that the museum could not be within 90 miles of my own residence. The staff refused to issue me a refund (even though I agreed to pay a normal days admission rate). They kept saying they couldnt do it and telling me to call their corporate line. No response from corporate.Complete scam. Sold under a false pretense. They are so eager to sell and THEN tell you the membership is near useless. Then you are left to the dogs.Buyer beware.

Our family loved it! The press play exhibit was our favorite. And the dont try this at home demonstration was on point. Our two year old and five year old were so focused.

My toddler loves Kid City! It was very busy on the first Tuesday of the month, but it was a great time regardless.

Get a membership if you have kids. They love it and you get free access to the Imax showings, just saw the rescue dogs one and it was amazing. Love my dog even more now ;)

This is by far our favorite museum! We frequently go there with the kids, they often change up their exhibits, so its always a little different each time!Its great for tots, and older kiddos alike! And believe it or not, its super fun for parents too! My 7 yr old used to love playing in the tots area upstairs! Recently he is more into the big kiddos exhibit, which, features hands on learning! We recently went to the tinkering lab and had a blast! There is always cool science projects for kids to do! Even my 5 mth old daughter had a great time looking around!The photo below is my son enjoying the video games past to present that had a good run not long ago. Oh, and I would be remiss if I didnt mention the amazing documentaries that can be viewed in there dome shaped theatre!Dont forget to stop by the gift store, there are tons of STEM project kits. We always love to get the space food ice cream sandwiches!

Super fun place to take the kids. Behind the building is a lovely terraced garden

This place is AMAZING!!! My kiddo had a blast! The whole museum is touchable. So kids and adults can play and have a good time.

Sleep is always trying to bring in new things. We love the IMAX movies and Planetarium chose and the Mindbender exhibit

Fun place to take kids. Tons of hands-on experiments. Great learning situation.

Smaller than expected, had some interesting exibits but definitely geared towards younger kids

There are a lot of fun, interactive and educational things to do here with a certain fee, a fee that is worth every penny for the children and the kids at heart, they will fully enjoy every moment exploring the museum.Our eyes including my kids were alight and every muscle moved upon entering the fleet. We left with a bouncy stride and a wide smile, it was a tiring day albeit delightful.#LetsGuide #SanDiegoGuide #FleetScienceCenter #pauseplayscience

We went to see Mesmerica at Fleet Science Center on Friday night. Its a show played in the Dome Theater. Very visually stimulating meant to relax you and put you in a different frame of mind. Also, browsed the other exhibits while waiting for the show.

Located in beautiful Balboa Park the Fleet Science Center has been a staple attraction for me personally since I was a little kid. Opened in 1973 as the San Diego Planetarium it changed its name later to the Reuben H. Fleet Science center and is now just the Fleet Science Center. If you have kids ( or even if you dont) this is a place of fun and wonder and education. The education part is fun and everyone leaves happy. They also host an incredible IMAX theater where the film is projected in 360 degrees on the ceiling over head. This is a must see . Movies rotate throughout the year. Season passes are very reasonable.

Although fountain attracts most of my views so I didn’t notice this museum, their theme if probably what I like most.

Such fun! Great interactive exhibits and a lot to see here. Worth e wet penny!

Pricey and not much science. Many exhibits are old and the museum exhibit area is actually fairly limited. Lots of posters and reading material compared to hands on physical exhibits. Attractions include a ball pit and a mini “Kid City”. Not worth the price of admission. Lots of science in San Diego- this should be much better than it is.

A happy, well-trained staff. Excellent hands-on activities. Great interactive exhibits as well as much to observe and explore. Something for anyone who loves learning.

Been coming here since I was a kid! Love to bring my kids here now. So many things to explore plus alot of new stuff as well.

Always take my grandkids here when they visit. A wonderful educational experience. And when they dont visit, I find my way there for my own time to enjoy and expand my thinking. Fabulous place to go.

This is a fun place for an hour or two with a four year old and a six year old. Some of the hands on exhibits are excellent and they cycle them over time. The interactive options are good for a range of ages. The IMAX has some reasonable movies but they tend to be aimed at a slightly older age group than for my children. Overall its a fun way to educate but I do feel a little expensive - though during October when kids get in free with an adult.

Love bringing my 2 daughters here. Lots to do and play with. They love that they can touch anything in the museum. Tons of STEM related activities

Small science center. Its good for about an hour and a half. Its catered towards children. Its not comparable to the Toronto Science Centre which is huge. This space is one very large room with a mezzanine and an IMAX theatre. If youre not bringing kids or are 11 and under - dont bother coming here.

Great place to bring the kids. Lots to see, very educational.

Great place for kids of all ages. Hands on exhibits. Imax movies. Gift shop. Snack bar.

It was smaller inside than I thought, but my kids (5&2) had a lot of fun.

The museums in Balboa park are awesome but the Fleet Science center is stepping it up with their Adult Nights and their star shows which happen on the first Wednesday of every month. I highly encourage anyone to go have a date night for one of those, its pretty spectacular.

Its a really fun place to learn and really interesting!

Been coming here over 40 years. Still a great family experience. Dont miss out on the space theatre its so cool. Plenty of places to rest and sit down.

Amazing science center. Constantly changing exhibits and wonderful community outreach programs. Im so glad to have this in San Diego!

Good museum for the kids. My kids really enjoyed it (5,7,9, and 11). We did watch the movie in the dome theater. It was neat but way too long. We werent warned of the length and my little ones had a hard time sitting through the entire thing. Some of the centers could use some updating, fixing, cleaning. But overall a great place for a fun time with the kids.There is a small consession stand to buy popcorn, candy, and bottled drinks before entering the dome theater. Also an attached little cafe that was a little pricey but not for a food option without leaving.Parking was free and easy.

All the hands on exhibits were awesome and fun, and of course my boys loved it too!! Even in kid city, I had fun pretending to add up grocery prices with the abacus. But, they need more notes for their little wooden xylophone, because I could fully play twinkle twinkle Little Star with just 5 notes.I loved it.

Fascinating place to learn about flight science

Great experience for kids and adults. The inventions and experiments are fun. The staff is helpful and there is a science professor there to answer any questions

Did an overnight stay with our scout pack. Cool interactive exhibits for the kids. Awesome Imax theatre.

Super clean. Fun for everyone in the family. Everything you need is nearby. Food and drink, clean bathrooms. Staff is very nice and accommodating

Amazing place for kids, lots of fun stuff for them to do, the pause play was especially great. The staff did an awesome job maintaining and monitoring the place. My kids loved the pool full of balls. They did not want to leave. The staff monitoring it did a great job and explained rules to each of the kids each time they entered. We spent 5 hours there and if we didnt need to leave, we would have stayed longer.

Saw the Great Bear Rain forest movie!! Very enjoyable!

Love how interactive this place is, perfect for kids. Kid City was great for the little ones and my oldest loved the giant play area.

Awesome displays that entertained and educated audiences older than the usual kids you see around. Personally, loved the one about electricity sources.

My children love going to the Science Museum. They love the Play|Pause exhibit that is upstairs as well as the build and create space downstairs. We could go every week and they could spend hours there each time.

Great place to take your kids, lots of hands on things for them to do and learn about. They had an artificial skating rink set up near the theater and were doing a show called dont try this at home. Lots of nearby stuff to do as well and a nice big park next door.

A great location inside Balboa Park in San Diego. We highly recommend a visit. Shopping, eating and museum visits. Live music and otjers.

Really fun! Theres lots of hands-on stuff, great for kids. IMAX in the dome theater was really cool

Great place to spend an active yet educational and fun afternoon with your child. Would me nice if they were open at night time too. Night Owls are people too, and we too have kids to entertain.

Very interesting exhibits. So so food. Didnt find the free movies, but the brain exhibit was really cool and widely varied.

I love a science museum but this was way above a museum. Its not the management problem for not maintaining it but the crowd they cannot control. Teens, toddlers everywhere and banging everything they find amusing.

If youre a grown man like me then you might not enjoy it fully. They offer a IMAX movie of your choice when you purchase a ticket to the museum so its a good bargain.

Touring as an adult, I find the Science centre just ok. The layout of the galleries doesnt seem to have any flow, and I found myself constantly referring to the map to see if we had missed something.That being said, the children here ask seem to be having a blast. Definately worth the ticket price, at 50% off.

Went there for KPBS Chasing the Moon preview. I couldnt have had a nicer time. The speakers, Francis French, Charles F. Bolden, jr, & Kristine Khieu, were great. The film previews-great! The Fleet Science Center is a great venue! Cant wait for the series to start! (July 8-10, 9pm on KPBS)

Could get free admission if you have ASTC Passport Program (Hoffenreffe). It have all good educational display, lego room and so many good stuff!

With more than 100 interactive science exhibits in eight galleries as well as major traveling exhibitions, the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center is the best place to go if you want to create colored shadows, touch a tornado, examine the vibration of guitar strings, and get your hands on a variety of intriguing scientific phenomena. Home to the world’s first IMAX Dome Theater, the science center presents the biggest films on the planet, its unique configuration wrapping audiences in images and providing the illusion of being suspended in space. Since its opening in 1973, the Fleet has been one of San Diego’s most-visited museums, thanks to the theater and interactive exhibits as well as the Tinkering Studio, which allows visitors to experiment, invent, and create, and Kid City, which is an exhibition just for kids five and under. The Fleet also holds lectures, classes, workshops, and more.

I kept my sons membership for 7 years here, as one of his favorite places. Highly educational as well. Shows continually change so its never boring.

We love it here. The kids always have a great time. Hands-On science is the best way to learn it.

Convenient parking, and the attendant saw my active duty military ID card, said thank you for my service, and waved me through! What can I say, I had to drag my kids away from every exhibit section. Oh, and the volunteers with the mini-carts with little props and teaching points - so kid friendly, knowledgeable, and excited about their topics! Such a good touch to a day already filled with learning and discovery! Thank you!

Saw an imax film here about Lemurs on Madagascar . I loved it, totally worth it. This is an awesome place for kids and adults. A great day spent learning about science and walking around Balboa. The parking is free and as far as I can tell, they have gone along way to clean up the homeless issue. One of my favorite things about the science center is all the attractions you find inside. The gift shop has some of the best tee shirts I have ever seen. You need to check these out if you go, and also get some space ice cream. Its a crowd favorite and super tasty. If you are looking for something fun and educational for a date or to do with kids, check this place out!!

We went to see the Mesmerica audio/visual show at the Fleet Science Dome Theater last evening and it was Fantastic!!! The venue couldnt be better and the staff, so very well organized. The seating inside was very comfortable and viewing the dome screen was quite an mind blowing experience! Parking was also very easy and on a beautiful late afternoon like yesterday, it was very nice to walk around the grounds of the center. I would definitely recommend this venue to all.

Cant find a better science museum for kids to play in

While the price of admission is on the steeper end compared to the other museums in the park the Fleet Science Center is still an absolute fun place for anyone. Its a treat place for kids to have interactive learning as they dont realize how much theyre learning with all the fun stuff the Science Center has to offer.

Great place. I was there for Mesmerica so didnt have too much time to look around but the exhibits I did see were fun and interesting. Very interactive, lots of things to construct, experiment, and play with. Pro tip, park on the street if your can add it is much closer than the parking lot. Mesmerica was pretty great too, definitely takes you on an inward journey

The museum is a great place to introduce the youngsters to science, the whole family will enjoy.Best of all though, for the adults, the IMAX theater, they have a great variety of shows.The IMAX offers great films like Cuba, which covers the islands culture and biological treasures.Also, a great doc about rescue dogs was beautifully cinematic and informative.

Fun place for kids. There is a small under 5 section but I think older kids will get the most out of it.

Awesome place for kids, specially for the late night days when theyre open til 10pm. I had the opportunity to go on Friday night where a couple other museums were also open late plus there was a variety of food trucks available in Balboa park.

My daughter loved the summer camp.

My husband and my ten year old son loved it. They have the Tesla Coil exhibit which my husband enjoyed very much.

The IMAX experience is beyond spectacular its a half dome screen that completely covers your peripheral vision. This totally immerses you in the environment of the film. Science museum part is full interactive experience for kids and adults. It has been one of our favorite places to go for over 35 years.

Awesome place...currently redoing a display...but always something fun and interesting. Have been getting annual pass...all grandkids love visiting.

The kids always have a blast here. Then we get balloons after

I went during December nights, it was pretty cool! A bunch of the interactive stuff was broken though, so that wasnt too fun for my daughter. She still had a great time

A great place to bring kids. Amazing activities. But the food is small.

Great spot for kids and adults alike. Tons to do, highly recommend the kids zone upstairs for younger kids (2-4). ~$20 admission very reasonable considering an Imax movie is included.

This place is amazing and there is so many things to interact with. Our 5 year old had a blast.

The kids lost interest quickly and like 4 of the exhibits were broken and the staff was rude in that regard. The parking can be challenging. This place does hold lots of good memories, Ill just stick with the store (astronaut ice cream is the best) and the spraying (lack of a better word) water outside.

Nice museum for children. Members so receive free admission to other ASTC museums. I take my grandsons here when I visit. .

A small, well-used science center. Despite another review, it is not free. 21.95 for adults 18.95 for kids. One IMAX movie in their dome theater is included in your ticket. That made our visit worth it. We saw Superpower Dogs and were totally wowed by it. (Not 3D)Exhibits need updating.