This was well above my expectations. The museum is relatively small compared to some others, but the quality is on par with the really big museum. It is free to get in, free parking on the weekends and the staff there is truly exceptional. I took my kindergartner for the exhibits and Planetarium. She absolutely loved it. It was easily one of the best free activities to spend 4 hours with her.

A hidden gem. Great variety of artifacts to see. Who knew so many artifacts were procured from NJ, but not all are from the state. It made a great memory and talking point for my children and I. I recommend going to their website for information on planetarium shows and offerings. When we were there they hosted a lunar workshop in their makerspace. Fun for all ages.

This museum and Planetarium are pretty nice. Its ideal for younger museum goers or for a stop on your way to other adventures. I went with a friend and her 5 year old daughter and the museum held all of our interest for a couple of hours. A great mix of fine art, Paleontology, geology, and local native artifacts (anthropology).

Excellent experience, and the planetarium is stellar! Treat yourself to this Trenton treasure, such a wonderful way to spend the day. Free parking and no entrance fee! So much to see on the 3 levels, and the planetarium is totally worth the admission fee. Nothing like outer space to inspire wonder and awe!

Right in my own city and I never knew

This is the best place to learn about history of New Jersey. Admission is free. You have to buy tickets for planetarium. We bought tickets on groupon. Parking is free if you visit on weekends. There is discovery den on second floor which toddlers will enjoy.Staff was super friendly. Elevators are there. You can carry food and eat in designated area. Vending machine is there to buy snacks.Overall we had good time.

Nice spot to bring kids if they want to see a few exhibits and they have a small kids play area. Cant beat the price! Free!

Pretty cool museum if youre a fan, there is lot to look at, great for kids too!

I love this museum! Its free and its a great place to go with kids or on your own. Theres always something to learn! The staff is friendly and great with kids. Every exhibit is fascinating. The second floor has a kids area where they can learn through play. We havent done a planetarium show yet but we hope to soon!

Wow. What an amazing treasure. Will be back again

The reason I love this place is because it was the place where Rare Disease Day 2020 was hosted and celebrated. Because of its ideal location in the heart of Trenton, the event was able to have its very first legislative roundtable where 2 assemblymen and 2 assemblywomen were able to make there way over to the event and interact directly with attendees. The entrance is accessible and the event was held on a Monday morning and surprisingly allowed for easy street parking. The acoustics and lighting were a bit difficult. The windows allowed way too much light into the room where clear pictures were practically impossible to take. If the windows had drapes, it would have allowed for better picture taking but the in person experience was very much enjoyable.

The entrance is hard to get to or find but once inside we love it! The showings are always great and informative and then the museum is fantastic to look around. Theres so much to see and look at. The gift shop is cool...a bit pricy though. Overall great visit!

It’s great for a free little museum. I enjoy taking my kids especially upstairs to see the natural science section and there are puzzles and books upstairs as well. Nice gift shop and we have enjoyed the planetarium a few times (not free). Parking is the only problem—if you park in the garage, be prepared to have to ask to be let back in as the door locks behind you. And the people are always grumpy to open it for you.

Great free museum with childrens activitiesPlanetarium is not free but exhibits are. Good rainy day ornany day fun.

Not the most expansive museum but really good for younger kids who don’t have the attention span for a larger place.

Its the kind of Museum you would expect from a small City. The exhibits were marginally interesting with the sole exception of the art gallery which had a wide array of interesting paintings ranging from the 19th century to contemporary art. Its the kind of Museum that I would have said that its an Hidden Gem if it would have been in the middle of nowhere. However, this is New Jerseys State Museum, and they could have done a much better job.

Havent been here in decades and dont quite remember what it was like back then but i really enjoyed being there the other day.

Nice place to visit....students enjoyed the different areas.

Visited the Planetarium for the CapCom Go! Apollo Story for the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. The show was great for a pretty low price. The accompanying exhibit in the museum was kind of small though and did not have too much to see, but it was informative.

It was just ok and not there museums fault, just the time spent was short on school trip, but definitely want to come back and visit with my family.

I really wanted to give it five stars. Great exhibits and lots of Jersey based information and attractions. The planetarium was great and all the kids loved it. Heres the problem, I went with my four kids one of which is in diapers. None of the mens restrooms had a changing table. I mean is this 1955? I asked a women there if the ladies room had one and she said it did. Didnt do me any good, i had to change him on the floor like an idiot.

Very cool exhibits of paleontology, fine art, history, and the Pine Barrens.

Great time with the children and wonderful staff!!

Good place to spend some time. Learn some new things. Its free to park and enter the museum.

It has some nice things to look at, but was slightly disappointed. My daughter found it so boring and the planetarium show was dull. It was my first time at a show and I expected hi definition show and about planets not a video I could watch on YouTube.

Please update it to temporarily closed we just drove almost an hour and a half because it says its open and we get to the security guard and she calls inside and says that its closedthank you

The musesm was nice and the children had a lot of fun. The only minor issue was the planetarium presentation we saw. I feel it would have been more educational for the children, (ages 3 to 8) if it was more about the Solar System and less about Ancient Mayan Gods.

My daughter live this place..

A relaxing place to keep your mind on beauty.

Having lived in New Jersey most of my life, the art in particular speaks to me because captures scenery Ive always known. Add in the kid friendly exhibits, and the fact that its free, makes this destination an afternoon winner.

Must visit! Croc exhibit is impressive. Make sure you go to every floor and the planetarium. Lots of free parking on weekends. The museum has free entry.

I had a nice time. Hard to get in and out of, i understand though. It doesnt take long 3 small floors with lot of security.

Very informative and historical place

This place is an undiscovered treasure in the town! Definitely recommend it. I loved the old stuff section, and the animal section. Its funny I asked my Instagram followers if the Dinasours are playing or fighting, and 76% said playing! Definitely visit the section down stairs where you guess what are those old items! Haha!

Not bad. There were a few good exhibits, planetarium was the highlight though.

Had a great time with my family, my 4 year old loved seeing the vintage toys and playing with the Legos. There was plenty to see and that staff was very friendly.

Interesting exhibits and a gift shop with good gifts. Some exhibits were interactive there was even an area where you could make your own puppet show. In my opinion the best thing by far was the fossil exhibition, which contains some pretty impressive fossils.

My son loves is here. Like the fact it’s close to home and it’s free. Rainy days we head here and read more into what we already love seeing

Great PEOPLE working there...any questions bout solar system director came out of his office too answer questions...polite and informative..

The museum has a wonderful collection of American art.

Lots of stuff to see and great for kids. Note its free so its for me

So long as your expectations are reasonable for a small museum, its an excellent way to spend an hour or two. Its a very nice mixture of art, natural science and New Jersey artifacts

Free museum, great way to spend a cold day. They have paleontologists working in an open room on the natural history floor! They answer questions and show you their work, its really great. There are a lot of toys and books for a toddler in the play area. The rest of the museum is a little boring for a small child, Id like to get back and really look at the WWI art and the Native American exhibits sans-toddler.

I was really underwhelmed. I expected a more comprehensive collection given New Jerseys relatively long history - as one of the thirteen colonies and then as a state. The history portion was limited to several small galleries and the rest was science (for kids) and art. The art gallery wasnt even Jersey-centric, but a mix of pieces from everywhere that the museum has acquired over the years. Some serious curatorial work is in order - one that presents a cohesive story of the state and its people. They could also use the art space to promote local artists and their work.

Im glad me and my sister came here. Were fans of NJ as well as fans of this museum.Our favorite exhibit, which was PERFECT for kids, the animals and dinosaur room, was interactive and fun and informative.Signage regarding which animals are found where would be helpful. There were things like toucans and jaguars, stuffed. The taxidermy was amazing but I was confused why some of it was in a museum about our great state.Walked through 2/3 of the exhibits in less than an hour.Cute little shop with lots of NJ paraphernalia. Loved some of them for gifts or tchotchkes.One Andy Warhol print of Jackie O. And one Roy Liechtenstein pop art. Would recommend.

My husband and I visited the museum enjoying it. We arrived late in the day so we were there about an hour but enjoyed the time we were there and plan to go back. Its kept clean and there are security guards so its safe. It is free. The museum has lots of information and history. We loved the art collection. It was clean and each floor has a security guard on the floor. Its a really nice place and everyone we spoke with there was helpful. The planetarium is on the lowest level which we have been to a few times, its worth going to as well. I would recommend it.

It is full of well thought out displays. It has a nice mix of interactive displays for young children to play with & learn from .

The planetarium laser light show was amazing.

Awesome free museum love the archeological area.

Never even knew this place existed. Went with a kids field trip. I was really amazed at this place and it kept the kids looking and interested. Worth a trip for sure.

Small collection of mostly new jersey based art and artifacts. Only a five dollar donation and plenty of parking around the area. Great for a rainy weekend.

Self tour was nice. Not sure we saw everything. Saddly we had to miss planetarium

Dont go expecting the Smithsonian. Its a very nice but modest museum. A great place to take young ones when the weather is bad and they need space to move around. The planetarium is great.

Lots of things to see. The planetarium was a great bonus. Admission is free but $7/adults for planetarium. Groupon has good offers.

The best museum in NJ that nobody knows about! Its Iike a smaller version of the Museum of Natural History in NYC

Great museum for an afternoon. Not very large but great exhibits and a good amount of interactive ones

This place is great lots to look at plenty of history to learn. Also they have a planetarium to see the sky and an auditorium where they have shows. Cost is great and dont forget to donate

Free admission. Street parking is free on weekends. Planetarium is not free, but less than $10 a ticket. Most exhibits are No Touch, but there is an small kids area that will keep young ones occupied for 30 minutes or so. No food concessions, but there is a space to eat what you bring in. Worth the trip if you are in the area.

Good place to visit. Decent environment. All the stuffs are well maintained.

So, the area is quite a ghost town on a Sunday but the museum itself is interesting. Its free admission but you can leave a donation in the front but the planetarium requires a fee. Nice museum if you dont want to make a whole day at a place.

Amazing. My grandson loved it and so did I

A nice place to take a girl on the first date

Great Museum! SO beautiful

Pretty solid NJ theme museum, takes about 2 hours to take it in. The planetarium is awesome because, you know, they are all awesome.

Good overall. Bit more interactive things for kids would be ok. Kids love to touch.

The museum was great and very interesting. if you go to the planetarium, the earlier showings are geared mostly for children. I believe 2 p.m. and onwards are more for the adult crowd.

This is a really cool museum. They have a lot to offer-- something for everyone (natural history, art, etc.). Amazing American art collection and friendly staff made this a great experience!

A great collection. Something for everyone. The WWI poster collection was extraordinary and the laser shows at the planetarium are fantastic.

It has very cool things

Has some neat things on display and a typically expensive gift shop. Good for pokestops.

Excellent time somuch fun

The planetarium was great. It was a Magic Tree house story. It kept my3 yr old granddaughters attention. The museum is nice but smallish. Interesting archeological displays.

Nice place and enough to see inside. Peaceful location.

We really enjoyed or visit here! I especially loved the WWI poster exhibit! There were actually!my a few interactive parts to some tof the exhibits, but they were geared more toward kids (didnt stop me lol!). We saw the Dark Universe show at the planetarium which was very cool, but we missed out on looking at the displays in the planetarium (our timing was bad). Id say we got there around 11:30 am & left right as they were closing (exhibits close at 4:45pm), this included the 30 minute planetarium show. The gift shop had a lot of cool stuff, including local artisan items. It was very fun & were glad we went! Wed come back too!

Great museum with free admission. Nice place to take a quick day trip to and learn!

Just the right size. Just the right price. The Planetarium was extra but worth it. Very safe with plenty of weekend parking.

This place is one of the best uses of my tax dollar as a NJ resident. It has an impressive line up of exhibits for kids and adults alike. Ive taken my daughters here multiple times and no trip is complete without a stop at the Discovery Den. They have a blast and its hard to pry them away when its time to leave!

Its free!!! Has tons of interesting things to learn about and discover!

Great place to take the family. Learn about NJ history and art. Great gift shop with local artisans

Great little museum! Free too. Takes donations

Great place to go and see a little of New Jersey history

Not to see much. It may not be meaningful visit. Out of date museum!

An interesting place to spend a few hours and learn about New Jersey.

Not sure if your supposed to pay no one asked for money good afternoon with the wife

What a completely wonderful way to jazz up a hot Sunday afternoon, the exhibits were all explained with great personal stories, it made you proud to be a NJ son or daughter, amazing wealth of information, exhibits accessable to all, clean facilities, a real nice time. Kept us occupied for several hours and something for everyone, Lots of interactive exhibits for the children. Im definitely going to visit regularly, enjoyed the natural history exhibits and native art the most, the flags were so amazing and I learned a lot at 61 years, great time for seniors, elevators and lots of places to rest, gaze and enjoy.

It was nice and really interesting, but I feel like they should add more artifacts, like rocks and minerals, My dad made us Lea early, so we didnt experience much, but I love it, definitely will go again

A good place to go with the family on a sunny day.

Always has been a favorite of mine

Nice people and good small museum

Awesome place for young and old. Great for families

Nice little museum. More geared for younger kids, elementary to maybe 7th grade.

Had a great two hours with a toddler. Really family friendly. Didnt try the planetarium but there were plenty of interactive exhibits and the discovery zone is a perfect break for a rambunctious little one. Bravo to the think tank running the center, we are excited to see what plans are in store for level two and we will definitely be back soon!

I got to see rad dinosaur skeletons enough said

Interesting collection of New Jersey related historical items. Not too big, not too small - just the right size to keep children occupied without becoming bored. Some of the fine art is not relative to New Jersey but still interesting to the collection.

Fantastic exhibits on local native American archaeology from their huge collection. State Museum itself in need of a cash injection... Time stood still for much of it for some decades and looks like the Soviet 70s

Nice place for a kids outing. Planetarium is also nice

Quite a bit here! We were surprised that we spent so much time. Three kids 18m / 4 / 7yrs were all happy to browse and enjoyed both the art and history as well as the fabulously done, bright and open kids area and fossil / animal area. Planetarium is smaller than I remember it being when I was 10, show was good but a bit long for the younger two and scary for the 4yr old (was about weather on the planets... so fire and storms and spacecraft deploying parachutes which makes a big boom... seems like the room is spinning, which it isnt, but still Id recommend the show for over 5). Staff was excellent and very engaging.

Good place for cheap family activity. No admission, donation only.

Free museum. Great diversity

Its been so long since Ive been here but really enjoyed the displays ( Jersey Crocs, Flags of the Civil War,the Apollo missions and the Native Americans in NJ) Also went to the Planetarium and watched Sesame Street talk about stars!