Jen & I wanted to take our granddaughter Op somewhere before she started school so we headed to the…read moreArizona Science Center, we had a great time seeing everything and being in side an air conditioned building. We got there early before it really started to get busy so was able to see everything without bumping elbows with other people. We had a good time and sure you would as well so plan a date and enjoy a trip to the Arizona Science Building.

I grew up with a family that regularly went to museums. We slowly walked through every exhibit and…read moreready everything, saw every show, and participated in anything that was on the schedule. At the time, as a kid, I hated it as it was boring and far less than hearing about my friends spending their vacations on the beach. But looking back on it I learned a lot and I'm grateful for my parents pulling me through those museums. Now I'm a parent and taking my kids to museums. However, I am a much different parent than my parents were. My kids are there to have fun and so that is what we do. So there is no slow trudging through reading every placard or watching every scheduled demonstration. It is whoosh, off to the next thing. With that said, there is plenty of fun things to do. And admittedly, there were a few times I was reading a placard and my kids Houdini'd on me. No learning for you, Dad! The line to get in was... pretty atrocious. We had the Go pass, but still cost a lot to get in. I almost bought a season pass just so I could come back alone. Maybe later in the future. I would have loved to sit and watch all the shows and presentations... but I don't know if my kids would have had the patience/interest. Park in the Heritage garage and get your ticket validated.

"The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple…read morepies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff." ― Carl Sagan, American astronomer and astrophysicist Come view the stars. The Gilbert Rotary Centennial Observatory is open on Fridays and Saturdays, from sunset - 9:30PM, weather permitting. The cost is free but there is a suggested donation of $5/family or $3/adult. Donations are gratefully accepted for the maintenance of the equipment. See the moon, planets, double stars, open clusters, and other wonders of the night sky. Join them on the second Friday of each month for their Public Star Party. An astronomy talk is presented in the adjoining public library at 7:30PM and is hosted by the East Valley Astronomy Club (www.evaconline.org). Visit their website (www.grcoonline.org) for special events, solar viewing, and to book private group bookings.

Although they have public viewing sessions, we reserved a private session for $40 for our family of…read morefive. It was over an hour looking at the sky, learning about astronomy, and getting a crazy view of the moon and several stars. I never realized how awesome the stars were going to look thru a powerful telescope. Claude and Gordon led our session and their passion for astronomy really came through. Our kids 8-18 yrs were all engaged and thought it was really wonderful.

We visited the museum on a weekday morning. We enjoyed the displays of rocks from various parts of…read morethe earth, the Arizona-Mexican artifacts, and of course the dinosaurs, especially the aquatic dinosaurs. This museum has an active dinosaur fossil dig - you can watch and even talk to the paleontologist working on it! There's lots to see and enjoy here, including real elements from a jail that held prisoners from the 1830s to the 1970s!! The gift shop is reasonably priced and you can even purchase a "memory bag" filled with pencil, notebook eraser, etc, for only $2.50 each.

Paid $14 and only stayed about 40 minutes. There were multiple groups of school children that were…read morerunning around, screaming, jumping and bumping into everything. I expect that behavior to be tolerated at a children's museum, not a public museum where a basic level of respect and decorum is expected for EVERYONE inside. Wish I could say I enjoyed it but the hundreds of screaming children ruined any experience I could have had and left with a migraine. **Would appreciate museums to have specific days for "field trips" or hours for school days. Unfortunately many museum experiences are ruined due to the behavior of unruly children, and I'm still the one paying full price.

This museum is hard to find but it's in an old elementary school building…read more I was very underwhelmed. The best part was the portable planetarium show.

This museum exceeded my expectations! First, it was larger than I expected. Next, the collections…read morewere more comprehensive and interesting. I LOVED getting to a "tour" of the Space Station! Great for adults as well as kids. My only suggestion is to have much better signage on the outside. People driving by don't realize you are there.

We love the i.d.e.a. Museum and have been going for years. It's been really fun watching how the…read moreexperience changes as my kids get older. They've aged out of the soft play areas, but now they can spend hours at the stop motion video station and exploring the newer exhibits. The recycling area is also one of their favorites. It's such a quaint little space and incredibly affordable for what you get. I also love seeing downtown Mesa continue to grow, and the museum feels like a big part of that energy. From a parent perspective, it's really easy to visit. There's ample parking, it's very stroller and diaper bag friendly, and it's a perfect place for a playdate. You can actually have conversations while the kids explore and move between activities. The mural in the courtyard is gorgeous and the puppets are always a hit with my kids. It's one of those places we keep coming back to.

IDEA museum is such a great little play museum for little kiddos. My son has gone here at age 3 and…read more4. He loves it every time. They have a bunch of different rooms for older kids to explore- music, crafts, and the middle room always changes with different displays they can play, the other big room has the scarf and air toss, building, crafts, puppet show, ball drop and more. The baby-small toddler room my son still enjoys, it has a big soft middle area, play kitchen, play vet, play theater, a very small enclosed area for babies to crawl around which is great. And another area with magna tiles and other toys like that. I also saw the reading story time area in the back of that. They have a room for eating and also an outside patio which is huge for play and eating. Would recommend to anyone. Very affordable!

This little museum is amazing! A great layout of the history of Tempe and right now they are doing…read morea very cool Lowrider exhibition. You can create a postcard with your friends and family in the photo and email it to yourself. The staff is friendly, there is an old truck that the kids can get into as well as a police motorcycle that they can get on as well. And it's hard to believe but this place is totally free! If you're in Tempe, check it out!

Big fan of their Facebook page. Went when they had a bicycle exhibit and Mexican exhibit going…read more Wish there was more core Tempe history there so I could reflect more on my childhood though.

Dani Ivana Mitchell…read more Leo Where so nice helped take pictures and explained everything to us!!

Went here with my kids (6, 8) and unfortunately they have the attention span of a gnat. They just…read morewanted to rush through so I didnt get to see everything. But what I did get to see/experience was pretty cool. The place is not that big but they pack a lot of stuff in. Most things are interactive in some way. Went here on a Go Pass and I'm not sure if I would go on my own if I didn't have the pass (especially since my kids zoomed through).

What an amazing museum. The kids had a blast exploring all the different stations throughout the…read moremuseum, I may have participated as well! This is such a little gem in the year of Phoenix. A great place to escape the heat and screen time with the kids! Activities (5/5): From art stations to interactive exhibits, there is a little bit of everything to engage your kids. Even our older child had a great time. Parking (5/5): There is ample parking and overflow parking available. The be best part is that there are about 50 covered parking spots! Price (5:5): You are going to get your best bang for your buck if you buy a membership. Which can pay for itself after just a few visits. Events (5/5): check out their website for the various events at the museum. The day we were there, they had a bubble fest activity to cool off the kids. Definitely worth a visit!

You really can't go wrong here! It's great family fun, but the kids absolutely love it which is…read morewhat matters most. I love seeing them so excited while learning, exploring, and expanding their minds. It's engaging, interactive, and keeps them entertained in the best way possible. I also love all seasonal activities 10/10 recommend for families looking for something fun, educational, and memorable!