This place feels like my 5th grade science book came to life and we went on a field trip to enjoy…read morehands-on experiences. It's definitely geared toward children, so keep that in mind. There will almost always be a group of kids running around-sometimes they are appreciating the exhibits, other times they are just running up and down the stairs. I appreciate that they have different genres and categories in various areas of the museum. One section is dedicated to the human body while another one is all about weather. There's a lot of cool stuff to learn and they display it in a way that makes it fun and interactive for kids.

Bought Friday night tickets to the Bad Bunny Visual "A Love Letter to Puerto Rico." We arrived a…read morefew minutes before it was to start and they had not yet opened the theater. Once 7pm rolled around, they opened the doors and we were let in in a single file line. We sat towards the front and the view was still great. The employee greeted and welcomed us all and he gave us a quick rundown of what we were about to see. The show started and only lasted about 40 minutes. The music was good only because it was Bad Bunny playing but the visuals were boring. It was literally just a PR themed screen saver and random collages put together. Seats were comfy though and the huge screen itself is pretty cool. I would love to see a movie here! For the price of $25 per person though, I expected a little bit more from the show.

"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.

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.

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.

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.

Amazing place for toddlers and school aged children to learn about science in a fun way, explore…read moretheir imagination and interact with others. There are soft blocks for building or balancing on, a play kitchen, play vet, barn, magnet wall, Lego station, gear powered musical windmill, lots of art stations to create, a backlight wall, even and outdoor area.

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.

I had my first experience at this museum & it was such a good one!…read more My favorite part was capturing the illusions in my photos! There are so many illusions to choose from. I loved that they had stickers that helped navigate you to on how to take the perfect picture with the illusion within it. The customer service was 10/10. The staff was so helpful and offered to take photos for us. If we were having a trouble finding the illusion, they would guide us through it. This is the perfect activity for a date night, solo date, or family fun day! There is something for everyone!

3.5/5 I've been to…read moreone other Museum of Illusions and I think 95% of the exhibits here are the same. My kiddo and I still had fun though seemingly defying gravity and conjuring all sorts of optical illusions. We didn't look at some of the illusions on the walls so it took us maybe 45 minutes to go through the whole museum. It's a little pricey even with the discounted admission if you book online I feel, since it's not a very large museum and you don't spend a ton of time here. All the staff here were very nice though and willing to answer questions and take photos for us.

Visited with a 19 month old who loves to explore - and this surely delivered. Each floor provides a…read morevariety of options to choose from and experiences that cater to all age ranges. We visited at a year old and were limited to the experience, but once they hit walking stage the doors explode with opportunities. From the first floor tree house and soft foam blocks to the open-play blocks and gears - the experience builds as you work through each floor.

I'm so impressed by this three story children's museum! They are extremely baby friendly with baby…read morezones on each floor. Theres even a room just for little! My baby was able to enjoy time here with cousins who are older. There are 300 interactive areas and new events all the time! My toddler nephews love the market and restaurant are on the third floor. Things to know: It can get pretty busy - especially if there are school trips. If you want to come when it's less crowded, I recommend weekdays at opening. Food is available at the coffee shop and cafeteria areas. There's an amazing nursing room on the third floor as well. There are free Friday events (check online) The membership is so worth it in my opinion!