The small museum has numerous activities to encourage learning in the STEM field (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) for ages three and up. Our little one enjoyed making and flying several different paper airplanes. Many hands on activities on the second floor geared toward the younger generation, I was equally eager to learn. Robotics on the first floor and many other displays, I especially enjoyed the astronaut suits! Planets represented outdoors, also has a native plants garden but it was too hot thus late afternoon. read more

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Came here with the family today since it was part of the SoCal free museum day, and it ended up being a nice, easy outing. This is a smaller museum, which actually worked out great with kids. You can go through everything in about an hour without feeling rushed or overwhelmed. Good option if you don't want to commit to a full-day museum. Experience: A lot of hands-on exhibits, which kept the kids interested. Simple, interactive, and easy to understand -- especially for younger kids. Not super advanced, but still fun and educational. Value: Hard to beat since it was free today. Even at regular price, it's still reasonable for a short visit. Overall: Nice local spot, especially for families. Not huge or super high-tech, but it does the job for a quick outing. Would come back, especially if looking for something simple to do with the kids. read more

We've actually been coming to the Columbia Memorial Space Center since our own childhood, so bringing my kids here now feels extra special. It's a great little spot in Downey, and perfect to stop by whenever you're already in the area. It's not always free, but they do have certain days and events where admission is free, so I always check their calendar before visiting. They also host fun events pretty regularly. The museum isn't huge, but it's full of hands-on space and science activities. My 10-year-old had plenty to do -- and depending on your kid, older children can definitely enjoy it too. There are a few activities that are more engaging for the bigger kids, not just the younger ones. There's also an Apollo Lighting event on Saturday, December 6, 2025 from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, which looks like something kids around 10 would enjoy. Overall, it's a nostalgic place for me and a fun, educational stop for families. Whenever we're near Downey, I like to check what's happening and drop by if there's a good event! read more

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That's one small step for man, one giant leap for Yelp. Three and under are free. $5 per person and there's a discount for AAA members. I paid $12.50 for three people. There's a mixture of exhibits and hands on activities. Send a rocket made out of a 2L soda into space or shoot a parachute. There's all kinds of activities for all age groups and lots of opportunities for pictures. There's an upstairs area where you can build, pretend and play. Luckily it was not packed when we went so we were able to do everything without a problem. They do recommend that you call ahead to check foot traffic since they do host schools or parties. Lastly, we took a quick robotics class with Alejandro who was so kind and funny. The kids and adults all had a great time while still doing something productive and educational. read more

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Super small museum. Not much to see at all. At least parking was free. We we were in there for maybe 5 minutes. I can't believe they charge for this place. Just say no. read more

Low-stress and educational kid's museum. Very cheap at $5 per person, so expectations were low. They have just enough for you to visit every now and then. There are some higher quality exhibits mixed in with educational infotainment. I would say most people can go through it in 60 to 90 minutes. It's certainly not perfect. The quality of the some of the toys were low, and the condition of some displays were tired or not working at all. Parking was easy on the street. They do not open on Sundays. read more

Great learning experience for the kids and hands on space exploration and Lab testing read more

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This is such a fun educational place to bring kiddos for a super affordable price of $5 a person over the age of 3! My kids really enjoy coming here every once in a while. We also just had my daughter's birthday party here and everyone loved it! We did the nova package and it came with a half hour activity and a half hour of robotics lab just for our party. I'm not sure if they have other activities but our kids got to make and launch paper rockets. The staff are super friendly throughout the whole process from booking to even helping clean up a little when we were running behind as they were closing. Party packages are also very affordable! read more

3...2...1...blast off! Are you looking for a museum that is fun and educational, yet not too overwhelming, then go to the Columbia Memorial Space Center in the city of Downey located near Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center and let your imagination soar through space! Parking is free and located next to the shopping center off of Apollo Way. You can go for free during their Family Nite events which is monthly from 6-8pm, however you can go during their regular museum hours which is Tuesday to Saturday from 10am - 5pm ($5 general admission and $3 for Triple A members; 20% discount for Triple A members in the gift shop), just be sure to check their website or Instagram page (@columbiaspace). There's a Robotics Lab, ISS Play Space, and you can even attend special events with speakers that present regarding astronomy and astronautics, very informative and cool! So check this place out and enjoy the space! read more

Really cool they had interactive stuff and simulations to play with around the building

We visited after they came to host a space night at an elementary school. They host birthdays, camps, and stem workshops. The place is small which is great for small children not getting too far away. I can see that some families with older kids might find it to be too small for spending an entire afternoon. However the key is in the interactivity with the displays. Their outdoor area is enclosed which is nice for letting toddlers run free. read more

Homeschool field trip. It was nice, clean, and great staff. They gave us a tour showing us different stations of science activities, a robotic room and how they code the rovers while it's on the planets they are exploring. The kids made paper rockets and shot them into the sky. Kids loved it. I am not sure if the school visit would be different than a family visit. It is a two story building with an elevator. They have a play area for the smaller kids. read more

Columbia Memorial Space Center - Museums Near Me - Downey, California

Love love love it! I had my daughter 1st birthday party here and everyone was super helpful. Love taking my daughter and have some fun

I'm a little surprised by how many great reviews there are. I mean, it's not a bad little museum for children, but I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to go here and there are certainly many better places to take your children in the Los Angeles area, even for those who love science. The place is exceptionally small for the admission fee of $5. Fortunately, we went on a day where it was free, but in all honesty, I don't think I would come back even if it were free again, but if you really like space exploration, I guess for $5, it would be worth it. This place might be better for their programs (this is a guess), such as Girls in STEM club or their seasonal clubs, but I certainly can't recommend going here if you're looking for your child to spend a few hours learning about science since there are so many better places to visit, even if those place cost more than the $5 admission. For that, I can't really recommend going here since there are so many other places worth visiting for your child to learn about science. read more

I had a meeting here in August after it closed for the day. Good place. Liked the outside displays as well read more

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A nice small museum/science center in Downey California. The best thing about the Columbia Memorial Space Center is that it's all hands on. For what's there there's plenty of interactivity, which is great and engaging for the kids. The worst thing about the Columbia Memorial Space Center is that there isn't a lot there. The museum is quite small and the activities, although entertaining and engaging, are very few in number. My 5 year old and 3 year old were basically finished with the museum after two hours. There's also a play area on the second floor for young kids and babies. The staff were all friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful, which added a lot to the museum and the experience. It's a nice little science center, and I would recommend it for an afternoon if you're close by, but it's probably not worth the two hour drive in traffic that we went through to get there. There's also plenty of parking, which you don't have to pay for which is really nice. read more

Great place for children especially ones who love space. The hands on and interactive stations allow kids and those who are kids at heart experience what its like to be an astronaut and/or engineer. From moving space rocks to taking control of the space ship launch to stepping into a space suit, the stations are plentiful and fun. While this center is on the smaller end when compared to other LA museums, it's so worth the visit. The interactive stations, space artifacts, and large wall photo collage are all incredible to experience and see. When I went, there was only one other family there so all the stations were open, and I was able to take my time with each one. Additionally, the admission cost is super reasonable and the staff was incredibly nice. (Here's a little tip: they offer a AAA discount for admission and souvenirs). Will be coming back again :) read more

Nice community space center. Good place to spend hour or two with kids. Pleasantly surprised to see Amazon space pod. Kids really loved it. Other than that, the space ice cream was a tad expensive, but overall a pleasant experience. The robotic arm was fun to control. read more

Reading the positive reviews and being a space history fan I really was hopeful for this being worthwhile, but feel it seems rather underwhelming. I was there barely 30 minutes after looking through everything because the museum is really that small and limited. Despite some of the earlier reviews mention of the mockup Shuttle it hasn't been on display in years and won't be on display again until an expansion is complete. Despite the name Columbia Memorial there is relatively little inside related to the Columbia beyond the large mosaic of the Shuttle launching. Some of the individual pictures in the mosaic are related to several of the astronauts that perished in the accident and I spent several minutes looking at it having remembered the tragic accident. Staring at that was one of the few highlights. There were a few small items related to STS 1, the first launch of the Columbia, and a few documents related to the shuttle program and a basic mockup of the shuttle cockpit, but relatively very little related to Columbia. I remember as a kid seeing the Columbia land at Edwards AFB in a rare instance it landed on the west coast, but there really was practically no mention of any of the other missions that Columbia flew or other ties to California. There was little in the way of memorabilia related to Columbia. There is a plaque outside honoring their loss next to one honoring the loss of the Challenger crew, but little else inside related to Columbia. With 28 missions it flew you would think that there was more that they could have mentioned. Even replica mission patches would have added some value. It would have been neat if the gift shop had some Columbia related merch, but mostly generic science book/toys for kids you could easily buy elsewhere, which feels like a missed opportunity. I think the name to the museum is misleading. There are a few other things to see like an engineering desk from the 1960s when aerospace designs were still done in Downey, but not a ton of background beyond that it was used by design engineers. In addition, there is a small rocket engine and a couple of random photos from the earlier WW2 period where aircraft production was done in Downey that was somewhat neat, but it is pretty quick to go through. There is a bit of random Apollo era memorabilia. e.g. some food packaging from the Apollo era. Probably the most interesting thing there isn't even inside of the building: the Apollo Boilerplate 12, which was a testbed for launch escape for the Apollo capsule. It is outside in front of the building and you can view without paying admission. Upstairs there was a replica of one of the earlier Mars rovers, but relatively little else to see upstairs. There are a few things that might interest kids, but even these were rather limited. There was a vortex you could drop a marble in to get the concept of a gravity well. You could throw a paper airplane through some hoops. There is a robotics lab that depending upon availability kids can play and small robot arm upstairs, but I didn't see a lot here that would engage kids. There was a small play area upstairs for toddlers to play, but most kids would get bored of the handful of interactive exhibits pretty quickly. I'm hard pressed to see most kids getting more than about a hour out of everything here unless there was some organized program that they're running that day. They occasionally run some kids programs that might be worth checking out, but the regular exhibits likely won't keep most kids interested for long. Unlike a much larger museum like the California Science Center this won't really keep kids attention span long. There just isn't enough to see here before you run out of things. The main redeeming aspect I could give the museum was that the admission was pretty cheap at only $5 and with AAA membership managed to get 25% discount, which brought it down to $3.75. Parking was free although depending upon how many people are at the adjacent park the closest parking space may be a bit of a walk. Relatively for museums it is pretty cheap, but those museums usually have several times more to do easily justifying the cost difference. California Science Center is free save for parking and special exhibits, but there is far more to see there. Unless you're nearby or in the area for something else it seems questionable visit as it's not a great bang for your buck and won't . Most adults that aren't into local aerospace history probably won't find this very interesting as beyond a little history there seems little here for adults without kids. Even for kids I would be skeptical will find it very fun for very long unless there is a specific organized program that they're running that day. I would honestly wait until the new expanded building with the Inspiration, the shuttle design mockup, is completed. While not as historically significant as one of the Shuttles that went into space would dramatically improve the value to visit. read more

We had a field trip today with our homeschooling group and though it's not large they kept us entertained for over 2 hours. The kids enjoyed the memorial and hands on activities, specially the coding and robotics. The staff was friendly and patient with our kids. Overall we had a very nice experience. read more

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Great space for children and family's in the local Downey area. Lots of great historical items and information on the contributions made by the city of Downey to NASA and the Columbia space shuttle. We happened to be present for a robotics lab which was extremely fun and educational for our 6 year old . I highly recommend this place. read more

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We hosted our daughter's private 6th birthday party at the Columbia Memorial Space Center this past weekend, and the experience was absolutely outstanding! Having the entire facility to ourselves made the event feel truly special and gave the kids the freedom to explore, play, and learn at their own pace. The entire staff went above and beyond! Prior to the event, the Reservation Team: Alexandra, Rui and Gabby were always polite, kept us updated on our request and answered all our questions! We appreciated the walk-thru with Dorian the week prior to our event, she took her time to explain every detail we needed to know for our event. The actual celebration day was topped off with Dorian, Marco and Gilberto they explained all the activities, answered endless space questions, and made sure everything ran smoothly from start to finish. All the hands-on exhibits kept the kids engaged and excited the whole time. It was the perfect mix of fun and education. The space was clean, well-prepared, and offered plenty of room for both structured activities and free exploration. Parents were just as impressed as the kids! If you're looking for a unique, memorable, and stress-free place to host a children's celebration, the Columbia Memorial Space Center in Downey is truly unbeatable. We couldn't have asked for a better experience! read more

Amazing fun environment to learn in! Went with my daughter's class and they all seemed very engaged and interested. The staff were amazing and great! Highly recommended! read more

My daughter enjoys coming here for the Girls In Stem class. I feel safe dropping off my child at the space station. Communication with the instructors is also great. The instructors look like they love their job. read more

This place was pretty cool. My son's 5th grade class enjoyed a field trip out here and the hosts were very hands on (although one was a bit impatient despite dealing with a large group of kiddos). They have several o reactive exhibits, which is really great for kids and adults alike. They really enjoyed launching their rocket ships outside and moving the rover robots. The actual NASA capsule was really cool to sit inside of, but it would have been really amazing to experience the feeling of a launch (say with vibrations and visuals on the ceiling). Maybe Jeff Bezos can invest a little more to upgrade that experience and inspire future astronauts! Oh and the gift shop offered delicious space ice cream for $7 a pop (would be great to offer smaller sizes for less for kids) all in all, it was a great experience! read more

Took a day off to chaperone one of my kiddies educational field trips to the Columbia Memorial Space Center and it was a pleasant experience. The space is adequate and is sectioned off in a way that allows the students to benefit from their guides lectures. They also have the opportunity to explore each exhibit and actively be a part of what they are learning . The program successfully rotates each group which allows them to cater to many classes and schools a day. Sure, they may have a few snags when it comes to timing and the occasional behavioral issue to deal with but it's a nice break for the kids to absorb some science outside the classroom. read more

For the size and for what's main focus is, it's okay. I was quickly bored but I'm also not a space junkie like my husband or like my 4 year soon to be astronaut son. It was only two levels and you went through activities very quickly. The only main busy play area I was terrified thinking how many germs where on the toys the babies had in their mouth and snot nose toddlers, yay for compact germicide and I hardly bust that out for myself or my son but this place you needed it. I honestly would not had paid / donation yes, but luckily we came on free museum day and I don't plan on returning till the next one. read more

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Great little museum and grounds. There is plenty of parking and other activities to do and places to eat nearby. read more

Columbia Memorial Space Center - Museums Near Me - Downey, California

This is such a fun museum. My son and his class had a wonderful time. So many cool little activities to do.

Amazing! Last year, I arrived here with my friends, Jules and Yuri, on a cold, rainy day in December 2016. Shucks! The Space Center wasn't open! I knew that I had to return some day... especially since I was drawn to the replica planets that lined the walkway outside of the building and the cool Command Module on the lawn! "That day" happened this year, just about a year later. The weather was great...clear, sunny skies... and the Space Center was open!!! It's a living tribute to the Space Shuttle Columbia and its brave crew members. Alana and I went on the self tour with the discounted admission from being AAA members: Buy one and get the second admission at half off for a total of $7.50! The huge mosaic in the lobby is made of little photographs...check it out! We luckily went at an off time because no one else was there. I can imagine it being crowded with school children. They would enjoy the interactive displays and thought-provoking exhibits. There was a nice conference room for students and a big play area for youngsters! I enjoyed the videos... especially of the Space Shuttle Challenger. I had goosebumps when I saw the crew (Astronaut Ellison Onizuka is from Hawaii!) as they boarded the Shuttle. Then, I had to walk away as they showed the tiles flying off... The Gift Shop at the entrance was really cool. I wanted to get a souvenir... There were t-shirts, jackets, toys, pens, mugs, magnets, etc. So much to choose from! Guess which one I picked??? read more

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It is suitable for parents and children to participate together. It is very unique and attractive and inspires children's imagination.

Excellent way to spend a day! There are neat exhibits with loads of information. It's very quiet and even geared for toddlers on the second floor. The robot classes are brief but fun for kids. Frankly, I got excited hearing about their new construction breaking ground this year, could it be a place to display the mock-up space shuttle? Still a classic place with great local history read more

Always a fun experience I have idea why they were open today they're not normally open all the time. I've been there for a lunar eclipse. It's fun when all the kids are running around .Today was five dollars a person three dollars for seniors. Sometimes it's free. read more

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I don' think most people in L.A. know about the Columbia Memorial Space Center located in the city of Downey. It's definitely a hidden gem worth checking out! The space center pays tribute to the crew of the Columbia space shuttle, which was unfortunately lost upon re-entry back in 2003. Although not anywhere as big as the California ScienCenter or Griffith Observatory, the Columbia Memorial Space Center offers a good number of interactive exhibits sure to inspire the next generation of engineers and space explorers! If you are just checking out the exhibits with your young scientist, a couple of hours to half a day should suffice. Have been at the Columbia Memorial Space Center twice, once for a birthday party and once for an elementary school field trip. Yes, there may be way more exhibits offered at the California ScienCenter and Griffith Observatory, but what the staff offers to groups at Columbia is what makes a hidden gem worthy of a visit! Our group got the chance to simulate an exciting rocket mission to Mars, as well as learn how to program Lego Mindstorms robots. The robot activity was definitely exciting to the kids, but the simulated rocket mission to Mars proved even more fun and engaging. After our group was divided into two groups, the kids got the chance to role play as astronauts and mission control engineers! During these group activities, the staff proved very knowledgeable and definitely friendly and inviting to the kids and adults alike. Don't forget to bring your Triple A card when you go. There's a 20% discount available for admission and gift shop items. read more

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Visited this museum on a field trip for homeschoolers. They were so easy to work with, price cannot be beat and the field trip itself was very organized and engaging for the kids. All the kids and adults from our learning center had a blast! read more

Great local museum for the kiddies & senior kids haha! Don't miss the folding tutorials for the paper airplanes! Great activity regardless of age. Eventhough it's small, there is alot to learn at this museum. Both times I came was on "free admission" days, so look up their website for those ;) Your welcome. read more

Columbia Memorial Space Center - Museums Near Me - Downey, California

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We come here at least once a month. It's small but it's local and it keeps the kids busy. We love the STEM programs they offer and the events they provide. (Check their calendar) You can also book Birthday parties! We just attended one and kids got to program a robot and shoot some rockets! It's $5 dollars to get in and it's free for Downey students. read more

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This is a school teacher's dream facility when envisioning a hands-on field trip that provides students with an experience that'll be quite memorable! Although The Columbia Memorial Space Center (CMSC) is VERY small, they offer so much to help children develop a deeper understanding of concepts involving our solar system and space exploration! CMSC offers field trips in which students will be seated in a simulated control room, complete with monitors at each station and a large screen. You've seen this setup many times on NASA TV! On the other side of the facility is another room that simulates what it's like to be in a shuttle. The children are in separate rooms, unable to see one another and can only communicate with each other with microphones projecting their voices into each other's room. It's complete with mock station for medical/life support, remote access, and work areas for children to reach inside while wearing heavy duty gloves to handle matter collected during space exploration! Children will even suit up prior to going inside by putting on blue NASA jackets. There's a Robotics Themed room in which students will be paired in groups of 4 to program a small robot to move a specific distance on a pathway. The robots are already assembled but students must configure the specifications for speed and much more. Then they have to place their robot on the pathway. If their robot does not make it to the space station on the pathway, they have to return to the computer and reprogram their robot while determining where the miscalculation occurred. Amazing!! There's also a mock space station for younger children to play a game in which they'll attempt to land a shuttle on the Earth and Moon! Once again, this is amazing! I've visited CMSC on several occasions to take part in teacher workshops. We have had opportunities to gain certification to bring meteorite samples to school and so much more. Today, I learned about the possibilities to provide students with an unforgettable field trip. This facility is indeed smaller than it's competitors: The California Science Center in Los Angeles and The Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana. However, this hidden gem has so much potential for local children who may not be able to visit the other locations. They also have programs geared toward younger preschool age children and opportunities for parents to help foster learning at their child's pace! read more

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Columbia Memorial Space Center is an ode to the aerospace technology livelihood that once thrived in Downey. There are nice, easy-to-read displays explaining the history throughout the facility. But even more, it's an ode to continued, interactive learning through space science. Current hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10AM-5PM. My first visit ever was today (4/7/15) with my girls in tow, cruising in their stroller. Admission was free today and will be through April 11, 2015, for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) week at the Center. Donations are accepted. If you don't get a chance to make it this week, AAA discounts are available. But honestly, $5 for anyone 4-years of age and older is reasonable for this learning center. Children 3 and under are free. Yes, the place is mostly handicap and stroller accessible; however, there wasn't a ramp up to the sidewalk on the side of the lot where I parked. If there was, I sure didn't see it. (I parked directly in front of the main entrance across the median.) Parking should be a breeze as there are spots all around the Center. You'll see the boiler plate towards the main entrance. The only employee I interacted at the front desk was nice. As soon as you walk in, interactive exhibits are available and go on throughout the entire building. Restrooms are available on both levels. I'm not sure about the second level, but on the first level family restroom a baby changing station is available. An elevator is also in great working condition. The entire facility is really clean, including those above-mentioned restrooms (squeaky clean!). There are other several seemingly exciting offerings at the Center: Challenger Learning Center, Young Explorers Academy (ages 3-6), LEGO robotics lab, just to name a few. Many kids loved having their picture taken in the space suit upstairs. It's refreshing to see such a nice facility. Even though I deemed it to be geared heavily towards elementary age students, I saw many people of all ages enjoying their time there. I feel like if you don't find a way to enjoy yourself here, then you really aren't into science or learning for that matter. Just be aware that this is a place for school field trips and scout programs. You'll see kids, kids, and more kids. TIP: If you have some toddlers who find it difficult to stay engaged with some of the more advanced simulations, take them upstairs to the area near the restrooms. There are books on display for your reading pleasure. There is an area for kiddos to play and jump around for a bit. Additionally, they can take some crayons (maybe colored pencils too) to paper to draw for a while. If I were still teaching, this learning center/museum would be one of my top choices for a field trip. As a parent, this is a great way to explore and interact with your child. If you need more info, check out their website: http://columbiaspacescience.org/. Review #355 Yelp challenge 2015 36/100 read more

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I think if you're in the area and have a younger child it's probably enjoyable for them. It is small. The cool thing about this place is that they had a lot of hands on activities. It was interesting seeing some of the displays but most of it does seem to be activities. The parking in the area is free and there is plenty to do nearby. read more