Fabulous kid friendly museum! We like visiting and checking out the new exhibits and the permanent ones are wonderful. Hot tip is to park on the roof and walk in upstairs where you can pay and get your parking validated. read more

To the Discovery Place Management Team, I am writing to formally express our deep disappointment regarding the experience our second-grade team had during our field trip on April 28. While we chose Discovery Place for its reputation as an educational leader, the lack of professional communication and logistical support we received was unacceptable. Our primary concerns include: Total Lack of Communication: Leading up to our visit, we reached out multiple times via phone and email seeking guidance and logistics. We received no response until after our trip was already completed. For an educator planning a trip for over 80 children, this silence is incredibly stressful and unprofessional. Inadequate Logistics and Materials: For the price paid per student, we expected a baseline level of organization. We were not provided with maps, a detailed itinerary, room numbers, or specific class times. We spent a significant portion of our day navigating blindly rather than focusing on the educational exhibits. Safety and Departure Issues: Most concerning was the lack of staff assistance during our departure. Because no direction was provided regarding exits, we were forced to lead 83 second graders out onto a busy city block to walk to our waiting buses. This created an entirely avoidable safety risk that could have been mitigated had a staff member simply directed us to a proper exit or bus loading zone. As a result of this experience, we will not be recommending Discovery Place to our coworkers or other schools in our district. We expected a partnership in education, but instead, we felt ignored and unsupported. We hope you take this feedback seriously to ensure that future student groups do not face the same disorganized and potentially unsafe conditions. Sincerely, Nicole Roberts read more

Discovery place science was so much fun! There is so much for everyone of all ages to enjoy. From Legos, building blocks, water activities, science activities, chemistry, an indoor rainforest, aquarium, stem classes and many more! We arrived around 1pm and didn't leave till 5:45. There are 3 levels of fun for everyone. Everything seemed clean, though it's best to keep some hand sanitizer on you, there were tons of kids coughing and sneezing.... I loved the fact that they had plenty of restrooms on each floor. The staff were engaging and friendly. We've been here before when my sons school had a field trip a few years ago, but it was nice going on our own and being able to take our time and do everything. A must visit for sure if you have not! read more

See all

Really disappointing. Very old and broken toys, considerably smaller than you think, and frankly my son was confused on how to even do some of the activities and I didn't understand some of them either! On top of that, kind of dirty. Only redeeming thing was a small water table area read more

Went here with a friend for an adult Halloween night - it was SO fun. Lowkey, this is better than the St. Louis science center I mean, if I was a kid I'd be here all day. The exhibits were so fun and relatable perfect for kids - made it fun to learn. They made it fun for adults!! It has multiple levels of exhibits, an imax theater, and a bunch of learning rooms. The interactivity of every single thing made it engaging the entire time. read more

See all

We visited Discovery Place Science and overall had a fun time. It's definitely an entertaining spot, especially for kids, with plenty of hands-on exhibits and things to explore. That said, it's more of a half-day activity -- you probably don't need the whole day to get through everything. While we enjoyed it, I'm not sure if it's a place we'd return to, at least not right away. Still, it's worth checking out if you're in the area and looking for something fun and educational to do with kids. read more

The Marvel universe is not there anymore (Jan 2025 update). Discovery is probably the most well known tourist spot in Charlotte downtown, excellent for kids, but for adults more of a visual learning activity. We tried to buy the tickets online for discounted price but it didn't work. So we bought them at the kiosk for regular price. It spreads over 3 floors. First floor has small aquarium, living things, theater, planetarium stuff. 2nd floor has cool thing about how human body is formed (my favorite section of the place), a walk by through rain forest, and special section for "Becoming Jane". There's also several of workshops for kids. 3rd floor is mainly for kids building and designing activities. The place is overall clean. Lots of staff all around to keep things tidy and safe. Cafeteria and gift shop is on first floor across the entrance. read more

See all

Cool science museum for kids and adults. They have a special exhibition for Jane Goodwell now. Very cool to learn about her journey. The museum has lots hands on activities for kids. Great way for the children to try / touch / experiments on many things. It has many different sections: human body, aquarium, tech world etc. All are easy to follow and informative of the subjects. read more

See all

I had not been to the museum in over a decade. We decided to visit on a day trip to Charlotte. They have lots of signs to find the museum, and the parking deck was convenient. You save money getting tickets online, and on Wednesdays as of July 2025, kids are 5 dollars off. The special exhibit is included in your ticket, which was nice. The staff was nice and offered some fun hands-on activities. We enjoyed the rainforest and human body areas the most. We spent about two and a half hours, which was plenty of time to see all of the exhibits. Next time I want to see an IMAX show. read more

Discovery Place Science - Museums Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

See all

This non-profit educational science center located in uptown area Charlotte, NC, offers all ages with a wide range of activities to engage those at the museum and an IMAX theater too. They have a wide range of interactive exhibits and fascinating displays that bring science to life. Discovery Place kids is oriented for children 0-7. They have a tropical and arctic experience and we also enjoyed the aquarium. General admission is $23.95, children 3-13 is $18.95 and children under 2 are free. Located 2 blocks from the city center and paid parking is nearby. read more

See all

What an amazing science museum for children and adults! So many amazing activities and fun things to do with so much to learn! The little rain forest has a fantastic variety of beautiful birds. Right now there's an exhibit on the ocean and it's a great hands-on experience. Such a wonderful experience that teaches so much and makes learning fun! Absolutely wonderful place for adults and kids! read more

See all

First of all, the prices are outrageous. For two adults, the price is about 51 US dollars. Their live animals have some sort of sickness. In the attached photo, there is a small fish, who could not swim/"stand" upright, but could only fall over/down. Both the fish and frog enclosures are miniature, giving no space for the animals to feel safe and at home. All the frogs were constantly hiding, after having dug a hole in the back of their tank. The fish have about two feet of swim room, not nice. This place is not marketed towards kids, as they have another location specifically marketed towards kids however this place is for kids. The only okay part of this experience would be the rainforest area. Hot and humid for the birdies, and a bit of flying space. Although I would not recommend you come here unless you wish to give money to the abuse and exploitation of small, helpless animals. In one of the Jellyfish tanks, it was just dead, and no employee bothers to care for their live animals. Lastly, owners are lazy! Closing time of 4:00-30 pm is wild! Wonder why people kill themselves? They cannot find any joy in this world if everything is closed! read more

Discovery Place Science - Fish with disease. - Museums Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

See all

Discovery Place science is a great place. I had a great time. I had a blast. It's definitely worth the money even parking isn't that back either I would highly recommend this location. Please check it out. Take your children. They will run around and have fun for hours. It's a lot of activities. Never a dull moment. Well worth the money Time and loud noises lol I'm definitely going back to visit again read more

See all

DONT GO ON A WEEKEND if you can help it. Unless you particularly loveee getting trampled on by people and so overstimulated you feel like you're gonna scream. There's so much to see and so much to do that it's really hard to get it all done, especially on a weekend day. If you or anyone with you gets especially overwhelmed in these setting definitely don't forget to bring some noise canceling headphones read more

My adult son and I love Science. The last time we visited was 20 years ago, when he was 10 years old. It only took us 2 hours to see everything, including the IMAX theater show, for an extra fee. Parking cost $18.00 for the 2 hours. Everything is geared towards little children. The only exhibit I enjoyed, were the tanks of living coral and invertebrates and the IMAX presentation. At one point I was so bored, I sat down and paid bills on my phone, while my son looked around. I never expect museum food to be good, but this was overpriced and poorly prepared. The exhibit staff was nice and well informed, otherwise this would be a one star review. We were both disappointed - it's great for the ten and under set, but as adults, we do not plan to visit again. read more

This museum is a great place to visit with your children. Also a good place to visit with out of town friends or company.

I've been visiting this location since I was a little kid (90s) and always had a great time. They have their main usual exhibits, which are their toddler kids' water play, insects and forest creatures, their aquariums, and rainforest. Upstairs, they have their "cool stuff" exhibit, and when we went, they had a dinosaur exhibition. You can easily spend about 3 hours here actually looking and exploring everything. They do have their Imax theatre, and you can check out their showtime on their website. They have a parking garage where you have to pay for parking. They unfortunately do not validate. Another bad thing in uptown. Other than that, something cool and fun to do for the whole family. read more

See all

I absolutely love science museums! I'm a kid at heart. I especially was excited about the Dinosaur Exhibit. The entire museum was interactive which is a huge plus in my book! So many animals and information! I would 100% recommend adults and kids to come visit. They also do pop ups of different exhibits. Last time they had a marvel exhibit which I'm so sad I missed. read more

See all

Went for the Marvel after Dark, and thoroughly enjoyed the exhibit. The location of the Discovery Place Science building is awesome. In Uptown, within walking distance of several restaurants, and a parking garage directly across the street, it's a great outing for a date or for the family. The staff was very kind and professional, and patient! I did think that the after dark event would have no children, and I'm sure there are fewer; however, I gained clarity that an after dark event is also ideal for neurodivergence as there are fewer people, and less noise, in general. We really enjoyed this exhibit, and were greatly impressed by the center as a whole, and we look forward to getting a membership! @discoveryplacescience #Marvel read more

Discovery Place Science - Museums Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

See all

Summary: A wonderful and fun place for kids to play and explore! Pro tip: museum is not too busy during the week int he afternoon. Buying tickets online is convenient and you save a little on the parking garage fee ($3) if you buy that online too. Children under 2 y/o are free. While visiting Charlotte, we stopped by Discover Place Science and what a cool place to be! Brought my daughter here and she had a BLAST! Her favorite was by far the Toddler sensory room with a water table and other sensory play. She spent basically most of her time in there. The mini aquarium area was pretty nice too. She loved the seeing the jellyfish and fish swim. There is also an aquatics room that had live sea creatures to pet and showcase. That was also very fun but my daughter was scared to pet the sea urchin, sea cucumber and others. The whole museum is very kid friendly and my daughter absolutely loved it! There's a mini Cafe where you can buy food and drinks but we just went out for lunch and came back afterwards. As long as you have your wristbands, you're able to go back into the museum. We went on a Monday morning but I say going in the afternoon is better during the week because I didn't account for school field trips so the place was PACKED with kids from when they first opened until about 1pm. We were thinking of only spending a few hours there but ended up staying the entire day from open to closer since my daughter loved it so much. We definitely got our money's worth. Highly recommend! read more

Discovery Place Science - Museums Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

See all

So I liked the show, we just went to Mesamerica. Good show but the seats are way too close and for a tall person like me, I was unable to move my legs. I have a bad knee and almost had to get up and leave. If anything they should have a row of handicapped seats. You should just be comfortable when you are sitting for 45 read more

It was kinda boring for the kids and they were ready to go not long after we got there

My daughter's class had a field trip there and she wanted me to chaperone so I came with her. This was my first time and my friends who live in Charlotte told me it was really fun (even for adults!) so I was excited to go. First off the place is huge ! And for it to be in downtown, I'm glad they have their own parking deck because parking downtown anywhere gives me anxiety. They have so many different things to look at, interact with, amazing information about the body, dogs, newton's law, etc. I think everything was well put together and clean. There is staff everywhere to assist you as well. I think our favorite part was the "physics" area (I can't remember the name) but they had information about wind control, pulleys, motion. I think if we're in charlotte and have time, this is a great go to spot for our kids. read more

See all

Such a fun experience! As a family we love to learn and we learned a lot when we visited Discovery Place. They have a special dinosaur attraction right now that was amazing to see, as well as some interactive exhibits. "Every day is an opportunity to learn." read more

Discovery Place Science - Frogs - Museums Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

See all

I was visiting family in Charlotte and was looking for a place to take the kids. I happened upon discovery Place Science, which reminds me of Fort discovery, that used to be in Augusta. They had a number of nice exhibits ranging from rain forest to oceans, and they also had some things that you can do hands on that my children enjoyed. We were there for a little over two hours taking advantage of all exhibits. I myself was intrigued by the microscope. I sat there, looking at every item they had a lot of seashells that you could zoom in and out of to see how they looked under a microscope. I think I had more fun than the children. read more

Discovery Place Science - Microscope image - Museums Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

See all

Staff was on a power trip and inconsiderate to my 3 year old. We were waiting for the rest of our group to arrive when my toddler (who is still potty training) had to use the restroom. The staff wouldn't let us use the restroom without tickets. But worse, I started the process of buying tickets and asked if he could go in with my wife while the transaction in the kiosk processed and they insisted it complete before they let us in. I had to fill out name, email, etc. all while my toddler is loudly asking to potty. Disgraceful behavior for a place designed for kids and the staff should be ashamed. Rules are rules though, right? read more

I went to an event in the new IMAX theater and it was a nice experience. Be aware that the steps are pretty steep inside so make sure you get those knees strong like Meg Thee Stallion. read more

Discovery Place Science - New IMAX theater - Museums Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

The kids and I go at least once a year. They have 3 floors of hands on science activities in all fields. Truly fun for all ages of kids, teens and adults. Plus it gets changed out and updated often with new displays and exhibits read more

Discovery Place Science - Physics area - Museums Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Let me start by saying I have loved Discovery place since I was a child! Visiting as an adult is a game changer!! I recently dropped in to go to science on the rocks for date night with my wife. We had an amazing time and cannot wait to go back again! What's better than science and cocktails combined & interactive science at that?... Nothing. I loved the shows, the animals, the interactive science exhibits and of course the drinks. And I definitely cannot forget the amazing melt in your mouth nitrogen wine slushy samples. They alone are worth going! The food truck parked outside was also very good. Highly recommend as date night!! We had a blast! Now check out the proof!! read more

Discovery Place Science - Cowfish! - Museums Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

See all

Spent 3 hours but 5 year old could stay 8 hours. This his 3rd time as loves the.many different experiments he can do. Venues change as dinosaurs are coming soon !!!! I reccomend the family membership for a year as pays dividends on a rainy day......ANY DAY.!!! My only wish is parents would supervise thier children better. He waited his turn for 10 minutes only to have 2 kids butt in line. Same kids were throwing little pebbles in air at the venue. Only to rain on themselves & other children. I said let's move to another exhibit. Gift shop at end of the day is a MUST ;))) read more

See all

This is best for children and young people, maybe up to 13 or 14 years old. The best part is the rain forest. You can view from inside the main museum, you can walk out onto a viewing ledge and get an up close look at the forest and the critters inside. We took a 4 year old who really liked the parrots and other birds in the rain forest. You also get a look at a Komodo Dragon which was a real highlight. Most all the other displays are very basic and really not that scientific. For instance the paper cups with tissue on top that rises in the air from air blown inside the tube. The area around it looked like litter, very messy and not scientific. We also liked the fish tanks, especially the ones that actually had fish in them. read more

Discovery Place is a really cool spot for kids and adults alike! Been a couple of times for various exhibits, the zoo/reptile area and the IMAX theater for movies. It's a very spacious, multi-level venue with tons of activities. Most times, adults go in and feel like a big kid! And when I say most adults, I'm referring to myself! LOL! The movie theater is also pretty large as well and when looking up from the bottom, appears very steep! But it's a great time! It's located in Uptown between Tryon and Church Streets. Parking garages are all around or you can score street parking. Staff is very friendly and welcoming! For the kids, or the kid in you, check this place out for a great time! read more

See all

Large space with nice range of exhibits and activities galore! Restrooms located on multiple floors. Staff available but not hovering. read more

See all

Customer service was beyond horrible!!!! Almost everything was broken. If you're going to charge as much as you charge everything should be absolutely perfect! I will never be back. read more

This was a place I wanted to take my children for a while now. It was such a fun experience. They have so much to do and learn about that I'm already looking forward to the next trip. On the first floor we enjoyed the 7 and under play area it has a water play area that seemed to be my 3 year olds favorite. They also had other fun activities for them to enjoy. We also visited the rainforest and aquarium they just loved looking at different sea creatures. On the second floor we visited the Apollo exhibit which was education. They had a lab area that studied the body along with fun activities to lear about the body. We enjoyed a chemistry lesson my children were amazed by the elephant toothpaste. The second floor also has a ton of fun things for children and adults to enjoy. The third floor was more of an area to build things. They were able to make little parachutes that went in an air blowing tube and shot out the top. This place is great and we will be back to visit again. If you bring your parking ticket in you get $4 off the $12 fee. read more

Discovery Place Science - Hours of operation - Museums Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

See all

Wonderful museum. Lots of exhibits and fun things for kids and adults to enjoy. Enjoy the iMax and the fun facts about the insects and fish

I absolutely love Discovery Place and I have been several times throughout the years, with and without kids. When my nieces and nephews were little, they enjoyed playing in the activity room that has water, puzzle pieces, etc. as they grew, they enjoyed the upstairs scientific exhibit as well as the visiting exhibits. I love watching movies at the IMAX dome theatre here. The screen is huge, and surprisingly, there are plenty of seats. My only complaint is that there's not a ton of leg room. Since I've gone here to see popular releases that typically run 2-3 hours, it's not the most comfortable to have cramped legs. But I do keep coming back so there's that. Actually my other complaint is the small restroom on the theatre level. Two stalls in a ladies room probably wasn't the best thought out design. But alas, 5 stars from me because it's such a great educational and fun place to visit. And prices are reasonable. You can easily spend a full day here.. as you should!! read more

See all

Fantastic place to bring kids to explore everything from the rainforest to engineering. I highly recommend getting the annual pass if you're local, as you can get in an hour earlier, and there is no way you can explore the whole place in one visit. I have been a couple times, and I just discovered the 2nd floor with a building workshop and a massive collection of Lego bricks to just build with, along with interactive exhibits on architecture and design. It's fun for kids, and parents will have a bit of fun as well. read more

We came in here as a laugh, but we had a blast and were in here for hours! We enjoyed looking at the animals and learning about the marvel characters. Would definitely recommend for your family. read more

What a HUGE Museum with SOOOO much to do! My kiddo and I spent two hours here and could've stayed longer but it was so overwhelming. Definitely something we could visit every few months and I could see being entertaining for any age group. The dog exhibit was great too! There till May I believe. Definitely a must go if you're looking for a day adventure. read more

See all