We were on vacation and needed an activity indoors for a chilly/windy day. We went on a whim with no prior research- I didn't have high expectations of the Science Center and I was wrong. It is a small building but they have packed it with activities that seem to cover a wide age range. We went on a Monday so it was mostly small kids, but my fifth-grader spent three hours going through all the indoor and outdoor exhibits before we left for lunch. We sprang for the planetarium and it was a bit long for the small kids but mine was interested the whole time. We were impressed with the inflatable planetarium. read more

What a fun place to visit! Brought both grandsons here on a recent visit and all of us thoroughly enjoyed the visit. Lots and lots and lots of hand-on activities (although a few of the robotic ones did not function correctly or had limited range.) Excellent place for a rainy day activity or for a family picnic on a sunny day (outdoor areas are nice.) Plan to recommend this to our future condo renters. Staff is very, very helpful and congenial. read more

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Amazing for the kids!! I felt excellent that our dollars were going to an amazing non-profit science center read more

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This place is a little gem! I took my 1 year old and she had plenty to do! So much she could physically touch and play with and some other cool stuff for older kids. It was nice to have a place where she could just run around and be engaged with so many cool things! The animals were cute too. All in all I'm so glad we found this place! read more

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It's a small place, but it was packed with so many exhibits! We spent about 3 hours here, though admittedly, about an hour was spent on the large Battleship game. :) The scipad was basically a large projection of an iPad on a classroom floor that the kids could interact with using a specialized wand. The kids played a few rounds of Memory on it. Nothing too special about it, in case you were drawn to go there by the description on the website. I would say it's definitely geared towards the younger kids, best suited for ages 4-8, though I also enjoyed seeing everything as well. A bit pricey at $12 per person over 3yo, but I figured it's the premium you pay for indoor kids entertainment in this area. read more

While it's not a huge facility (though the pictures make it look that way), the center has heart. Staff is engaged and does a nice job. Prices are reasonable at $10/adult and $8/child over 5. The facility could be visited and completed in an hour, though we spent about two. Some of the robot exhibits did not work correctly. Beware of the field trips. May wish to call ahead for the schedule of the day. All in all, worth checking out if you are visiting and need an adventure on a rainy day. read more

Emerald Coast Science Center is a small museum for kids. They have all sorts of animals, displays, and such to keep your little ones busy. The price is expensive. It's $12 for adults, and kids ages 3-17 are $10. Kids under 3 are free, fortunately. Honestly for that price, you should only bring your kids here if they're under 3. This place is not worth the price. Aren't museums supposed to be free or cheap? You can see this place in 30 minutes. At least you can leave and come back if you keep the receipt. But since they close at 3 PM, you won't really need to do that. They have an indoor section and outdoor section. The outdoor section has some animal exhibits, a sandbox to uncover "dinosaur bones", and other fun areas for little kids. It's a decent place to tire out your hyper-active kids by having them run around. The animals they have are some rodents, birds, and reptiles. Honestly, most of the animal exhibits are not any better than pet stores. The birds they have are chickens, macaw, african grey, budgies, and conures. It's not too different from a pet store. The birds need a lot more toys to play with, and the cages they're in are too small IMO. The macaw is at least in a bigger cage outside. But he looks so lonely. Hopefully the curious kids keeps him occupied. They have some turtles, tortoises, lizards, and snakes for the reptiles. The tortoises and turtles are outside. For rodents, I saw some degus, sugar gliders, guinea pigs, and more. A lot of the animals were hiding so yo couldn't see them. And like I wrote before, it's like a pet store. Inside, they have some interactive exhibits like the robot arm, which was my daughter's favorite. It's set up like a claw machine you see at arcades, but bigger. My daughter loved using the joystick to try to control the arm. That was actually cool, and one of the cooler stuff in this museum. The place reminded me of a school. Maybe it was a small elementary school or something they turned into a museum. It was cramped in there with no ventilation with a bunch of snot-nosed kids running around. And I know nobody in FL cares about respiratory diseases (even at a science museum). But if you're worried about certain respiratory diseases that Floridians don't care about, I would avoid this place or spend most of your time outdoors. My wife caught something while we were there (luckily for me, I had to leave and go get a hair cut). I'm glad this place is trying to raise STEM awareness to future generations. But it's too expensive for what it is. I would come here if your kids are bored to death, under 3, and you have nothing better to do. read more

Price $12? Adequate to give moms a distraction. Need a diversion for the kiddos after 4 grueling days of sand in bottoms, windburn, and chafing? Absolutely. read more

Emerald Coast Science Center - Museums Near Me - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

This was such a fun way to spend a morning with kids exploring and learning. There was a surprising amount of stuff to do in this small space and tons of different animals. We had a great time!! read more

Had a great time here today with a 5 and 6 year old. We spent 2 hours, they would have easily enjoyed another hour. The favorite for both was the Magnet Wall followed by the robotic hands that you control trying to pick up balls, shells etc...They also thought the hurricane simulator was pretty cool, that'll cost you $3. Plenty to see and do. It was pretty hot so we were only outside for a few minutes but there are picnic tables, a treehouse with a small rock climbing wall, digging area and some watercrafts they can play on. Little lacking on the animals, however the few we saw were fun. Updates need to be made, and you can see they are working on it. Price was fine-$10 for adults and $8 for children. It was clean and we'll definitely be back. Particularly wanting to check out some of their special events which seem like a lot of fun! read more

Hidden Gem! We went today with two preschoolers and we're really surprised with just how much there was to do! I guess I didn't have any expectations but the website does not do it justice! I took pictures of some aspects but let's dive in to the best parts: 1) It's so affordable! $10 for adults $8 for kids 2) There are lots of live animals here...who saw that coming??? We saw bearded dragons, birds, snakes, lizards, hedgehogs and sugar gliders. Unexpected bonus to the science exhibits. Total hit with kids. 3) HANDS ON exhibits- probably 50+ which means there is sooo much for all ages groups! Our preschoolers had fun but saw elementary to grandparents having the time of their lives. 4) Robots, Giant LiteBrite, Foam Blocks, Enormous bubble activity, 4 sided Lego Haven, Wind Tunnel, Dino Dig, Topography Sand Awesome Thingy, Kid sized Microscopes, Puppet Stage, Magnetics, Kinetics, Murals, Artifacts...I can't list it all but everything was working, orderly, clean and very very fun! 5) Added bonus...the outdoor area! Although it looks like portions are under construction outside it was really fun. There is a real boat exhibit which the kids loved and made for great photos, also outdoor games, obstacles and a fun sand dig area. There is a public playground next to the science center as well for before or after. Loved it! Wish they had more hours open to the public. Would recommend to anyone. Definitely set aside 2-3 hours to enjoy it fully. read more

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It's a small space but I'm amazed by how much fun they could fit. My LO loved this place and I did too! Our favorite part was the animals and the grainy bubble. Staff was friendly and welcoming and made coming in with astc membership easy. read more

Great place for kids and family! You should come here and see the animals and exhibit! This is an hands on museum!

I drove past this place even with gps but we got there! I took my toddler and it was alright I feel it's more appropriate for slightly older kids. There is a nice little play area but it seemed pricey for what it's worth. The staff was friendly and we ended up having a fun time but we will probably wait until a really big event or when my son gets a little older. read more

We loved this place...the kids, the B parents, the grandparents!!! Fun fun fun and great activities. Great memories!!!

The kids enjoyed it very much. Staff were all very friendly and accommodating. A special thanks to Anna for educating the kids and spending the extra time explain which type of animal/reptile they were looking at. She gave the kids a lot of neat little factoids about them. There are a lot of cool little exhibits for the kids to spend some time with. The outside area is very cool and plenty of room to run around and some neat little tree forts for the kids to explore. Even the adults in the group had fun and got to join in on some play time. read more

This was a great stop for our family, three girls 10, 9, and 4. It's not flashy or huge, so don't expect that, but the exhibits are cool and vary widely. Like any science center, if you're impatient you won't get much out of it. It takes a curiosity and willingness to watch your kids do something for far longer than it took you to figure out. I found more than enough to puzzle through and explore myself while my girls enjoyed exhibits independently and with support. They loved seeing the animals and the outdoor space gave them an additional hour of imaginative play. read more

Cool place to take the kids on a rainy day especially during the summer months in Florida. It gave us time to learn some science and see different animals that were donated to the science center. My kids, 12 and 8 years old really enjoyed themselves and kept busy with all the interactive activities throughout the center. Upon arriving, it looked like an old school building and could tell they repurposed the space to include different things in each room. I liked the brain games that were in the room to figure out how to solve the puzzles. I got stumped and had to ask the front desk for the solution but completed the puzzle as described so it was neat to see the end result. I read other reviews that said the center needs updating but I did not find it bad for the price. They also offer a military discount and summer prices. read more

An excellent place for kids of all ages. Animals and birds line the walls and there are countless scientific facts to learn at every turn. The activities here keep the minds juices flowing. I can't wait to have another outing here! read more

It is a cute little place but needs some updating. As my son said, "it's interesting in theory." We spent about 90 minutes there. Good for a rainy day but I would not spend the time here on a beautiful Florida day. Many exhibits need attention as they didn't work as they should or were missing pieces. Staff was super friendly though. For a family for 6 it was $63 and not worth it. read more

This place definitely needs some updates but the kids enjoyed themselves and there was done fun things to do. I liked that everything was interactive. If your looking for something to do with younger kids for an hour or two its worth a check out read more

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Cute place to take the kids in a rainy day in Destin. We really appreciate what they are doing and the kids just loved the sugar gliders. They have a lot of things to do and animals that are all donated. The interactive floor technology was pretty cool. read more

Emerald Coast Science Center - Parrott - Museums Near Me - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

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A quant science center with birds, marsupials, and reptiles. Cheap for an indoor activity comparatively to other activities around locally. Small amount of parking. There is an outdoor play area out back with picnic tables. Bring a snack or picnic lunch for outback. There are no food/drinks to be purchased. Bring your own and have great family learning. read more

Worth the drive through the crazy Destin traffic. Small museum but well don't. We had fun!

Every map we had showed the center as being downtown. It's not. It's a few minutes away, off of Memorial Parkway. We were able to get in free because we are annual pass holders at a sister science center. If I had paid, I would've been pretty upset. It's basically one large room with display set ups. Several were broken. My kids were bored within 10 minutes. This place has potential but needs a lot of work. Disappointing. read more

This place needs a serious update, fresh paint, and actual interactive activities that I can't get at home. My 4 year olds favourite thing was the hot wheels track. And it wasn't even a complete set, probably something donated or that came from the basement of an employee's grandparent's house. And to charge $14 for the both of us was a bit absurd for what was offered. There were bits of crushed up crackers in multiple rooms. So I doubt anybody has cleaned in a while, which made me nervous about letting him play with the hands-on toys. The "exhibits" were all screen-based and confusing for younger children, if they worked at all. The girls at the front desk were less than interested in being there it seemed, it would have been nice for them to greet the child I brought in, but it was a short exchange to just pay to get into the main building. Luckily there was one lady whom we met later on during our stay that took interest in my 4-year old, which was great, but really would have liked more interaction from the other people in staff. We killed about 2 hours at this place, and that was longer than I wanted to be there. We will never be back, and we will never recommend this place to others. This place needs a deep clean, and an update. read more

Our family visits the coast every summer and every summer we go to the science center! Very fun! Small, yet growing every year! Can't wait to see what's in store for us next year! Thanks for being here!!! read more

My family and I visited the science center today and really enjoyed it. Our kids are 5 and 9, they love science and had a great time. We spent over 3 hours here and they still didn't want to leave. Thank you! read more

Redneck Riviera science center! Seriously, this place is just a direct reflection of the rest of the run down poorly maintained city. There are maybe 3 exhibits that are actually mildly interesting, the rest are "build a square with these wooden blocks!", you could go to cracker barrel to play the golf tee game at the table to get the exact same experience. The worst part of it all is the place isn't taken care of in the least bit. Everything has a light coat of dust/dirt/grease and whatever God knows what on it. The floors look like they haven't been mopped in weeks, even the Air inside smells like a mixture of mold and lingering farts. Are you a backwoods lower Alabama native and have always wondered what makes that there light tube shine so bright? Then this place is for you! If you're from any other civilized part of the US and have actually been to a real science center, then this place would probably just make you more depressed about being here. read more

It's a cute little place, considering we only paid $5 to get in I couldn't really complain. Most of the exhibits are very basic so unless you have small kids or are really really into science I don't think I'd recommend it. They've got some cute animals, all named after scientists that were fun to look at. They do have an Augmented Reality Sandbox which was my favorite thing, and a little robot that you can move around with a remote!! It's all basically one big room with some hallways so don't expect to spend more than 2 hours here. read more

What an adorable little stem center. They have a great staff and some wonderful rescued birds and reptiles. My kids really enjoyed the break from the beach and I enjoyed the chance to teach them a little science. read more

Fantastic science museum. Our family of 15 (ages ranged 1 year to 65) all had a wonderful time and no one wanted to leave. Totally recommended for a rainy day. read more

We have visited twice and enjoyed ourselves both times. Could use some updating. My 4-year-old really likes the exhibits.

Smaller than expected. The kids enjoyed it though and it wasn't busy when we went on a Friday after lunch. Luckily we had a reciprocal membership so entry was free otherwise the price is a little high for what you get. read more

Decided to take my kids here while we visited the in laws and read the reviews so I was kind of leery. Glad we decided to go! The kids loved it. 12, 11, and 6 years old. I enjoyed our time there as well. Will definitely go back because the kids were so excited, they jumped all over the place, we didn't get to see everything the first visit. read more

This place is such a disappointment. I had hoped its new location would mean a new image for the center. However, everything remains dated and dirty. What's more, 25% of the displays are partially or completely defective. The FWB area desperately needs educational, family-oriented activities; this place isn't meeting the need. Save your money. read more

Needed somewhere to entertain the kids and not spend a fortune when we were stranded for an extra day on our trip home (due to major flooding from a storm front in between us and our next hotel). Read the reviews so I wasn't expecting much, but this place is definitely a GEM! First and foremost, this is a non-profit educational center, not a mega museum, but it was definitely worth the entry fee. The exhibits are a collection of science (space, natural, robotics, etc) related hands on things to do. My 5 year old raced from station to station, calling out "MOMMMY, LOOK!".. until she found the robot. Then she wouldn't move. There is an actual life (kid) sized robot that you can move and interact with using a remote control and various doctor tools (stethoscope, etc). Being a little nerdy myself, I was really into all the brain teasers (think cracker barrel table games) scattered about. We spent close to two hours there and may have stayed longer but the baby was getting antsy and mommy was getting hungry. I would highly recommend for grade school aged kids with even a small interest in science. read more

Entertained our 3 year old for an hour and a half on a rainy day. While my husband and I appreciate what the center tries to accomplish, don't expect too much. It's old, kinda dirty and smells as such. Definitely cleaned all hands with wet wipes as soon as we got in the car. Small and mediocre younger kids play area. A lot of stuff was "Out of Order." Probably wouldn't return. read more