Science has never been my thing, but this past Saturday my beau dragged me to the Great Lakes Science Center to see the IMAX movie Super Human Body, and the experience was wonderful. Kudos first to the Science Center staff, from Xander at the ticket desk to the folks working exhibits, the security guards, and finally the corporate staffer who opened the door after hours to help me find an object I'd forgotten, this is a group of friendly, competent, kind people who embody customer service. What a treat! The movie itself was enlightening and entertaining and the interactive exhibit further enhanced the experience. Returning to the Science Center will be a pleasure, made even more affordable thanks to the annual membership I decided to purchase. I look forward to going with friends and will encourage them to bring students, nephews, nieces, and grandchildren for a fun (truly fun) time. read more

Our company's holiday party was held here this year, and it did not disappoint. I had not been inside the Science Center in over 20 years, so it was a treat to return. The exhibits did not disappoint; they reminded me of the young, curious boy I once was. They also did a great job decorating for the party. It was a great time and an awesome experience. read more

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This place has changed so much over the years. It was so cool to see the new displays. We were here for a Christmas party. It was a blizzard so we couldn't seee the amazing views of downtown but the museum was clean. I wish the gift shop was open. read more

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Great place to take the kiddos for a day of activity, learning, and exploring. My nephew's favorite part was the NASA space shuttle that you could sit in and the space suit. There's something for every kid. Our daughter enjoyed building a car and drove it around the museum. The paper rocket building and launching area on the first floor was a big hit with everyone. The museum is organized very well and employees were friendly. read more

Great Lakes Science Center - Space exhibit - Children's Museums Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

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Went to the Great Lakes Science Center for the first time in February. Was able to find street parking for free which was a strong start and there was no line to get tickets. The staff was super kind in helping us get tickets for the otters movie because we forgot to get the earlier, and they helped us get a discount on them. The exhibits are really interactive and informative. Definitely a place that's good for all ages. We were there for 3-4 hours I believe. The human body exhibit which was in the basement was the star of the show, but it wasn't advertised anywhere and we didn't even realize it was there until the end! The exhibit showed so many things in the biomedical space that people have misconceptions about, such as cochlear implants. Wish they had put it in the brochure, and that exhibit is a rotating one. We were able to catch the otters movie which was showing which was really nice, and the dome theater was such a cool experience! It's just hard to see everything because the screen is so big, so get there early to find a seat you like. I understand that the museum is geared for everyone, including kids. My only issue was kids were running around a lot and we really had to be careful, which is understandable. My only other gripe was the instruments portion upstairs had some broken or missing portions, however that might have been the fault of some young kids and not the museum itself. Would definitely go again though, and would love if they had an "adults night" after hours. Would totally be willing to pay extra to see everything. Highly reccomend going no matter what age you are. read more

Great Lakes Science Center - Sherwin Williams exhibit - Children's Museums Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

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The top floor for young kids was amazing I wish we skipped the first level and just spent time in there. The astronaut stuff was cool but my kid being 3 was much happier with the interactive exhibits. read more

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Amazing experience! We were here for Small Business Saturday! It was well organized. There were food trucks, vendors, live music and mobile barbers. It was amazing to see so many minority owned businesses and smiling faces. Most of the exhibits were open as well so it really was a family friendly event. Parking was free as well. The staff was so kind and helpful and welcoming. read more

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Today we visited the Great Lakes Science Center and although we had a blast there were quite a few things broken and honestly seemed like it hasn't been wiped down in a while. Granted we love visiting the science center and will be coming back. FYI the dogs movie in IMax was sooooo awesome! We would definitely watch again! read more

Great Lakes Science Center - Children's Museums Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

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Nice but best for kids. Didn't see the IMAX however which others have raved about. Parking quite expensive.

I finally visited the Great Lakes Science Center on Sunday, 7 April 2024 even though I have driven past it for years since 2017. I happened to be downtown for the Total Solar Eclipse festival when admission to the science center was FREE on that Sunday so I had to venture inside. I suppose I never tried to visit the science center in the past because I thought it was mostly a children's center but I digress. TICKETS -- $19.95 per adult and $14.95 for kids ages 2-12. LOTS TO SEE -- I really enjoyed NASA Glenn Visitor's Center where there are plenty of displays about space, astronauts, and rockets. It's a great center to learn about history and other NASA projects. I suggest bringing children here because their visit will be educational. Infact, I saw many kids while I browsed the different sections. I stayed on the main floor to browse but there is a downstairs level (bathrooms and a food stall) and an upstairs level that I never browsed. I came several points during the weekend festival (just on Sunday and Monday actually) to use the bathroom downstairs in the basement or lower level. The main floor has the NASA Glenn visitor's center and the Dome Theatre. The following day, on Monday, 8 April, as part of the downtown Total Solar Eclipse event, I got to watch a free screening of the documentary "Small Town Universe" in the dome theatre which was a neat experience because the theatre is round and shaped as a dome inside. I loved my experience in the science center and next time, I'd love to bring anyone i know who is visiting Cleveland. GOAL of 150 reviews in 2024 - 24/150 total reviews in 2024 - 674 total overall Yelp reviews - Reviewed on 2 May 2024 read more

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Tapescape review We have visited the science center many times and this time our focus was on the new temporary exhibit. The area is modeled after the international space station. Using scaffolding they have created a play area for kids that is wrapped in packing tape with lighted tunnels and slides. It was a huge it with the kids and we spent over an hour alone in the section. read more

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Great for kids and adults! We had a lot of fun. Parked in garage and walked right in. However there were a lot of displays that were broken and they need to replace the beat up headphones. Need some sanitizer stations too or be sure to carry wipes with you. read more

Great Lakes Science Center - Children's Museums Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

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Went to see Astronomica. This is a sensory and relaxation show of music and color. No story or education to create the wonder of our universe. Great way to sit back and close your eyes or watch color in all shapes and forms. It's like watching a kaleidoscope. Not worth paying $100 for 2 to relax for 60 minutes. read more

Was a fun place to visit after the rock and roll hall of fame. Many learning experiences and fun experiments!!!

This place has GREAT exhibits. Lots of fun for not only kids but parents too. The steam ship was really interesting. If you are into history def check out the steam boat. The lake views are amazing. If you have littles with you they have a play place up stairs. They have ball pits and more fun and exciting things for the littles. If u want to try the Hands on exhibits it's right beside the play place. And the best part is if you buy the membership u have access to other museums like Cosi, McKinley museum and many more!! Overall I give the experience a 5 out of 5.! read more

Super fun and glad we have this opportunity in our city! Definitely gets the attention from the families in the city with lots of activities and dome theatre as well as if you are a member you can visit the ship too. Parking is available with a price; it is downtown Cleveland where there are other museums and just to take a nice stroll near by the Lake Erie. read more

Great Lakes Science Center - Children's Museums Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

Starting off, me and my partner are both on the spectrum. We had an amazing date here. It was a surprise for him, and we had an absolute blast. The top floor was probably the most fun. I quite enjoyed the giant Spirograph thing (it was called something different, but it was very fun and I got to take the drawing home). We spent lots of time in the shadow room, it was very active to jump around and try to catch funny shadows. I know lots of other reviews loved the space exhibit but for us, it wasn't the star of the show and we spent little time there. We stayed from noon until 5pm when they closed on Sunday. We ate at spark kitchen, which is on the lower floor, I have a dairy allergy and got the terrestrial turkey wrap, no bad reaction to it, it was great, s/o got a quantum quesadilla w/ chicken. Honestly, for themed food, it was amazing. Quite delicious, it's pricey, but to be expected and not outrageous. We also packed a banana for each of us and that worked out well to finish off our meal. Staff in spark kitchen was extremely kind and service was great! On the side of sensory accessibility, I rode the train in the temporary exhibit which was exhilarating and very fun, though the horn was loud. They do offer special days where they keep general sound quieter and don't use the louder exhibits in order to accommodate, so this is a great option for anyone particularly sensitive. They also have a sensory room, which we both checked out while it was empty and I definitely give it a thumbs up overall, it's further away down a hall where family bathrooms are. I also felt great using the family bathroom, as I noticed that the toilets were not automatic flushing, but had a lever (this is great as the sound of the automatic toilet flushing can be loud and unpredictable), there also was a air dryer for hands, as well as paper towels, giving choice, (I find that the sudden loud noise of air hand dryers can also be bothersome). There also were accessible, free menstrual product dispensers inside the restroom too. I will also note changing tables, and the fact that there was a toilet seat lid. My only critique is that being that there are lots of kids and lots of exhibits that require touching handles and dials and whatnot, it would have been greatly appreciated if they had hand sanitizer dispensers. We had to go to the bathroom to wash hands or get hand sanitizer on the top floor. They *should* have hand sanitizer dispensers within eyeshot wherever you stand in the exhibits. Sanitizing wipes would be a nice touch as well, but for others I would simply note it would be a good idea to bring them themselves, I see lots of others echoing the same sentiment when it comes to cleanliness. I was going to bring some, but forgot that morning. A good amount of stations/exhibits were broken or not working as well, which is disappointing as some of them seemed not too hard of a fix and being that it's a science center, should have exhibits well-maintained. This didn't take away too much from the enjoyment of the whole day, the only one I was particularly bummed about was the drum set, as my s/o really would have loved to jam on it properly. Due to these issues, I did take off a star, and would have taken off and given 3 stars, but the overall experience was great and I can say it's the best date we've ever had. I wish we had gotten to spend more time in there, and we will definitely be back! read more

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Amazing place and a must see if In Cleveland! They have a nice setup with very educational and informative displays. Parking and location is perfect to really see the city! read more

An amazing place to visit for all ages. The Cleveland Clinic Theatre is on of my favorite things to do while there. Worth every penny!

Awesome science center in downtown Cleveland right next to the Cleveland Browns stadium and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Just avoid going during Browns home games. The center is great for kids to e plots and learn about science. They have 2 main floors of exhibits as well as an IMAX dome theater. Make sure to get tickets for one of the IMAX movies as well. They also have a beautiful walkway just outside the cafeteria along the lakefront which connects to Voinovich park. It's definitely worth walking there if the weather is good. A great place to visit for families! Make sure to ask for the parking discount/validation when buying your tickets. read more

Great Lakes Science Center - Exhibit Hall (2nd Floor) - Children's Museums Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

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This is a fun place for all ages, they have a bunch of interactive activities. Many of which are designed to educate and my friends and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves as we meandered through the exhibits and tinkered with the displays. My phone died halfway through our time here, so I didn't get a picture of my favorite display, the vortex, but I did get a few pics while we were playing in the science of Rock and roll area, which had many interactive musical and instrumental displays. The gift shop is well organized and has a good variety of products. My friends each got a shirt. I opted for a souvenir penny, as that is one of my go to souvenir items when traveling or going somewhere new to me. Great activity for a rainy day, or as an excuse to get out of the sun for a few on a hot day! read more

Great Lakes Science Center - Children's Museums Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

You don't have to be a kid to have fun here. I loved it as a kid, took my nephew and he loved it too. I go with friends just for fun.

Absolutely fantastic experience for all ages! Spacious and welcoming place, filled with informative and fun exhibits. Plan on allowing plenty of time -- There's so much to see and do! Exhibits are nicely maintained clean and fully functional. There are many things that cannot be found anyplace else including items on lone from NASA that have been used in space missions, informative sections on sound, color, electricity, and weather, as well as exhibits designed by in-house staff. Be sure to read signs and instructions so that everything works correctly for you! Everyone there seemed to be having a great time. Our family will be back again soon! read more

Visited here because we had tickets for the Beautifica evening show in the Done Theater. Very positive experience! Great staff; friendly and helpful. Loved the popcorn from the concession area. The seats in the theater were comfortable. Great theater for a show like Beautifica as it was very visually appealing and had an awesome musical score. It's easy to park here at the Science Center. They have a garage which was helpful and an easy walk into the museum. read more

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I have been going here for a number of years since they opened. This last visit was a bit disappointing. There were many broken exhibits I mention it to staff that was around and they said they are working on things but it was a significant amount of items not working. I counted exactly how many were broken, 27 exhibits didn't work. It was upsetting to pay money and a lot of things were not working. The issue I have with what was told by staff was they are working on it or didn't know but it is clear things are just missing or things jammed, or poorly designed. I took my niece there for her first time she is 10 and it was disappointing even her that she couldn't use things. While I counted 27 that were down or broken. I would say another 20+ not working correctly or part was not working. It was sad to see it this way. I mentioned it to many staffers, however, only one actually tried to fix one of the exhibits. The rest didn't seem to care. Very dissatisfied with the visit. read more

It's small but they have a lot of interaction stuff plus a theater inside. It's 2 floors and a small gift shop which is pricey it was $1.99 for 1 postcard. They have demonstrations going on which were fascinating to watch, then we went to see a movie there about the arctic which was interesting. read more

Great Lakes Science Center - Results of the kaleidoscope image I made - Children's Museums Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

Kid #1 speed review. Five stars museum, three stars steamship. Top floor over bottom floor. William Mather Steamship was meh, not "boring boring" but a "a bit boring." Was disappointed that the guitars were missing some strings. Wants to go back to see if he can get his pitching above a top speed of 42 mph. kid #2 speed review. Four stars generally. Upstairs better than downstairs. Not jazzed by Nasa stuff. The shuttle was land-able but the moon rover impossible to get down to the surface without blowing up. How did the astronauts survive touchdown? Dad review: Three stars. Like any kid-oriented science centre, a good third of the attractions don't work and the kids make their way through the ones that do work like locusts in a corn field. Wouldn't count on spending more than two hours here, absolutely max, and the steamship would be so much cooler if we could see where the ore was stored. read more

Will update upon leaving, right now I'm curious with services and amenities such as food and drink /soda machines. Can't even get a water to cool down in the hot building while at the science center. Feet very frustrated. Especially when there is no convenience stores and or markets within a 5 mile radius ++++ I absolutely do not recommend due to mostly the VERY poor customer service. read more

Great Lakes Science Center - Proof of purchase I am here now Saturday the 16th of 2023 - Children's Museums Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

An average science museum. Some cool space related stuff. The rest of the museum is pretty scattered and a lot of the hands on stuff is in disrepair. Not a ton of content overall. Kids can have fun for an hour or two. Not a destination but an acceptable kid option if in area. read more

Well It's not quite what we were expecting I would say that anyone over 12 ish is a little too old for this location. The theater was cool and they had some cool movies but the rest of the center is more focused on littler kids. The exception was the Glenn space exhibit Awesome addition. Very cool reentry capsule etc The cafe/ cafeteria closes at 2:30. If you have smaller kids you will not be disappointed read more

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I visited this science center about ten years ago on a weekend getaway to Cleveland Ohio. Very cool and large science center that was very interactive and full of cool things. Had fun for all different ages and my little ones at the time had a good time. I'll have to make a trip back one of these days. read more

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The primary purpose of our recent visit to Cleveland was to check out the Vroom! A Car Adventure exhibit (open through Labor Day 2019) at the Great Lakes Science Center. So you could say we had high expectations. From playing mechanic to racing the cars down the various ramps and loop-the-loops, plus building your own cars to test various challenges out on the tracks, it was quite the hit. We did eventually made it up to the other floors (there are three). There is a nice NASA visitor center, a Cleveland Creates area, and up on the third floor is a lot of hands-on stuff, plus the Polymer Play area for under sevens, which includes a great outdoor "Port Polymer" area with a lot of water play opportunities. The Polymer Play area features a neat ball pit where you can crank and dump the balls from a holding bin above, as well as let them float in air funnels, a play structure, a train table, and other neat things to explore. There is a restaurant on the lower level, which offers a variety of salads, sandwiches, pizza, and the like - we enjoyed the pepperoni pizza. Bathrooms were clean and available on all floors - nice touch to have an extra one directly in the under seven area. Unfortunately, they pulled out paper towels and put in hand dryers in the bathrooms, which is a pet peeve of mine in children-heavy locations, particularly with the recent research that hand dryers are too loud for children's ears. There's a cute shop available near the ticket area, featuring a variety of goodies that coordinate with the exhibits. There's an attached parking garage (which they will validate discounted parking), and you can also use the Waterfront line on the rail transport to access it during the weekends. Staff was friendly and helpful. read more

Great Lakes Science Center - Port Polymer - fun outdoor play area with lots of water options! - Children's Museums Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

I love the Omni theater here. I never go here without seeing a movie. The science museum part is OK. The outside of the building is nice with great walking and views. Expect to pay a decent price for parking. There's a parking garage attached. read more

Well worth the stop. There's a lot to see. It is mostly naval. Not much nature type stuff, so have appropriate expectations.

We came with 6 kids 7 and under and had a great time. Plenty of things to do for ages and we loved the space area. The people that work in there obviously love what they do and were very involved with the kids and answering questions which my kids had a lot. I wish the toddler area was upkept a little better but other then that we will definitely be back! read more

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It was nice to go to the museum but it lacked science substance. Everyone there was very friendly and were very helpful. It's more of a younger science idea and games. The place was crowded with day care and youth clubs which is nice for them but not other visitors. It took less than 45 minutes to go through the museum. Not going back but would be nice if you had younger scientists. read more

If you love science you will love this science center! Located in downtown Cleveland. Everything is hands on! You learn how science works and visually see results. This place is great for kids and family! While here we even witnessed a few weddings! Located near Lake Erie. Tickets are affordable, staff is friendly, location is prime, fun learning experience! | Admission tickets| $16.95 per adult $13.95 per youth (2-12) $14.95 per senior (65+) $15.95 per college student (w/id) This definitely is a go to when visiting Cleveland! read more

Great Lakes Science Center - Children's Museums Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

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I love how many hands on things they have for exploring! As a adult I really liked the John Glen exhibit and I have to admit, a lot of the interactive stuff too! This place is huge! Very clean and even when busy it seems to be big enough. A great gift shop is the added bonus read more

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Great place for students and teachers alike one of the best extraordinary experiences of my life they have all sorts of fun activities to do like the dome theater, looking at wildlife thriving in the wild and a planetarium to see the vast galaxy. Yes indeed this is one of the best places to be during field trips, vacation sites. Come on down and have the time of your lives read more

The Great Lakes Science Center is a really cool science education facility! Everyone should bring their kids here! Lots of excellent science exhibits - including a lot of hands on, practical examples of how science works, We need more places like this to inspire the next generation to focus on science! They also have a nice gift shop with lots of fun science related gifts. read more

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