We went with a group of friends and used a museum pass for free admissions. They had some interesting stuff but was somewhat basic and in need of more updates. They have a lot of information about the Challenger that was worth the read and walk down memory lane in remembrance. We arrived at 12:30 PM but were told planetarium tickets were available for 2 PM. We paid $7 for these tickets. I don't know why I thought it was going to be a movie and instead found it to be an informative lecture about planets by a well-versed staff member who spoke about 45 minutes about stars and constellations. They have friendly and welcoming staff. read more

See all

This is the official Christy McAuliffe Planetarium. Great place for all ages to learn about the universe / galaxies / constellations / Planets and much much more. read more

Had a fun day going here, lot of information about planes, space, moon, Mount Washington. Easy to navigate thru the displays. Lot of interactive displays. Eaven though we are adults and a lot of the displays are geared to kids we still had a lot of fun. Chose to see the eclipse planetarium show which was very informative. As a Star Trek fan was surprised to see some Star Trek displays. read more

See all

There were planes , and flight simulators, different space related stuff everywhere. I really liked the movie. You definitely should go here on vacation or really any time! I ran into some friends too! They had very interesting stuff there too. read more

See all

This wasn't our first time visiting but it will have to be our last. The first time we visited (just our family) it was a great experience and we didn't have any problems. This past Tuesday, it was unbelievable the problems we had. We came in as a large group. Almost as many parents as we had children. Everyone was chaperoning everyone's kids. We all know each other. We were told our children had to stay with parents. This place isn't that big. It will take you less than two hours to do all the activities and go see a planetarium show. Let's talk about the show first, as that was an incredible experience. Staff member number 1 led the way for our night time tour. Giving our children many choices on things they could see. She ended our tour telling the children the constellations and showing them over the night sky waking us into morning with a beautiful tale. She was incredible and we highly recommend her for your planetarium experience. We started in the small cafe, with a schedule written out for us. Staff member number 1 welcomed us in. Explained the itinerary and off we went to explore. We were told that people with orange shirts would be there to help us if we had any questions. Since our kids have traveled to countless museums at this point, the parents just seem to meander behind and enjoy the parts we want to enjoy. Shortly after our exploration we started noticing an employee following along after some of the kids. She would open the doors of an exhibit they were doing or just stand behind them as they were experiencing something. Some of the kids even took to this as a game and started hiding from her. When lunch time came, we had made our way into the small cafe very early (as we were done far before our lunch time). We were sitting for lunch, all separated families, children enjoying their time together. The other staff member marched in and told us we had 10 minutes before our planetarium and we needed to get moving. We actually had 14 minutes before our less than 2 minute walk to the planetarium show. We started packing up and were told we needed to get moving, again by the other staff member. As each parent literally had to walk by her to put our bags (no food or drink) in the coat room... our children/adults who didn't have anything to put in there were told to "WAIT RIGHT HERE! She was going to escort us to the planetarium show." Again, it's a less then 30 second walk but she needed to be the in charge person. We get to the planetarium and the doors are locked. The other staff member told all of us to get in a single file line and stay to the back of the planetarium. (It was only our group) We filled up 2-3 aisles and some of the children wanted to sit up front. She reprimanded two of the older boys who didn't stay in a single file line and walked around the empty front of the room. These two boys were just trying to not be bogged into the single file ridiculousness of the charade the other staff member was performing. My son didn't want to sit single file in the back rows and I told him we could sit wherever he wanted. I did speak up and ask why we were being forced to sit all in the back row and the other staff member told me, those were the best seats. My son didn't like those great seats and we chose the middle. Staff member number 1 came in and told us we could move around to where we felt comfortable. Please explain to me why this had to be our experience? If this staff member wasn't having a good day, I feel like she didn't even need to engage with any of us. There were 4-5 other employees walking around, smiling, engaging with the children. None of them were rude, disrespectful or inconsiderate like this one staff member. One other thing, along with being targeted by this other adult. The store was specifically closed for us. When we got there the store was closed, when we left the store was closed. It seemed to only open for the school children that were there. I guess this museum doesn't want to be shopped at either. Such an interesting experience. I removed the names at the request of the discovery center. I am assuming they know they have a staff member problem and will fix this issue. read more

We were looking forward to our visit to the Discovery Center today. Our group consisted of about 25 children and their adults, all part of a homeschooling 4-H group. Ollie gave us a wonderful introduction to the building, and we set off, excited to explore until lunchtime. The kids were enjoying themselves, but then we encountered Christy, an employee. Unfortunately, her presence quickly made everyone uncomfortable. She spent much of her time following the children around, seemingly waiting for them to misbehave. My own children were confused, asking why someone who clearly didn't like children was working in a place meant for educating them. The kids were behaving respectfully--no roughhousing, yelling, or running--and yet Christy's constant monitoring made them anxious. At 12:47, Christy entered the lunchroom and insisted that we immediately head to the planetarium for our 1 pm show, which was just a two-minute walk away. She rushed the children and parents out of the room, even though some parents were still packing up lunch and a few kids were still in the bathroom. I stayed behind to ensure the kids were safe and accounted for. When I arrived at the planetarium at 12:52, the doors were locked, and my teen daughter had to ask for me to be let in. I had to plead with Christy to wait for the last three members of our group to finish in the bathroom before locking them out. While I was in the bathroom, I was told that Christy had escorted the families into the theater and had them sit in the back rows, even though it was a private showing and there were plenty of open seats. When my son and his friend chose two available seats, Christy stopped everything and publicly shamed them in front of the group. When one of the parents questioned why they couldn't sit wherever they felt comfortable in an almost empty theater, she responded with nothing more than a dirty look. Thankfully, Ollie arrived at that point and took over, encouraging us to move around and sit wherever we liked. The presentation they provided was great, and they were wonderful with both the children and the adults. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. As a nonprofit group with well-behaved children who participate in numerous field trips each year, we have never been treated in such a way. After this experience, we will not be returning read more

Great experience. The planetarium show is amazing! This was a great place to take the kids. Mine especially loved the playground.

We were disappointed by this museum. Keep in mind, we have been to many, many, many air & space museums and have pretty high expectations but also a pretty good knowledge base. We found this museum to be pretty basic but therefore probably excellent for kids. We went to a planetarium show which was again to basic for us. Okay film but we didn't learn anything new. But.....great for kids. Our biggest disappointment though was how little information there was on either Crista McAuliffe or Alan Shepard. We were expecting much more (esp. on Shepard). We got in free with a reciprocity membership at a different museum so at least we didn't spend any money. But, typically we spend an entire day at a place like this but we were done in about an hour. read more

Good place to kill an hour. We stopped here after the recent rebirth of the Challenger disaster, thanks to the Netflix series. Kids were interested in learning more about the space program and Christa McAuliff. Planetarium wasn't worth it, in my opinion. Went way over the kid's heads, outside of the cartoon theme. To be honest, I was really surprised that there wasn't more of a presence/memorial for Christa, seeing as she taught in Concord. We only saw a small photo of her on the way out. Glad we went, to check the box, but most likely won't be back. read more

McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center - Museums Near Me - Concord, New Hampshire

See all

Exceeded my expectations. Lots of information and the planetarium show was amazing! Friendly staff. Easy to navigate around the displays. Swell gift show. Plenty of parking and no security issues ......it's New Hampshire! read more

The best thing here is the planetarium! Went for a show today about the constellations and it was very informative! It's only 5 bucks for a show but you also have to pay the $10 admission price, so ends up being $15 but that's about the price of a movie these days. I want to come back for another one. We checked out the exhibits too but were done in like 30 mins. Wish they had more here. read more

McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center - Museums Near Me - Concord, New Hampshire

A fun local science museum paying tribute to a couple of New Hampshire's finest space heroes, Alan Shepard and Chista McAuliffe. Shepard was the first American in space and also one of the last men to walk on the moon, and McAuliffe of course was the schoolteacher who tragically died in the Challenger disaster. Outside the entrance they have a full-size Redstone rocket and Mercury capsule on display, and inside you can get a closer look at another Mercury capsule hanging next to the balcony. They have lots of hands-on interactive displays on offer, although many of these were broken or missing essential parts. I particularly liked the section explaining basic physics and flight mechanics, and judging from the noise level, the party of kids in at the time did too! Of the exhibits that were actually working, the best has to be the Space Shuttle cockpit, where you can actually try your hand at landing it; and the lunar lander simulator. There's some interesting stuff on weather and satellite imagery too, but overall it comes across as somewhat underfunded. There is a lack of big exhibits and the shop was pretty poor too, although if you bring kids I'm sure they'll love it. I expected there to be more about McAulliffe, but it was just one small section. Overall I'd say that it's not up to the standard of a similar NASA-funded space museum, but it's a good educational resource to educate kids about their local heroes. read more

McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center - Museums Near Me - Concord, New Hampshire

We loved the museum! It is small, so you go through it pretty quickly. But they have some great things to look at. The interactive fish tank was so cute, my kids loved that. We did watch a show at the planetarium. It was beautiful, but if you get a group with kids under 5 and they don't know how to stay quiet long, it'll interrupt the whole show. My 8yr old son loves this stuff and he was a little upset that he couldn't hear the person talking because of the loud children talking throughout the whole thing. If I could give a tip to parents with kids under 5, "Tonight Sky" is not really for kids under 5yrs old, they'll get bored quickly. Other than that we had a great time! read more

See all

Such a FUN day!!! The discovery center is just amazing and so clean. Lots of exhibits it keep the kids attention for just the right amount of time... the hands on exhibits were the favorite! and OMG the new Planetarium Theater is just so so so amazing with the new projectors we saw the Dream Discovery.. inside NASA show and it was like we there! It is a MUST go to when you come to New Hamphsire read more

The museum itself was fine. My complaint is with the staff and the disrespectful and rude interactions I had. I pulled into the parking lot early before the museum opened. I had to park for a moment and make a different plan. I also needed to help my 8-year-old son who is in the backseat. Shortly after I pulled in a woman and a red car pulled next to me. She started to stare at me. When I got out of the car she came up to me and asked if I was here for the museum. I said, "well no," because we were so early I was not sitting for an hour and a half waiting for it to open. I needed to make a different plan to entertain my child. She immediately became very stern and told me the parking lot was only for museum customers and demanded to know what I was doing there. These days, I don't feel comfortable with complete strangers demanding to know information about myself. I politely thanked the woman and told her to have a nice day. She became very agitated and started taking pictures of my license plate and my car with my child in it. The door was open so I was nervous she was getting pictures of him. Concerned, I asked her to stop. She started yelling and said she was the executive director (Jeanne Gerulskis) and was going to have my car towed if it wasn't gone in 10 minutes. When I got back into the car, my son was extremely upset! He was very concerned why the woman was yelling at us and taking pictures. Needless to say, I will never go back to that museum! I understand parking lot or for facility patrons only. However, there is a more professional and dignified way to present yourself, especially in a position such as executive director! That role should be a professional and community welcoming representation of the museum. That was not my experience! Very disheartened and saddened by this interaction. It puts a very bad name onto a very wonderful program for our community! read more

The family was looking for something fun to do on a Sat afternoon (kids 5 and 7). We decided to head north and check out the planetarium and museum. We arrived around 11:40am and the place was practically deserted. Was a little suprised at the price of admission with planetarium show ($54 total). Facility was super clean and bright. Was glad there was a spacious coatroom and numerous restrooms (including a family restroom). We checked out a few exhibitis before catching the noon showing of "Attack of the Space Pirates". The kids loved the planetarium show as the screen immerses pretty much your entire view and definitely gives the impression you are on the space voyage with the crew. Show was entertaining and educational and lasted about 40 mins. After the show, family was hungry, so we checked out the "Countdown Cafe". They offer about 12 different sandwiches and 5 kids meals at a reasonable price. My wife and I were very impressed with our sandwiches (each served with chips and pickle) and the kids enjoyed their meals as well. The cashier/cook was super friendly and brought out our food with a smile. We were very impressed. After that, we headed back into the museum and checked out more exhibits. The infrared camera, flight/landing simulators, and the weather forecast green screen were the highlights for the kids. Upstairs had a neat exhibit on rainforest and arctic research expeditions. We also checked out the observatory and got a good closeup view of the sun. On the way out, we browsed thru the gift shop. Would agree that museum is relatively small. We probably spent about 90 mins total browsing the exhibits. They are breaking groound on an outdoor playground/park in May 2014. Overall, we enjoyed our visit. They offer a year family membership (up to 4 people) with unlimited planetarium shows for $100. If we go back, will most likely signup as that is bargain for unlimited weekend family (and educational) fun. read more

This was a cool trip and I hadn't been here in quite a while. They expanded a great deal and added a lot more. The cafe and gift store were still there with cool gifts and the planetarium offers a variety of shows throughout the day. The exhibits were all interesting, but there was little that was interactive for kids and I found that surprising and unlike I had remembered it. There was also nothing that really spoke of the disaster from an educational standpoint and I wonder why there isn't more about her displayed. read more

We really enjoyed our visit. It's $9 for adults, and one of us got in free because of the NHPR Member Card Benefit of the Month. The Center is small and contains a lot of fun interactive exhibits. I liked the large sphere onto which is projected images of the different planets and some of their moons. (Pluto's not a planet anymore, sadly.) If you're interested in seeing what life is like in space, meteorology, and seeing astrological bodies in the observatory, visit the Discovery Center. read more

McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center - Museums Near Me - Concord, New Hampshire

See all

We visited on Mother Day weekend, free admission with our Children's Museum membership in Keene! Our son is 2 1/2 and it was a bit too early for us. We still had fun and will be back when he is more patient! He loved the thermal imaging and glass elevator. There is also an area upstairs with book and leg is! read more

McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center - Museums Near Me - Concord, New Hampshire

This place was ok but I wish they had more interactive exhibits. I feel like there was a lot of wasted space here, they could have a lot more going on. And some of it was just poorly done; descriptions under photos were just typed on paper and taped to the wall, brief descriptions, not much detail even about Alan Shepard or Christa McAuliffe. Luckily we went on a holiday weekend where it was free, otherwise I would have been disappointed. There's definitely potential for more here. read more

A fantastic hidden gem in New Hampshire. Not only a great memorial to these famous New Hampshire astronauts, but also a continuation of their mission and vision to bring space to everyone and highlight STEM education. In addition to the museum and planetarium experience, the MSDC offers a ton of programming for kids and educational institutions. Plus, you can actually rent out the facility for private events like weddings, birthday parties, and corporate get togethers. Check this place out. read more

Love this museum! There are lots of exhibits and things to learn about Christa McAuliffe and space in general. I also know that you can get in for cheaper prices if you're a student at NHTI and you can get a pass form the Concord Public Library. read more

The planetarium was cool, Exhibit halls are FREE. There could be more exhibits (more levels and such should be built in the future) but for now its ok. I would allow about an 30 min - an hour to see everything you want to see. Maybe 2-3 hours if you're seeing a couple shows. I purchased tickets to the two shows Tonight's Sky which was really entertaining. The presenter showed us what the configuration of the constellations and night sky looked like that night, and pointed out how to find certain objects in the sky. We located orion's belt, taurus the bull, the 7 sisters' , Sirius, the north star (polaris), and some planets such as Mars and Saturn. A neat fact was that we can see the Andromeda Galaxy with the naked eye 2 million light years away. The next show I saw was about Black Holes . You get a tour of what it might be like to go into a black hole and what it might look like inside one. There is a small gift shop in the lobby. The staff was friendly and courteous and there is plenty of parking. it is easy access from 89, 93, or 393 and close to downtown concord. There is a neat glass triangular monument thing outside that reflects the sky in honor of Christa McCaulliffe who grew up and taught in Concord NH. She died in the challenger explosion in 1986 where she was to be the teacher in space. You can let her legacy live on by going into the planetarium and checking it out, as well as piloting the space shuttle discovery in for a landing in their simulator. Its pretty cool to actually land the space-shuttle without any formal training. It doesnt look so hard to be a astronaut now. (yeah right) Anyway have fun at the Christa McAuliffe Planetarium. Senior discounts for shows available. 1/2 price on thursdays for seniors. read more

Pretty cool, if small, Space museum. A nice tribute to two New Hampshire natives. Planetarium was... juvenile, aimed at grade school aged kids. Hard to sit through as an adult. The things we do for our kids. They did have fun kid oriented art projects. We were done in about an hour. Can't say this is a "must see" but if you have young kids & are in Concord & want to inspire a little interest in Space & science, this is a good call. They also participated in the "Blue Star" program for military members. (get you & the family in for free). read more

This museum is dedicated to spaceflight, from a bit of a more personal perspective. They have dressed it up with some kid centric exhibits and various memorabilia. Good place for kids to come and get familiar with the space program. read more

A kid friendly plantarium and space center with some interesting exhibits. The thermal imaging and the planterium show were big thrills for our six year old. Older kids and adults might find it a bit tame for their taste. read more

Amazing place with great pieces that anyone would enjoy to see regardless of their age! A lot of fun stuff for kids and a lot of donated NASA stuff! read more

Much too expensive for what is there and the condition of the displays. Some displays not marked at all, several interactive screens didn't function, key pieces missing from hands-on displays (like, a magnet missing from an interactive activity on magnets). Long wait for an employee to show up at cafe counter; iced tea and iced coffee urns empty at 1pm on a Saturday. Planetarium kinda cool but show seemed unscripted and unplanned. $16.50 for admission plus planetarium is NOT worth it. Furthermore-I saw no display or even mention of the Challenger disaster. Not worth it, sadly. read more

An interesting place to take the kids on a rainy afternoon. The planetarium show was very kid friendly.

I used to love coming here as a kid and recently returned with my four year old nephew. He really enjoyed it and I was pleasantly surprised to see that I enjoyed it as well! I would be interested in seeing some of the other shows in the auditorium (we saw the children's tree house one). read more

Almost half the place wasn't even about space. The exhibits were very lackluster and the kids were bored in the first 3 minutes and begging to leave. We stayed because we had bought tickets the planetarium show already but even that was very boring. Of the 3 adults in our group 2 fell asleep, 1 got a headache from the show, and both kids (9 & 7) were bored and showing it. read more

My boyfriend and I went together what a great place. This is a great place for all to come. We saw the the Planetarium Show " Back to the moon for good" it was great! read more

Free? No, this place was $12 per adult for absolutely NOTHING of value! This is the most pathetic excuse for a museum I've ever seen. Half the exhibits were broken and the place is tiny. What a ripoff. The only good part is the (small) planetarium, but they make you pay the entrance fee to get to that so its a small fortune. With the planetarium it was over $40 for a family of three, and we were done with the exhibits after 15 minutes. I'm still mad. read more

Disappointing. There were very few interactive exhibits, and many of those that were there were either broken or poorly presented. We were followed about by a most annoying worker who did not know how to work the exhibits nor the information they were purported to present, and had to have the most grating nasal whine of a voice I have ever heard. NOT recommended for children who are not comfortable reading long paragraphs of dense text. The planitarium is not included in admission price. The enture venture is not worth the money. read more

A little disappointing. It's a huge facility without much in it. The interactive exhibits were fantastic. The mock shuttle cabin with a flight simulator was a big hit. But too much of the museum was just plaques with information on them. Something like that could be handled in a pamphlet or a website. I personally prefer museums where you can see more artifacts, with plaques explaining. The interactive exhibits are worth it, but we lasted maybe 45 minutes, and maybe 30 minutes of that was trying to convince my bored 7 year old it was fun. To be fair, we didn't check out the planetarium, but that was mostly because she was so bored she just wanted to leave. read more