Take the Kids to the California Science Center

I love to visit different science museums when I travel. There are some engaging exhibits that help teach science to people of all ages. The reasons my wife and I ventured off our normal path while visiting Anaheim is because the California Science Center houses Space Shuttle Endeavour. I love the opportunities to see some of the space craft used to take humans into space. But the California Science Center was so much more than just space craft.

If you’re in the Los Angeles area – maybe you’re taking the family to Disneyland – I recommend spending a few hours exploring the California Science Center. The hands-on exhibits allow visitors to learn about various ecosystems, biology, space and more.

Here’s what you can expect at the California Science Center.

Directions and Tickets to the California Science Center

The California Science Center is one of multiple museums located at the Exposition Park in downtown Los Angeles. It’s just off of the 110 freeway, south of University of Southern California (USC) campus. The California Science Center is across the street from the LA Memorial Coliseum, and paid parking lots are located nearby.

Day parking is $15 before 5 p.m. and $18 after that. It’s easiest to use the pay kiosks when you arrive so you can avoid longer lines near the end of the day.

There is no admission fee to the California Science Center. However, timed entry tickets are required – and there’s a fee to do this online of $3 per ticket. If you want to avoid the fee, you can snag tickets onsite at the box office. However, you’ll be at the mercy of whatever entry availability they have for that day. There are additional costs to explore any special exhibits or to see an film in the IMAX theater. There are also flight simulators you can experience for an extra fee.

On the first floor, you can grab a souvenir from the ExploraStore. There are some really cool science kits, rocks, pins, space things and more. If you’re hungry, you can grab lunch at the food court area along the back hall. There are a few options available. If you want to find lunch off-site, there’s a Chick-Fil-A and other fast food places around the Exposition Park.

Space Shuttle Endeavour Pavilion and Exhibits

Yes, I’m going to start by talking about the Space Shuttle Endeavour on display at the California Science Center. Currently, Endeavour is housed in a pavilion just outside of the main buildings. The shuttle is the highlight of the pavilion, but there’s so much more to explore here.

Along the outer walls is a summary of each of the 135 space shuttle missions. All but two of the information boards have color photos. The two shuttles that were destroyed (Challenger and Columbia) have the crew photo shown in black and white as a sort of memorial or tribute to those astronauts. I enjoyed reading out some of the 135 shuttle missions and focusing on the ones flown by the shuttle I was standing below.

RELATED POST: See Space Shuttle Enterprise on the U.S.S. Intrepid in New York City

There are a few other items on display in the pavilion, like one of the shuttle’s engines. But inside the main building there’s an area dedicated to Endeavour and showcases many more items… including the toilet.

Before you leave the pavilion to head back to the main building, browse the gift shop to pick up a souvenir. There is another store inside the main building, so if you want to wait and check that one out, you can.

NOTE: There are plans to create a new pavilion for Endeavour. It would display the shuttle in an upright, launch position. The plans look awesome, so I look forward to exploring it again once that new home is complete.

Ecosystems: Desert, Oceans, Islands, L.A., and More

The largest area of the California Science Center are the ecosystem exhibits. Each area is an opportunity to learn more about the animals and plants that call that given ecosystem home. I really appreciate the thought that goes into making interactive exhibits. They help the learner engage rather than just read about something. For me, it helps me learn and understand.

The ecosystem exhibits each have their own hands-on ways of teaching. I can see why kids love exploring the California Science Center for this fact along.

The ecosystems area starts with a 360-degree introductory video. You can watch a looping video that highlights why ecosystems are important, before you explore them individually. The ecosystems include:

• L.A. Zone – Learn about the impact humans have in the L.A. area
• Island Zone – Learn about wildlife and dangers of island life
• Poles – Learn about animals that live near the North and South poles
• Deep Sea Vents – Learn about life in the deepest parts of the ocean
• Desert Zone – Learn about plant and animal life in the heat of the deserts
• Kelp Forest – Learn about the role kelp plays in the ocean ecosystem
• Aquarium & Rocky Shores – Learn about and touch sea life in the touch tank or watch it swim by in the aquarium
• River Zone – Learn about life in the rivers and what the animals do to survive

There are a few others random rooms in the ecosystem area. One the kids seemed to enjoy – but the adults seemed to cringe at – is the Rot Room. That’s right. It’s a room dedicated to the rot that is part of ecosystems and their health. It’s a little stinky, so be prepared.

Air and Space Exhibits

Before you officially exit the Ecosystem area, you’ll want to visit the Endeavour Introduction area. It’s got a sort of hidden entrance, but it’s right next to the Island Zone. Insite the area you’ll see actual parts from Endeavour, including the tires and toilet. It seems like everyone is fascinated with how astronauts go to the bathroom in space. Well, the potty exhibit has the actual toilet from Endeavour and a short video with astronauts explaining the process. It was pretty interesting.

There’s a short video here as well. It shows you the journey Endeavour made from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to southern California. It’s a pretty amazing journey a top a large plane, then trucked through the city to eventually arrive at its home at the California Science Center.

RELATED POST: See Space Shuttle Discovery at the National Air and Space Museum: Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington, DC

The other Air and Space Exhibits are located on the hallway near the stairs you climbed to get to the second floor. As pictured above, you’ll see the actual Gemini 11 space capsule flown by Charles “Pete” Conrad and Dick Gordon. My son and I met Dick Gordon during a visit to the Astronaut Autograph and Memorabilia Show back in 2011. So now I can mark off his space capsule from my “Seen” list. 🙂

Two other space capsules are on display here:

• Mercury capsule that took Ham the Astrochimp on a suborbital flight back in January 1961. The flight last 16 minutes and 39 seconds and proved that life can perform tasks in space, thus paving the way for Alan Shepard’s sub-orbital flight later that year.
• Apollo-Soyuz capsule (which was initially slated for Apollo 18, but the Apollo program was scrapped) that took Deke Slayton, Tom Stafford and and Vance Brand to dock with a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. This capsule is on loan from the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.

The World of Life Exhibit Area

The World of Life exhibit area shares the commonality in life forms. It starts from the early stages of fertilization and walks you through the developing and multiplying cells that eventually make up the human body or other types of living creatures. We found a few interesting things in this exhibit, but we didn’t spend a lot of time in it. I think some of the displays in this exhibit area were closed off – not sure why.

The long wooden-arches tunnel shows a developing human fetus from the time of fertilization. The first few steps show actual fetuses in the early stages of development. Then it moves to images to associate the developmental stage of the fetus as it grows inside the mother.

Creative World – Fire

Most of the Creative World Exhibit area was closed down. They may be updating or switching out that area. But on the third floor, we took a moment to explore the Fire! Science and Safety exhibit area. If you have young kids, I highly recommend visiting this area. There are several hands-on and interactive lesson that can teach kids how to prevent fires, or stay safe in the event of a fire.

For example, in the living room area, there’s a door with a “fire” on the other side. It’s an opportunity to teach kids to feel the door and the door handle before opening the door to see if there’s a fire on the other side.

In the kitchen area, you can learn about fire hazards in the kitchen, as well as safety concerns – like chemicals under the sink. You can also try using a fire extinguisher to make sure you know the P.A.S.S. acronym – Pull, Aim, Squeeze and Sweep (I did that from memory – haha).

There are a few other rooms in the house you can tour to learn more about keeping yourself and others safe from fires.

Special Exhibit Area and IMAX Theater

The third floor of the California Science Center is dedicated to special exhibit areas. Currently, Angkor: The Lost Empire of Cambodia, is there. It’s an exhibit that’s touring internationally and features more than 120 ancient artifacts. The exhibit looked pretty interesting, but our time didn’t allow us an opportunity to explore it. Plus, there’s an entrance fee for those wanting to visit the special exhibit. Adult (ages 18-64) tickets are $19.95; children (ages 3-12) are $12.95 and students (ages 13-17) and seniors (65+) are $17.95.

You can save a little money if you purchase a combination ticket to the special exhibit area and the IMAX film about Ankgor. The California Science Center has an IMAX theater with 3-D films. As mentioned, you can purchase a ticket to watch Angkor 3-D, Journey to Space 3-D or Under the Sea 3-D at the IMAX theater. The lineup changes, so be sure to check out the IMAX theater website to see what’s playing. Adult tickets are $8.95; children are $6.75, students and seniors are $7.95. However, you can save a few dollars if you purchase a combo ticket or tickets to multiple shows.

The Details

Address: 700 Exposition Park Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90037

How long to spend: 1-2 hours – but you could spend upwards of 3 hours with younger kids.

Cost: There is no admission fee, but there is a $3 per ticket service fee when you book your timed entry tickets online. Tickets can be purchased onsite to avoid the $3 fee, but you’re subject to availability. Tickets to special exhibits ($12.95-$19.95) and IMAX ($6.75-$8.95) films are available for an additional fee.

Hours: Open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day.

Website: https://californiasciencecenter.org/

Phone: (323) 724-3623

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