I received tickets in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
{ The Science Museum of Minnesota }
120 W. Kellogg Blvd.
Saint Paul, MN 55102
Hours: Sunday: 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Wednesday: 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Thursday: 9:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Friday: 9:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Saturday: 9:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Price: Museum Admission Only: Adult – $13.00 – Child (4-12), Senior (60+) – $10.00
Omnitheater + Museum Admission: Adult – $20.00 – Child (4-12), Senior (60+) – $17.00
Winter is here, but never fear! The Twin Cities area has plenty of activities to keep your little ones busy all through those chilly months.
Last Saturday my boys and I went to The Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul. We had So.Much.Fun. Seriously. I am a little embarrassed to admit it, but I had never taken my boys here. We’ve been to the Children’s Museum, but I guess I was thinking that the Science Museum would only be good for older kids. I was wrong.
There is a lot to do for little ones as well! Throughout the museum there are many places with board books, toys, and other things to keep the little ones entertained while the big kids learn and explore the more advanced activities. If it were me, I would skip the Omnitheater with any real littles ones. You can always send the older ones to the theatre with Dad {or vice versa} as it does cost extra and you’ll want to really take it all in.
We started our day with a cup of coffee for me from the Java Lab, and the lobby entertainment for the boys. They were happy even before we entered the Museum itself. =) The T-Rex was quite captivating, and they really enjoyed the map on the floor.
And off we went… so much to do, so much to see.
As an Early Childhood Education major, I was especially interested in the exhibit The Wonder Years: The Science of Early Childhood Education.
They were obsessed with watching themselves at the news desk… We had to go back and do it again!
Is everyone buzzing about something—a monster hurricane, avian flu, a potential cure for cancer, or a new fossil find? Find out the latest on Science Buzz.
Award-winning Science Buzz blends up-to-the-minute science news with interactive experiences, object-based displays, science activities, games, resources, and community perspectives and opinions. Check out our library of digital and traditional exhibit components focused on science in the news, emerging research, and phenology.
Post your own science stories, leave a question or a comment, or interact directly with featured scientists. Buzz components are designed to stand alone or complement permanent exhibits already on your museum floor.
They LOVED the dinosaurs and fossils! I was surprised at how interested they were.
The Dinosaurs and Fossils Gallery amazes with world-class pre-historic dinosaur and fossil displays and interactive exhibits.
The Science Live shows were AWESOME! What a great way to have science come alive- literally! The boys loved it! They have shows about every 20 minutes, and it’s right by the Chomp Restaurant.
Science Live all-ages programs include dramatic theater, science demonstrations, and interactive children’s programming. Performances are free with museum admission every day of the week. Visit the Science Live page for schedules and performance information.
They so enjoyed the Math Moves! Exhibit. I did too.
Move, draw, build, experiment, and play with ratio and proportion in the Math Moves! exhibition.
Located on level 3, this brand-new, hands-on exhibition stimulates imagination and builds math muscle in visitors of all ages. Math Moves! encourages a collaborative approach to problem solving. The exhibition’s open-ended activities provide great opportunities for you to talk to other visitors about your experiences working out solutions to our unique math challenges.
Get your hands, mind and body involved in experimenting and exploring ratios and proportions, fractions, geometric similarity, and more.
I didn’t get a picture of it, but we were able to talk to some U of M Medical Students that had human body models- my boys learned a lot!
Meet University of Minnesota Medical Students: Each year the University of Minnesota Medical School’s Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society organizes medical students to volunteer at the Science Museum’s Human Body gallery on Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. (schedule subject to change). Please stop by the Human Body gallery on Saturdays to chat with your future physicians!
The Butterfly House was so cool! The boys were a little hesitant at first, as the butterflies literally just come and land on you. But they got used to it, and then began to make friends with the sweet little creatures! So fun to get up close and personal to the butterflies.
We finished our trip with the Flight of the Butterflies at the William L. McKnight-3M Omnitheater. It was truly amazing. The movie was fantastic, and the Omnitheater was stunning to say the least. The boys were GLUED to the huge screen, and they’ve been talking about it ever since. They can’t wait to go back again!
Round out your visit to see Flight of the Butterflies with a visit to the Science Museum’s butterfly habitat. See hundreds of real butterflies close-up, watch their natural behaviors, and explore their life cycles and how they are supported by their environment. Both delicate and astonishingly complex, live butterflies will provide an unforgettable conclusion to an amazing butterfly experience.
The monarch butterfly is a true marvel of nature. Weighing less than a penny, it makes one of the longest migrations on Earth across a continent, with pinpoint navigational accuracy, to a secluded place it has never been before. Flight of the Butterflies tells the remarkable true story of the 40 year-long quest of one scientist—and a legion of citizen scientists he recruited from around North America to help him—to find the monarch’s secret winter hideaway.
Discover the story of the monarch’s astonishing metamorphosis and perilous journey as only the Omnitheater’s 90 foot domed screen can tell it. A story of magnificent transformation and the triumph of a lifetime’s work, the Washington Post calls it “…reminiscent of March of the Penguins in its ability to tug at the heartstrings.” See Flight of the Butterflies and feel the flutter yourself.
From the bottom of my heart, we had a truly wonderful day at the Science Museum of Minnesota. It was the best kind of quality time with my boys- educational and fun all wrapped into one! Make sure you get yourself over there this winter with your family!
