The Discovery Museums

Address:	177 Main St, Acton, MA 01720, USA
Phone:	+1 978-264-4200
Site:	discoverymuseums.org
Rating:	4.4
Working:	9AM–4:30PM 9AM–4:30PM 9AM–4:30PM 9AM–4:30PM 9AM–8:30PM 9AM–4:30PM 9AM–4:30PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 14

Nic Castro

This is one of my daughters favorite places, so we visit it quite often. The Discovery museum suits her better than the Science Museum, as it is created with children of her age in mind (under 5), but the Science Museum still has plenty of interactive exhibits that keep her entertained. Although we did not get to use the newest edition on our latest visit, the outdoor treehouse/walk, we did get to walk through it. Its a playground below and a walkway and interactive area up top - collages, books, blocks, shells, and etc. Maybe next time well use the newest add-on and report back. The Discovery Museum has a train station room, a ball maze room, and a water room (full body bubble maker) all on the first floor. The second floor is made up the sensory room, the diner, treehouse, and campsite. The third floor is the environment area that is made up of the boat area and nature watch area. All are extremely interactive and fun. Con: During summer and vacation weeks this place gets mobbed as it is one of the few kid-friendly places in town. On our last visit, there was a 45min wait to get into the Discovery Museum because they had reached maximum capacity due to fire codes. Would recommend calling ahead if you plan on visiting them during these times.

A Private User

I havent seen inside this Museum...but why am I giving it a 1 star. this is why: I drove 50 min to get to the Museum on a rainy day. I get there and there is a sign reading: the current wait time is *1 hour* to get inside and that I need to take a number and wait! so I walk to the window and the woman tells me there are some school kids visiting and there is not enough space inside so people need to take a number and wait for ONE HOUR. well, thats ridiculous in my opinion. Somewhere on their website people should be made aware that they may not get in right away and have to wait for one hour. definitely Not right! they should dedicate certain days of the week to school visits and post that on the web so other visitors know there may be a long wait time and plan accordingly....trip ended in total disappointment as I had gone with such high expectations and had talked up my daughter for 50 minutes and had made her excited about all she was going to see...big bummer!

Charles Bosse

My 3 year old and I spent more than three hours here and only saw half of it. He had a great time and was very entertained. There are many great, hands on, displays here (exhibits isnt really the right word either, as the focus is on interaction and discovery). It isnt the Exploratorium, but it certainly aspires to be, and does a great job of facilitating hands on play and, of course, discovery. The staff were overall very friendly and pleasant (I did have one negative interaction with a staff member in the wood working area, but I think it was a misunderstanding). Overall, I hope to be back and I think anyone in driving distance should make an effort to check it out!

Shannon Vyff

Ive been to childrens museums all across the US and UK. This one is just ok, very small and best for kids under age 6. I was disappointed with the quite high price as well. The reciprocal relationships are only half off at Boston Childrens Museum and isnt worth the price. It would only be worth the membership or even going to, if your drive is under 10 min. There are so many better places around such as Ecotarium, The Museum of Science, Boston Childrens Museum, Providence Childrens Museum etc that are worth a 30 to 50 min drive.

Stephanie Davis

My 17 mo has been going since he could just walk (13 mo old) and his favorite is the water table! He loves the ball room, too. He will hang out at the water table for 30-45 minutes at a time, which is a long time for my energetic guy. The water blocking smocks are great. We went often on Friday Nights during the summer (free!) and have since bought a membership we use on very cold or rainy days, esp if there have been a couple in a row. Theres plenty for him to grow into abs Im sure we will continue coming here for years.

Family Weal

Great place for little ones to explore and play. Only issue are parents who bring older kids, completely not age appropriate and takes over the small space available for little ones. There are signs marked with ages appropriate for 0 to 6 year olds but staff should enforce this. A brand new science center is being built and planned on completion for December 2017. This is exciting and look forward to having my toddlers explore. Otherwise, this would be an awesome place with 5 stars.

Susan Murphy

Lots of hands-on fun for all ages. My 3-year old loves playing pretend in the childrens building - his favorite room is the diner. And my infant loves the mirrors and other simple sensory experiences available in there. We also all have fun in the bigger kids science building where they can play with sand and colored lights. Late afternoon on weekdays seems to be the least crowded time to go.

Alegna Zavatti

My kids loved this place. The only reason I dont give them 5 stars is that they do not have a designated indoor snack area. They only offer the picnic tables outside and a bench where kids can sit in the discovery area. I understand it is because the museum is an allergy friendly space but a designated eating area would be nice. Other than that, the staff is really nice and helpful.

Kellie Finn

They have a lot of fun activities to do with kids. The science museum is great for slightly older children and the other building is great for toddlers and preschoolers. I take my nanny kids here all the time and we spend hours doing crafts at the invention station in the science museum. Theres a lot of construction going on currently.

Chris Brace

I grew up going to these museums, and entirely blame them for my decision to embark on a degree in a STEM field today. Science can be really cool, and this museum is a great introduction to the basic scientific phenomena of our world, and its a lot of fun to boot. Expect your kids to pester you about coming back incessantly.

Justin Symington

Saw a one-star review from another reviewer and figured she was just being negative. Turns out I agree. Small museum with basically toys to play with. The 3 year olds and younger seemed to be plenty entertained, but this was just silly for my 5 year old. 37.50 for my wife, me and daughter... Not impressed.

Megan Lutz

We went today and it was way overpriced and I was not impressed at all. My child is two so she did enjoy herself but it was sad. Its just a bunch of themed rooms with a few toys in them. Everything is in desperate need of a makeover at this point. Not something that will probably interest my child later.

Erin McCarthy

I live their philosophy of providing opportunities for children to discover science, their environment and their imagination. Some of their displays are out of date, but the staff is always very friendly, and it seems as if there is always something new to discover. Worth the visit!

Jessica Haggett

Awesome place for younger children especially, but there are activities to engage folks of all ages. They are community minded and accommodating. There is a science and a general discovery building, the general discover building being best for the very little children.