OMSI

1945 SE Water Ave, Portland, OR 97214, USA

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 8

Elizabeth Martinez

If you live in Portland I recommend the membership - I got the 225$ patron membership and it has already paid for itself several times over in just 2 months! We go to OMSI often and it is my sons favorite place to go. Literally every day school is not in session we are here. Not only do they have varied, interesting exhibits, they have many many rooms and areas dedicated to free explorative play for kids and its a great place to go on a rainy day where the kids can interact with each other and the exhibits. Plus the planetarium and movie theatre are great go to attractions that make it so you can spend the whole day at OMSI. Also, they have awesome activities such as soapmaking in the chemistry lab which I got to do with my son. He was so excited to learn about the chemistry of soap and then get to make our own! Right now he really has been enjoying the Port of Portland interactive exhibit. All in all it is a great museum for all age groups with great visit-again appeal. Our cool star soap is pictured below.

Benjamin Hong

Any museum that you are able to interact with the exhibits is cool in my book. Usually you do find this in science museums and OMSI doesnt disappoint. My family I and went when they had the history of video games so we got to see and play with a lot of the retro games and some of the current ones at the time. It still amazes me what we thought was so cool and so powerful in technology is nothing compared to smartphones today. Anyway, OMSI is definitely a cool place with huge exhibits and lots to do and see. One of ther more permanent exhibits is the USS Blueblack, a retired naval submarine that was also used in the movie "Hunt for Red October". This is one of my all time favorite movies so you know I had to take a tour of the sub when I learned it was here in Portland. I do have to be honest it can get pricy if you want to check out some of the traveling exhibits because they are not included in the general admission. So Id recommend making a day of the place to really get your moneys worth.

Annette Collins

Annual membership a great investment for families. My kids (3, 5 & 7) love the science playground, and have since they were crawling. Blocks, sand, water, rotating craft activities, a "store," animal habits and more engage them for hours at a time. I love that the are is enclosed such that I dont have to keep arms length from all three of them: I can let them get involved in two or three different activities and just check in from time to time. Were still growing into the other areas of the museum, but we commonly spend lots of time in the ball room and electronics lab downstairs. And the rotating special exhibits are always worth a visit. I like to finish off our time with an espresso from one of the two cafes, while the kids love to eat their lunches (packed from home) in front of the enormous steel "marble run" display, a classic thats been at the museum since I was little. We also used or membership reciprocity to great effect on a recent visit to Florida.

Corban Namba

OMSI is a fun museum for anyone who is interested in technology, biology, and many other types of science. There is a chemistry lab on the first floor, as well as a movie theater, a sound lab, and a physics lab with many interactive experiments that will leave you with a renewed interest in science. There is also a “nanolab”, which “shrinks” you down to microscopic size, and shows you models of what different cell and viruses might look like. On the second floor, there an Earth exhibit showing everything from natural disasters to economically friendly ways of powering cities. When you are hungry, there is a restaurant on the first floor called the “Theory”. Next to the Theory, there is a room which has been used for various things and is changed every two or three months, so you may never lose interest. Overall, OMSI is an exciting place for all ages, and it never gets old.

Olivia Luchion

They have a permanent exhibit on how a baby forms inside the Uterus. Its good to show your kid what can happen if they choose to have a baby or two. And sometimes, its easier than explaining it all out in the long way. They had a great skateboarding exhibit one time when we stopped by. My kid, and her adoptive mother. Its got a great bunch of things for big kids too! And then theres the gift shop. They have all your Science Finds available for purchase. We saw an Australian or British tourist when we were there once, too. I think they even have a Water feature area for all to play in. Also there is food, should you want to have a sandwich, or a juice or something. In case you get hungry. Ive been a few times, and its a great afternoon. Spend lots of time here. And bring your out of town guests with you. :)

Travis Gagnon

I was a little uncertain about taking my kids to OMSI because they get bored very quickly with everything, but I was pleasantly surprised at how engaging the exhibits were throughout most of the museum especially in the big room with the old generator. There are so many great physical science experiments for kids. There is lots of stuff to touch and put together for little hands. There was actually too much to do for us and we left after three and a half hours because we werent prepared for all of the activities available. The kids did not want to leave so I suggest bringing food or money for the eatery inside of the museum. Our trip to OMSI was somewhat impromptu so we werent prepared to stay more than a few hours, but there was certainly enough there to keep the kids busy for a bit longer.

Kathleen Anson

Have only been here during the monthly "After Dark" (21+) events. It is hands down the best hands-on science museum Ive ever been to. It runs circles around its more famous sister in San Francisco, the Exploratorium. They clearly work hard at keeping the permanent exhibits up to date and relevant. They get terrific traveling exhibits too. There is always something new to see. The After Dark events are one of my favorite things to do in PDX - nerds and beer - though lately it has been ridiculously crowded! Alas, the beer is all in bottles, but its local beers, and a good variety. The cafe is better than expected, but nothing special. Hit happy hour at clarklewis instead, then come play with the toys without having to elbow any tots in the head. ;) Would be a great date night.

Boarder City Bass

Omsi website is completly did organized, was Un sure about pricing and exhibits.. Called omsi 2 days before I showed up and told th employee what I had going on and whats the best deal. He recommended we purchased our tickets at omsi to get the best deal and will include everything at omsi.. Total for family was $94.00. get to omsi 5/13/2017, walking in seen signs that omsi closes at 2pm today.. no where on the website did it say they cased on this day at 2 nor did the employee I talked let me know that omsi closed at 2pm.. at purchase counter the employee recommend a package and it ended up being 147.00 for the family and we only get to be here for 4.5 hrs.. OMSI needs to get there website together and have a better warning when they close early..