California Science Center

The California Science Center is one of several museums and venues that comprise Exposition Park, a great place for families and cultural junkies to spend an entire day. This museum is suitable for kids of all ages, and if you only visit the permanent exhibits – of which there are more than enough to explore during a typical visit – you can walk away without having spent a dime. The museum is...

When to Go: Arrive on weekends or weekday afternoons after 1:30pm. Before that, it's usually swarming with school groups.

The Extras: Plan a weekend visit to take in any of the free presentations on a range of scientific topics. They repeat throughout the afternoon so you can see them all.

I recommend this place to everyone

A $130-million renovation -- reinvention, actually -- has turned the former Museum of Science and Industry into Exposition Park's most popular attraction. Using high-tech sleight of hand, the center stimulates kids of all ages with questions, answers, and lessons about the world. The museum is organized into themed worlds, and one of the museum's highlights is Tess, a 50-foot animatronic woman...

Unlike many other museums, the Science Center encourages guests to touch just about everything--which means lots of bells and whistles going off. Busloads of kids scamper about the galleries...

The Science Center is now home to Space Shuttle Endeavour located in the Samuel Oschin Pavilion. Tickets & info: www.californiasciencecenter.org

The California Science Center is housed in a location that has long played an important role in the history of Los Angeles. The first State Exposition Building, which stood in the exact spot of the current Science Center, opened in 1912 and housed simple, agriculturally based displays of natural resources and industrial products from across the state. We aspire to stimulate curiosity and...