National Space Centre
National Space Centre things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
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Last week we visited @National Space Centre for Eloise’s birthday! Definitely worth a visit if you have kids interested in science/space 🚀 • • • • #NationalSpaceCentre #SpaceCentre #DayOut #FamilyDayOut #FamilyTrip #EatPlayLearn
eat_play_learn_eat_play_learn_
210
Amazing value for money. Great day out with my 3 year old daughter. Very interactive but not entirely kid focussed, which means adults can enjoy a day here, too. Lots of well put together talks and live experiments from knowledgeable staff. The planetarium show we saw was "We Are Astronomers" and it was incredible - i honestly couldn't believe it was included in our ticket price!This place is cearly all about education and keeping the interest of science alive. They really do honour their motto of "science for everyone." Tickets get automatically upgraded to a season pass when pre-booking online. Parking is a set rate of £4 for the day (card and coins accepted). The gift shop is well stocked, with lots of interesting and fun bits and bobs, however it is all very expensive. Personally, i don't think there are enough bathrooms dotted around which made toilet trips with my toddler a bit challenging, however they are the only toilets i have been in that have both toddler and adult seats, which we found very useful. I didn't try the food at the small eatery, but it did smell amazing and would love to try it next time we go. There is a large hall with tables, highchairs etc and even a microwave for public use to eat home brought food/warm up baby food and it is kept constantly clean by the wonderful cleaners. Ultimately, this place is very cool and well worth the visit. I'd highly recommend anyone and everyone go check it out. The few staff i spoke to were kind, answered all of my questions thoroughly, and seemed genuinely excited to work there. Great atmosphere, not too over crowded (even on a Saturday). Great artefacts and lots of information on past, present and future space endeavours. Very interesting place to visit. Lots of various things going on at The Space Centre, so be sure to check out their website for info on upcoming events.
Jodie BrasherJodie Brasher
30
Really enjoyed our visit for my eldest Son's birthday. There were plenty of people there but it was easy to get around, and some of the most popular displays (interactive ones) just had a small wait to use them. Lots of interesting things to see and a lot of information to read. We watched the Astronaut show, which was good but felt a bit dated. I work in interactive entertainment and with modern tech you could do some really cool stuff (like the ISS VR experiences). Kids enjoyed it but weren't terribly interested in reading everything like I was. We went as a group with our five kids, so it was an expensive day travelling down from Yorkshire, but it's nice to know our ticket is valid for a year so we might re-visit given the chance. Was slightly disappointed there were no drinking water stations anywhere. Had to queue up at the cafe for ten minutes just to get our water bottles refilled. There's an interactive launc/control-room area which we queued for, but it takes 5+ minutes for each group in there. You're given no estimation of how long the wait will be from the staff, and we queued for 25 minutes for it. Overall though I loved the displays and information about the planets of our solar system, and particularly liked the Russian floor showing the history of their space program, and the one above it all about the Apollo missions. Highly recommend visiting even if you know a lot about space. Definitely book your tickets in advance. We visited on a Friday in April and they were fully booked so you likely can't just turn up on the day and expect to get in.
Martin CaineMartin Caine
00
Good day out at Leicester National Space Centre. Some breath taking items on display, steeped in history in human evolution. Really hard to take in the history behind what you're looking at. Staff were fantastic through and through, can't fault them! The only gripes I have was having to pay for parking, but I imagine this is because it sits on council land perhaps, so not the NSC's fault. The centre seems very geared towards young kids, which is great for the next generation and Im an advocate for it - but trying to read the information, looking at pieces and really appreciating what you're seeing - all whilst 3 class trips of 20+ kids are shouting and screaming, donned in luminous hi-vis jackets, can be quite overloading to the senses. It reminded me somewhat of a play centre with astronomy facts. I know it might not be practical for NSC, but having "class trip" only days would be better for the general public I think. Just my 2 cents. Also some money could do with being spent on upkeep, some activities didn't work and looked generally tired. I know we're all skint but.. There seem to be a consensus amongst people about my above comments and after having read the copy paste replies from NSC, it seems nothings really been done about it. Oh well. Also some air con would've been appreciated, can get very stuffy inside! Unfortunately we didn't partake in the free planetarium viewing because of this. It may not sound like it, but we did enjoy our time there, some brilliant pieces on display that are once in a lifetime, and the staff were faultless. If you're serious about space and astronomy and are over the age of 16, I wouldn't rush to visit as you really won't be able to fully involve yourself with what you're seeing. If you have kids, fantastic! Maybe just bring some headphones, a Brian cox seminar... And a portable hand fan.
Alex WilkinsonAlex Wilkinson
00
Booking online is essential, and if you do you get a free annual pass. However, the tickets are very expensive for this type of attraction (adult £17.95 and child £15.95!!) And they also want to charge £4.00 for parking. It is good inside, there are several small galleries to look around in with interactive elements and some videos that you can sit and watch. It would be very good for children 5-12 in my opinion, anyone older would benefit from an interest in space prior to visiting. The rocket tower is very warm, even on a cold day so I would avoid this during the summer or if you are prone to fainting fits or overheating. The timeline of information and events in the tower stops well before 2000, this seems a misstep - surely there have been significant events since then? There is some mention of Mars Rovers and JWT in the galleries however. As we went on a weekday there were several schools trips, while this is to be expected it did diminish the overall experience due to the relatively small size of the centre. We did not stop for food, there is a small cafe as expected is overpriced but the main drag is a 15-20 minute walk and there are several Indian/Nepalese places, we stopped at Everest Parkikar which was excellent. I hear the planetarium is very good but we did not get a chance to see this, and as we also did not sit for the videos our visit lasted maybe 3.5hrs at most. I imagine with children that want to try and see everything it could be a 4-5hr experience. Accessibility; the attraction is fully wheelchair accessible with lifts to upper levels, although they can get crowded.
R DR D
00
I was quite disappointed with this museum Countless exhibitions partially broken, interactive aspects not working and quite dated in areas The Lego exhibitions distracted from the museum itself in places which was a shame as we'd assumed it would be in one area alone not interspersed in exhibits but they were enjoyable nonetheless The lack of any current space things such as spacex information was a shame as this is the sort of thing that would get children engaged in current space exploration and technology and bring the relevance forward. Perhaps a small exhibition or info area about it if you can't afford a revamp entirely Really enjoyed how detailed your exhibits were that were there just feel like it desperately needs upgrades and fixes so it doesn't feel so bedraggled. Ticket prices were high for what you get but the free annual upgrade negated this feeling Shop prices were frankly disgusting and felt a little exploitative as things such as the bright engaging plushies that kids would automatically be drawn to were similar costs to build a bear (£24.99 being the cheapest for a small one other than the t-shirt bears). I get you need to make money somehow but the prices just seemed excessive on top of the cost of food and tickets especially when the expensive stuff is mostly the kid focused stuff. Luckily we had the disposable income to meet most requests but I know we are the exception and I feel for parents who aren't so lucky Staff were lovely and polite can't fault customer service at all
Jas CookJas Cook
10
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Learn more insights from Wanderboat AIBasic Info
Address
Exploration Dr, Leicester LE4 5NS, United Kingdom
Map
Phone
+44 116 261 0261
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Website
spacecentre.co.uk
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Reviews
Overview
4.5
(4.4K reviews)
Ratings & Description
entertainment
cultural
family friendly
Description
The National Space Centre is a museum and educational resource covering the fields of space science and astronomy, along with a space research programme in partnership with the University of Leicester. It is located on the north side of the city in Belgrave, Leicester, England, next to the River Soar.
attractions: Abbey Park, Abbey Pumping Station Museum, Belgrave Hall, The Abbey Church, restaurants: Chai Paani, Bobby's Restaurant, Hyderabad Wala - Leicester, Chennai Dosa Leicester, Sharmilee, The Broadway Bar & Grill, Amaravathi South Indian Restaurant, Shiv Sagar Veg Restaurant, Blue Peter Doon Spice, Naseeb @ The Clowes
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