Mid-Hudson Discovery Museum — Attraction in City of Poughkeepsie

I visited the Mid-Hudson Discovery Museum with my two and eight year old daughters while passing through Poughkeepsie. The museum has potential to be quite nice but had several major shortcomings, the most substantial of which was the number of exhibits that were broken or missing critical components. Slinky treadmill? No slinkies. Create your own flying machine at the wind table? No supplies. Tube tunnels? Clogged. Magnetic sculpture? Maybe a half dozen pieces with which to create. Imagination playground? Closed. Art studio? No supplies. Much of Rivertown was just empty bins. Then a lot of buttons just didn't turn anything on like they were supposed to.

Not directly the fault of the museum but we were there at the same time as a camp group full of children who were just repeatedly screaming at full volume and seemingly had no supervision. Neither camp staff nor museum staff seemingly made any effort to control this despite a posted museum rule to "use inside voices." It was such a huge relief when they left. If anyone in my party had sensory sensitivities we would have had to leave. Even as someone without sensory sensitivity, I found it hard to stay. Non camp patrons were generally more respectful of volume in the shared space.

We had a weird staff interaction while eating lunch in the designated eating area. We were approached and told apologetically that we needed to leave as they had to set up for something. It took me a minute to process (leave ... the museum? The eating area?) and I asked if there was anywhere else my children could finish lunch and was told that we could sit at the table against the wall. So... We didn't need to leave all together, we just needed to change tables. It would have been a much friendlier interaction had we just been asked to move to the other table. That was the only interaction I had with staff circulating around the museum and it was just odd. I did not see any other staff making any effort to interact with guests in any capacity.

Overall it was a half decent option to get out of the car for a bit and not be outside in the oppressive heat, but it wouldn't be worth the money for me to bring my family back if we were passing...

From the very beginning, the Mid Hudson Children’s Museum was amazing. When we were looking for wedding venues, my now-husband suggested MHCM since he interned there in college. Their Pavilion is breathtaking - right on the river with amazing views. You get all the wonder of nature without having to worry about rain since the roof provides protection. There are also curtains to draw to protect from the wind, which was great since on the morning of our wedding, the wind was choppy and was blowing over our decorations. You can decorate it any way you choose - we went for a casual lilac garden theme, and people were really impressed.

However, despite all the beauty of the place itself, where MHCM rally shines are the people who work there. Venue coordinator April Marquez is AMAZING. Friendly, warm and on point, I am constantly amazed by her. When we had all sorts of issues with one of our vendors not meeting the site requirements, she bent over backwards to make sure we had a special day, accepting late paperwork, being in constant touch, and really doing her best for us. And she is seriously the nicest person you will ever meet. She was sick the day before the wedding, but came on our big day and stayed till late at night making sure everything was perfect. The other staff members are great too. Jason is so friendly, and we had a lovely little chat while I decorated our cake. I didn’t catch his name, but another staff member let us store some very cumbersome centerpieces at the museum the day before.

All our guests were so impressed by the reception - it’s truly a hidden gem! I’m so fortunate that my husband knew about it, because they don’t advertise a lot. Also, the pricing was so affordable - we could fit a lot of people for not a lot of money! April worked with me from everything from the rental delivery to storage of the cake to clean up. She’s and ANGEL and MHCM will forever be...

I’ve always liked this place for being hands-on and science-focused, but I’m honestly disappointed with the direction they’re going. A children’s science center shouldn’t be hosting drag shows. It’s not about politics or making a statement to kids, it’s just not the right setting. They are continuing their inappropriate shows.

There are plenty of ways to teach inclusion and community without turning it into something that feels more like a performance for adults with flamboyant looking drag queens and their boobs hanging out. This kind of stuff doesn’t belong in front of little kids, especially in a space meant for learning, discovery and science.

I just think the museum needs to get back to what it’s supposed to be about: science, education, and kids.

Response to your comment:

It’s not about being inclusive or teaching kindness it’s about age-appropriate content and keeping the focus on education.

These performances may be framed as family-friendly, but let’s be honest: drag is an adult art form. The exaggerated costumes, makeup, and behavior don’t belong in front of little kids, especially not in a place meant for learning and discovery. Just because something promotes diversity doesn’t mean it fits every setting.

If the museum really wants to teach inclusion, there are dozens of better, more thoughtful ways to do it without turning it into a spectacle. This feels more like a political statement than an educational choice, and it risks pushing away families who came here expecting science not social agendas.

I hope the museum rethinks this direction and gets back to what it’s supposed to be about: science,...