McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center — Attraction in Concord

The Mcauliffe-shepard discovery museum was so cool to go to when I was young. Now as an adult with my own family, my husband and I decided to make a family fun day out of it with our daughter. When we arrived, we were already met with some challenges. The Mercury Redstone Rocket did not have either informative machines working outside and the sidewalk is falling in on itself at this display. But I want to be understanding to this, as perhaps it was weathered. So we are making our way inside and we were also hungry. We figured we would just grab a bite to eat in the cafe but that doesn't seem to even exist anymore, though the signage can still be found on the glass on the building. Such a letdown that the cafe is gone. They just have a cabinet of snacks that you can pay for at the main desk. So as we made our way through the museum, we noticed so many things out of order, taped, covered or just broken and left there. I was so excited to show my daughter the types of telescopes used but they were covered behind a white board. Also, what happened to the simulator? Is it no longer available? Several displays with broken or missing buttons throughout the museum. There were several places in the museum that would be great for taking a picture with the family but there were floor fans everywhere just sitting, not in operation. It didn't seem hot on our visit and again, they were all off. The ISS monitor also displays a large crack through the screen. Dried out markers left for people to write on the whiteboard for the anaglyphs activity but no staff members to oversee anyone using any of the equipment.

We did enjoy the Mt. Washington observatory! The floor shook and it was nice and clean in there. We also enjoyed the Shackleton Research station. It appears to be a newer exhibit, except that small room for imaginitive space travel. More buttons and things missing there, please update it to fit with the rest of the wonderful modern look of the Shackleton Research station. For an additional 5.00 a head, we took part in watching one of the planetarium shows, Black Holes. This particular show was narrated by John De Lancie and I could just listen to him for hours. (Star Trek fan here!) In september 2022, this museum will be getting some upgrades to the planetarium shows. Beyond that, we also enjoyed the Star Trek display, though it could use some life put into it. Section looks dated and untouched. The sign for the chairs could really use a new print out and not white-out, it looks aimless. We also very much appreciated several sanitation stations.

Though we did have fun and my daughter did learn new things, I can honestly say this museum isn't up to par with others in this field. We've been to a handful of discovery museums with similar activities and this hits us the hardest because this museum is in our backyard and I wish it would be as great as when I was young. What are some things visitors or locals can do to help this museum get...

We were looking forward to our visit to the Discovery Center today. Our group consisted of about 25 children and their adults, all part of a homeschooling 4-H group. Ollie gave us a wonderful introduction to the building, and we set off, excited to explore until lunchtime. The kids were enjoying themselves, but then we encountered Christy, an employee. Unfortunately, her presence quickly made everyone uncomfortable. She spent much of her time following the children around, seemingly waiting for them to misbehave. My own children were confused, asking why someone who clearly didn’t like children was working in a place meant for educating them. The kids were behaving respectfully—no roughhousing, yelling, or running—and yet Christy’s constant monitoring made them anxious.

At 12:47, Christy entered the lunchroom and insisted that we immediately head to the planetarium for our 1 pm show, which was just a two-minute walk away. She rushed the children and parents out of the room, even though some parents were still packing up lunch and a few kids were still in the bathroom. I stayed behind to ensure the kids were safe and accounted for. When I arrived at the planetarium at 12:52, the doors were locked, and my teen daughter had to ask for me to be let in. I had to plead with Christy to wait for the last three members of our group to finish in the bathroom before locking them out.

While I was in the bathroom, I was told that Christy had escorted the families into the theater and had them sit in the back rows, even though it was a private showing and there were plenty of open seats. When my son and his friend chose two available seats, Christy stopped everything and publicly shamed them in front of the group. When one of the parents questioned why they couldn’t sit wherever they felt comfortable in an almost empty theater, she responded with nothing more than a dirty look. Thankfully, Ollie arrived at that point and took over, encouraging us to move around and sit wherever we liked. The presentation they provided was great, and they were wonderful with both the children and the adults.

To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. As a nonprofit group with well-behaved children who participate in numerous field trips each year, we have never been treated in such a way. After this experience, we will not...

Great, affordable family adventure! As a NH native, I was surprised to learn that Concord had a space museum and planetarium! I never knew this was here. We attended Sunday, spending about 3 hours there between exhibits and the show. I loved all the history about New Hampshire's history with space exploration. There was a variety of interactive exhibits for adults and kids and was very engaging. The staff was extremely friendly and took the time to interact and educate. You could tell they love working here.

My favorite part of the visit was the Planetarium exhibit about the Native American story of the Big and Little Dipper. In conjunction with local indigenous tribes, the center put together a beautifully illustrated presentation. I attended with 3 other adults and our 10 year old nephew and we were all enthralled with the story of The Great Spirit Bear Chase and the Hunt by the Bird People. The summary on their site reads: "Created in partnership with Chief Paul Pouliot and Chief Female Speaker Denise Pouliot of the Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook and Abenaki People, produced by Film Unbound and with technical support by SSIA Technologies, and written by Paul Pouliot, this 100% New Hampshire-made show tells stories of the night sky from the perspective and cultural traditions of the indigenous peoples whose ancestors first settled in the Granite State over 12,000 years ago."

The story tells us how the Big and Little Dipper (both bears) came to be constellations in the sky. Their story weaves in geography of New Hampshire, like Lake Winnapesaukee, the White Mountains and Monadnock, and features indigenous explanations for the changing of seasons and where New Hampshire gets her beautiful fall color. My only "complaint" is that there wasn't a book of this story to take home! Between the lore and the artwork, I can see this being a treasured story for any children's library, a great introduction to the indigenous cultures of New Hampshire.

This is a wonderful, intimate, local museum to attend. They offer AAA and Veteran discounts on ticketing, and it's relatively affordable for a family. Count on spending 2-3 hours here, as it's a pretty small museum. You can stay longer if you take in...