Putnam Museum and Science Center
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The Putnam Museum and Science Center, formerly Davenport Academy of Natural Sciences, is a museum of history and natural science and a science center in Davenport, Iowa, United States. The museum was founded in 1867, and was one of the first museums west of the Mississippi River.
attractions: Fejervary Park, restaurants: Happy Joe's PIZZAGRILLE - W. Locust, Big JJ Fish & Chicken, Firehouse Bar & Grill, QC Sushi Japanese Kitchen, Meat Market Bar & Saloon, DMC Happy Hollow, Don Juan Mexican Cocina, Jeffie'z, The Pour House, Cedar St Inn
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Description
The Putnam Museum and Science Center, formerly Davenport Academy of Natural Sciences, is a museum of history and natural science and a science center in Davenport, Iowa, United States. The museum was founded in 1867, and was one of the first museums west of the Mississippi River.
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My 8 (and a half) year old son and I spent about two hours here. The exhibits were very cool and informative. I particularly enjoyed the World Culture gallery, very interesting art and history, along with an *actual* mummy. My son enjoyed the evolution of technology area, especially the hands-on simple machines. My only regret is that we didn't visit the IMAX theatre. The gift shop had lots of cool things and I thought the prices were *very* reasonable. A few things were broken or had things missing, but all in all it was a good time and a lot of entertainment, especially at the low cost.
Leah FarreyLeah Farrey
10
The Putnam is a fun museum for kids, but it seems to be suffering from the affects of COVID shutdowns. What I mean by that is that they don't have much of anything new and parts of the museum are either blocked off or sparsely populated with displays. I can only assume this has been caused by shutdowns and lack of attendance upon reopening. I hope they are able to utilize more of the museum in the near future and that attendance will likewise increase. They did have a cool "Winter Wheels" motorcycle display on our most recent visit, of which I have attached photos.
Ryan KochRyan Koch
40
Museum was over all pretty cool but what sucked is buying my son a wind racer from the gift shop, brand new in box sealed in plastic. Just to find out once opened that it was missing a key component to race with wind. The propeller was missing and even with an electronic system they wouldnt exchange it for a new one because I didnt physically have the receipt, I didnt want a refund I just wanted to exchange for a new one again but they said they cant. I wouldnt buy anything from the gift shop again. I'm not from this area and wont be back again.
Troy StanleyTroy Stanley
00
I highly recommend visiting the Putnam! We enjoyed our time and all the many exhibits - there is sooo much to see!! The interactive Science area was the kids' favorite part. There wasn't anyone else in the museum this past week when we visited, which surprised us. Plan for at least 3 hours, unless you have kids, they don't care about reading and prefer the activities. My only small complaint is that they need more public bathrooms throughout. And maybe they are there and we just didn't find them.
The Cain CrewThe Cain Crew
10
Things change here frequently enough to warrant a revisit if it's been a while! We went back today after about a year or two and most of it has been remodeled and changed up. There is more kid friendly options than I remember. Today we got signed up for a great deal for a family of 5, $80 for 1 year of free visits, 6 free guest passes, and with it we can apparently get discounts at other places. Great deal for family fun! Took us several hours to see everything. Kids didn't want to leave!
Ryan ThurmanRyan Thurman
00
Museum is a potpourri of information on many topics, including local history, industry, wildlife, soil types and farming, science, ancient history, and different cultures. There was a lot of reading and standing required. We would have appreciated some short movies that bring the people and stories to life. Overall learned a lot about the history of the area and it’s peoples. We visited about 3 hours. Admission required.
Dennis PohleDennis Pohle
20
Nearby Attractions Of Putnam Museum and Science Center
Fejervary Park
Fejervary Park
4.4
(311)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Putnam Museum and Science Center
Happy Joe's PIZZAGRILLE - W. Locust
Big JJ Fish & Chicken
Firehouse Bar & Grill
QC Sushi Japanese Kitchen
Meat Market Bar & Saloon
DMC Happy Hollow
Don Juan Mexican Cocina
Jeffie'z
The Pour House
Cedar St Inn
Happy Joe's PIZZAGRILLE - W. Locust
3.8
(301)$$
Click for details
Big JJ Fish & Chicken
4.2
(267)$$
Click for details
Firehouse Bar & Grill
4.4
(214)$
Click for details
QC Sushi Japanese Kitchen
4.6
(78)Click for details
Reviews
Overview
4.6
(715 reviews)
Phone
(563) 324-1933
Call
Website
putnam.org
Visit
Deep Dive
A deep dive into Putnam Museum and Science Center
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