Boonshoft Museum of Discovery
Boonshoft Museum of Discovery things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
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This place is simply the coolest - hands down. Having went on a Saturday with the family it was definitely busy, but not so busy that you had to wait to see different attractions or running in to other patrons. Honestly it was the perfect kind of busy. The families that were there with their children created a sort of excitement for me. It was a kind of excitement that allow me, at 41 years old, to be a kid again. There are so many attractions that it is easy to lose track of time while you're in the museum. We burned through about 3 hours in what felt like no time flat. I would venture as far as saying that 95% are there attractions are hands on and all have to do with science. Each attraction or science experiment pipe station as easy kid-friendly explanation posted by it or on it. They have a multitude of imagination stations if you will that allow children to go back to the lost art of pretending. They have a Veterinary Clinic which is complete with live animals such as turtles, cockroaches - yes I said cockroaches, and a Tarantula (all these behind their respective glass windows). Children get to make sick stuffed animals better again and even get to use real X-rays that they can hold and study of animals in their quest to heal. There is also a small replica of a house that allows kids to learn about wind energy and its many uses, a grocery store, mechanic shop, etc. There is also Interactive stations where kids can interact with creatures from the ocean such as starfish, sea anemones, and sea cucumbers. There is a whole section of the building that is dedicated to space and has numerous interactive stations for kids to learn about things like gravity and energy as well as planetary systems. As stated earlier in my review- hi found myself being a kid again and playing along with our daughter and testing out different theories at experimental stations. Another cool feature how many museum is that if your children should get a little bored with science experiments they can always go play on the two-story playground that is guaranteed to where your little one out and allow them to burn some extra energy. What else can I say? Boonshoft absolutely got it right in terms of engaging children to learn about science. The pricing was surprisingly cheap. I expected at least pay $20 per adult and 15 / kid, but it wasn't even close to that. Below is the pricing - Adults $14.50 Seniors (60+) $12.50 Children (3-17) $11.50 Children (under 3) Free Members are FREE! Might I add as well that if you are a Columbus Zoo member ticket prices are 50% off so me and my fiance paid $14.50 for me and her and $5.50 for our 10 yr old.
ChristiaanChristiaan
10
My daughter, fiance, and I visited The Boonshoft on Monday, May 9, 2023, for the first time in over a decade. My daughter is 17 now, and we hadn't been since she loved to play in the water area and rope bridge! We were greeted by Eileen S. to get tickets, and this review is mainly to praise her. She was absolutely excellent, and set the stage for a positive experience for us. She was friendly, cheerful, talkative, and helped us get a discount for receiving public assistance. This was a godsend because my fiance is disabled with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, so every bit we can save on leisure activities is so helpful. Eileen was obviously so happy at her job, which is delightful to see and reflects so well on the museum management as a whole. In fact, everyone I encountered there seemed happy in their work. The experience, of course, was amazing as it always had been a decade ago. I loved every moment. I, 38 years old, ran around like a kid and never felt judged. It felt encouraged. We looked at every exhibit and loved them all. Of course, the otters are always the highlight, but I found a new friend in Lucy the Turkey Vulture (she put on a little performance just for me in her enclosure.) This was awesome because I had been wary and unsure about turkey vultures. Interacting with her changed my entire view on them. I'd mentioned previously that my fiance has Hodgkin's Lymphoma, so he has been stuck in the house for fear of covid for almost 3 years and this was one of our first outings in an indoor public venue in a very long time. He recently got a self contained unit that allows him to purify the air since mask mandates got dropped. I felt like the museum is very handicapped accessible as well and that is appreciated so much. Long story not short, thank you! Thank you for making our visit one of the best days we've had in many years. And tell Eileen thank you, and say hi to Lucy for me. ❤️
Steena StetterSteena Stetter
70
This is a super nice all purpose museum. This museum has a little bit of everything. Science, live animals, space, puzzles and games, American Indians, ancient Egypt, mummies, world weather, legos, car racing, a pizza shop, car repair zone, forestry, recycling, etc. They even have a large theatre. I was quite amazed at the variety that you can explore. Definitely geared towards the younger folk, but anyone can walk away learning something here. Disappointingly, several of the displays in the water area and the space area are in need of maintenance as the interactive displays were not functioning or not functioning as intended. These need to be addressed quickly so that patrons don’t lose interest and stop patronizing this museum. Good maintenance and functioning exhibits are essential to a thriving museum. Generally the museum i colorful and inviting. Staff was pleasant.
Dennis JasinskiDennis Jasinski
00
I enjoyed the museum because my kids enjoyed it!!! Has lots of activities for children of all ages. It has a water table for kids to play, slides to slide down, web to climb up, and many more knowledgeable things. There are live animals through out the museum which was pretty cool to see, and at certain times the workers come out with animals like (lizard and/or coccaroach) to touch and learn about. If you have any memberships to any zoos or children's museums or science museums anywhere in America they do offer discount. The discount varies, some offer 25% while others offer 100% discount. A grate place to visit when in town. Update: a few years passed and we're back... It's just as fun for kids as it was. There are planetarium shows every 2 hours, feeding of animals, they do science experiments show, and so much more! It is more fun than I remember.
Yelena PanasyukYelena Panasyuk
20
I've been coming here since my 16yo was 1. Not much has changed. The exhibits are boring and non interactive. Its a children's museum and everything there would barely entertain an 80 year old philanthropist. Information is long and boring. It really needs a fresh new makeover from top to bottom. They need to pull in some talent and make this lac fun and interesting for KIDS!. now with covid half of the museum is closed off. Its awful. My 2yo is walking around aimlessly and bored. This is ridiculous. I wish we had cool things in this area like cincy and Columbus. Boonshoft has potential to be so great but needs new management. I won't be back until it does. PLEASE GET NEW MANAGEMENT AND GIVE THIS PLACE A MAKEOVER!!! Bring in new toys for the play areas!! Look at the “pizza place” same play pizza since it opened! There’s nothing to play with!!
robin kougherrobin kougher
20
Love this museum!!! The activities are so diverse and there is so much to see and do for kids of all ages. The children enjoyed all of the play stations (the foam block room and animal hospital were a couple favorites) and we were surprised how many animals they had. The kids especially loved getting to touch a snake and seeing a few others in an animal encounter. The museum has a nice layout and the smaller size keeps it from being overwhelming. It was pretty busy the day we went but the children didn’t have any issues participating in any of the play zones. They have a solid snack bar with reasonable prices and some pretty cool stuff in the gift shop. I haven’t had a chance to check out one of the laser light shows yet but it is next on the list!! 100% you should check this place out!!
Wendee HolbrookWendee Holbrook
00
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Basic Info
Address
2600 Deweese Pkwy, Dayton, OH 45414
Map
Phone
(937) 275-7431
Call
Website
boonshoft.org
Visit
Reviews
Overview
4.7
(1.6K reviews)
Ratings & Description
cultural
entertainment
family friendly
accessibility
Description
The Boonshoft Museum of Discovery is a children's museum, science and technology center and zoo in Dayton, Ohio, United States that focuses on science and natural history. Exhibits include an extensive natural history collection as well as maintaining a collection of live animals native to Ohio and abroad.
attractions: People's Market, Deweese Park, restaurants: Sugar's Lounge, Soca Food Truck, WingDepo

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