Museum of Discovery and Science — Attraction in Fort Lauderdale

Finding things to do in Fort Lauderdale with young children is hard. This museum was a real treat, but with some issues that really should be addressed.

First, parking. There are plenty of lots and garages around the immediate area, but it will cost you about $20 on the weekend. As a local, the weekend is the only time we can go as a family, so it is $20 right off the top every time to go. There is a nice parking garage across the street, but it also caters to the theater. If there is a play or event going on, good luck getting into that garage. The museum is in a very nice location, directly across from the Riverwalk area and the major theater, but this also adds to why parking is so expensive. We are members so we get "free" admission when we want to go, but have to pay $20 for parking every time. If we go 5 times a year, that adds $100 to our membership cost. Wish the museum could partner with the city for some sort of membership discount or option. I know - not the museum's problem, talk to the city.

Next, we noticed that there were a lot of exhibits and hands-on displays that were half-working or missing things and not working at all. Our 3.5-year-old didn't notice and was perfectly entertained without these things, but for the cost of parking and admission, it just feels like this shouldn't happen. The staff inside are absolutely great. They were all very helpful and pleasant.

The discovery spot - we registered for a specified time slot to attend the discovery spot, it is about an hour-long scheduled time. It is a nice little play area with a reading area (really pointless in such a loud environment, but cute nonetheless), climbing zone, and an orchard discovery area where kids go through the whole harvest of fruit process on their own. They pick brightly orange and yellowed colored balls, take them to be washed, then packaged and sorted, and put them on a truck to be delivered or take them to a little play kitchen to cook with. There was a cute little semi-boat kids could "fish" from (a pole with a magnet they lower on to pictures of fish with a magnet and then pull up their catch). This area was certainly nice and a way to break up looking at all the museum exhibits, but even with scheduled play times, it was a crowded, overwhelming, kids screaming. Imagine all the kids in elementary school playing on the playground at the same time, in a small confined space. I almost wish they would shorten your pass to 30 minutes and allow fewer kids each time. I didn't see any extra charge for this (we are members), but we did have to schedule a time.

There is only 1 café/eating place on-site, and it is in the Imax theater area. The employees in the café are not at all like the pleasant staff inside the museum. They were very discourteous and you could tell they didn't want to be there. Be prepared to pay beyond a premium price for not great food. A large popcorn and 2 small 16oz beverages will run $17, and the popcorn was not great. I've had better microwave popcorn, a small Gatorade is about $6 - definitely movie theater pricing at a family/kids museum.

The cost to enter is between $20 and $30 depending on age and if you are a local or not. They do offer a few free Bank of America cardholder days. This only gives 1 free general admission ticket, so if you have a family it will still cost to enter. The admission includes 1 Imax documentary. Annual memberships are reasonable. For our family, the Manatee membership includes 2 adults and up to 4 children for $180, which is about what we would spend on 2.5 visits as locals.

Overall, it is a great way to spend a few hours and even make a whole day out of it, if your kids are old enough to do the walking and not want frequent snacks. We spent about 3 hours, of which 45 minutes were in the Imax documentary, and we still didn't see everything, but our kiddo was exhausted and fell asleep 30 minutes into the...

This spot is great for locals with kids. As many have said in the comments, it's probably not the greatest discovery and science museum, but also not the worst, especially considering it's in a "small" city.

We have been going there since our daughter is 6 months old and she is now 16 months. It's very appropriate for her age, and there are still a lot of things for her to explore and learn from as she grows.

We love going to circle time, which happens twice a week in the morning. It's generally not crowded, and the person leading that--Sebastian--is great and always trying hard to entertain the kids.

The museum is quite big, and there is a lot to do. As many have mentioned, there are indeed many outdated or old activities that should be replaced. But there are also brand new rooms and great facilities. The discovery room is very well designed, and kids love it.

There is also an animal section with plenty of animals to see. If someone from the museum reads this message, please do something for the bunnies. They are bored to death, and it's heartbreaking. The otter(s) attraction is definitely nice. There used to be two of them, but now there is only one, for some reason.

They also have an outdoor area. Unfortunately, many attractions are damaged because of being used too much, and the elements, rain, and sun are rough in Florida. But it's still a nice place to hang out.

We have a year pass, and it's well worth the money, especially during the hot summer months. It can get crazy on weekends but quite empty during weekdays. It's free on some weekends, but I would avoid these days.

Overall, we love this place, and we are very grateful to have it in Fort Lauderdale. If you have kids that are not too old (maybe under 7, just a guess?) it's...

We went as a family of 6 adults and 2 children ages 8 and 9. We also included admission to the IMAX featured movie. We paid over $130 for the group, purchased in advance. The IMAX theater was very nice. The staff there were helpful and courteous. My glasses were a bit smudged but usable. I would go here again. The museum was a disappointment because too many of the hands-on displays were "out of order." Most didn't even display a sign...they just didn't do anything. To be honest, our kids simply ran to the displays that were functional, but all of us adults found it quite annoying. The museum staff were too few. There was never someone close by to ask a question. (The young woman operating the simulated roller coaster ride was a notable exception. She was pleasant, informative and helpful!). About 20 minutes before closing, staff appeared from hiding to announce that areas were now closed; a few minutes later we were being told to move towards the exit doors. What we discovered at the Discovery Museum was poorly maintained displays and staff were not especially oriented to customer service. I had been to this museum and movie theater in the past and was not disappointed. Our children under age 10 were in constant motion and did enjoy themselves. Our group of 4 adults, whose admission was the bulk of the cost, were not so impressed. My recommendation: the IMAX theater is worthwhile. For the museum, ask how many exhibits are non-operational before purchasing tickets. Call them before you buy tickets in advance. Make your decision based on the answer. Ask if a refund is possible if you are disappointed with the number of non-operational exhibits. I should have called and asked before we...