Science Mill — Attraction in Johnson City

This museum packed a surprising amount into a small space. We visited with a group of 10- to 15-year-olds, and I was worried that there wouldn't be much to appeal to the older ones, but we easily kept busy for more than two hours. In fact, many of the exhibits utilize interactive screens that require reading and quiz you on your knowledge, so this museum is probably not ideal for littles.

The kids particularly enjoyed watching the 20-minute 3D movie on bird flight and taking a turn using the VR station to experience bug flight. While they took time to admire the axolotl and the other creatures in the biology room, the koi and carnivorous plants in the aquaponic greenhouse, the interactive contour map and light weaving in the silos, and the whisper gallery and physics stations outside, they spent most of their time competing at Mindball to see who had the best brain control.

We visited on a weekday from about 11-1:30, and the museum was fairly quiet. I think our experience would have been less enjoyable if there were a lot of kids around, since each exhibit really only allows for one or two kids to interact at a time and we would have spent a lot of time waiting for a chance to do the things we wanted.

Those of us who hadn't visited here before were pleasantly surprised. While it definitely doesn't compare to a big-city museum, this offers a nice variety of interactive science exhibits that held the attention of our...

We love visiting the Science Mill. We registered our younger kids for the once a month Homeschool STEM scholars program this school year and it has been something we all look forward to attending every month. We even bring friends with us each month because it is so much fun to go to this “hands-on science children’s museum”. The Science Mill workers are always knowledgeable about the different topics of discussion anytime we have questions for them.

Our boys thoroughly enjoy attending the special new learning workshops/classes that are taught each month by science mill workers or special guest speakers (since every month focuses on a different topic). However, my boys also love participating in the fun activities and exhibits that are permanent “non changing” exhibits at the science mill, too.

The learning and fun that kids get to enjoy by visiting the science mill is definitely something that has enhanced our homeschool year this year. I feel that the cost of the Homeschool family bundle option for the STEM scholar program was right on point for what the kids are getting out of it all. We plan to come back and attend this program again next school...

My daughter loved it, I however did not so much. Really cute stations but a lot of the scanners would not work. Outside is a great bonus I didn't know about it and was happy they gave us a map. The roach race was everyone's favorite. BUT . . . There are just as many adults as children playing on the stations taking up space for other kids. Children aren't being monitored by their parents and at that age don't really follow the whole line queue idea and will cut in front of your kid or just take it over while your kid is at a station. Seriously where TF are your parents!?!? The movie was supposed to be at 1:30, we got there at 1:25 and went inside. Sat there until 1:50 and there was even a parent trying to start it. Hear a kid say something about 2 when they walk in. Now we were told at the front that the movie was at 1:30 and it said so on the sign out front. We decided to go do something out and lo and behold they had changed the sign and not told anyone inside. Ended up with a bunch leaving who had...