Science Museum Oklahoma — Attraction in Oklahoma City

Have enjoyed this museum since a kid in the 1980s making trips from our school every other year. At least 20 exhibits are still here from those days, which maintains the nostalgia aspect for my generation. Plenty of newer exhibits to entertain as well...though we’re not sure how “new” these are, since our last visit was over 20 years ago.

Some reviews say a lot of the exhibits are broken, and we DID observe this during our recent visit in April 2024, but considering the ENORMOUS swarms of schoolchildren that descend on the site probably every week day this is not surprising. As a hands-on museum things are going to get broken. We counted at least 20 exhibits with a sign posted reading “WE SCIENCED TOO HARD,” meaning the exhibit was broken and due for maintenance. That does seem like a few too many broken things at the same time.

The Planetarium was “closed for routine maintenance” so we did not get to enjoy it. Ironically, the last two times I’ve visited this museum, back around 2000 and in the late 1980s, the Planetarium was also closed, so I’ve only seen that part of the museum as a little kid. (Surely they’re not timing the breakage just for me?) Hmmm.

On this particular visit (April 2024), most of the hands-on exhibits were working fine when we arrived at 10am. By 2pm however, ALL of the water-feature exhibits were out of order. Not sure if this is a common daily occurrence due to rambunctious, destructive, and mostly-unsupervised schoolchildren...or just a coincidence due to a breakdown in the system. We did observe maintenance men regularly going from place to place, so there ARE people trying to actually maintain. It just seems like they can’t keep up with the mayhem. We imagine they spend all night - every night - cleaning up and resetting everything, only to have to repeat it all again the next night.

Cost of food at the on-site cafés is 100% highway robbery ($12 for a burger? $7 for a tiny cup of iced coffee?) BRING YOUR OWN LUNCH and dine in one of their large, open dining halls!

Avoid the Virtual Reality dinosaur experience. Not worth it the $6 per person by a long stretch.

There is a “Segway City” area where kids can try their hand at driving a Segway around a little course for FREE. Our kid had a blast with this, but it would be good if SMO offered more than one unit with staffer at a time. The course takes a few minutes to drive through, which makes for a very long line of kiddos waiting.

Many of the staffers were quite young, and VERY lackadaisical, showing very little interest in what they were doing. They just acted bored, and they probably are since they have to give the same talking points 1,000 times a day. Their staff uniforms were uninspiring and they all just looked sloppy. Unless you stare at the words on their T-shirt chest, you wouldn’t know they worked for the museum. Staff should stand out, seem interested, and not blend in with the crowd.

Overall, it was not a terrible experience, even if the above comments make it sound so. Just offering some thoughts that the staff might take into consideration, and maybe they already have. We adults are probably overly-critical even though the kids are all having the time of their lives and see nothing wrong. The Omniplex/Kirkpatrick Center/Science Museum Oklahoma is still a great museum with a ton of opportunity... it just needs a lot of TLC.

We have 7 children, so we purchased a one-year pass for 2 people for $125. I’ll be able to take all the kids one a time over the year and the pass will have paid for itself in 3 visits. This first visit with our 12 year old was good and she had a very enjoyable 4 hours on-site and wanted to return, so that’s a plus! The museum features a Nursing Room for Moms & Babies, as well as a Sensory Room for visitors with Autism, which are both very much appreciated by families with...

I first visited here 7 years ago when my daughter was 10 and we spent alllllll day and still felt like we didn't see it all. My most recent visit in March 2024 it was the same! It is such a visual feast and there are limitless hands on activities for kids of all ages (even the 40+ variety) to enjoy. Our four year old was just over the moon excited the entire time we were there. The curiocity area is just amazingly put together with so many interactive things to do and see. The playground area is just fun for adults to LOOK at, I can't even imagine being a kid and getting to run and play in and around it! There are places throughout the museum that are worn and dated from thousands and thousands of hands touching it but honestly when you think about the daily traffic - it still looks great and almost everything was in working order. I must agree with other reviews that talk about the need for more parent seating options. When your kid just wants to play, play, play - I am willing to let him do so if I've got somewhere to rest my back. There are tons of wall spaces where additional benches could easily fit in for us weary parents. With that being said- there ARE benches available throughout if it's not a crazy busy day, after the school buses left I was able to rest my feet more often. The Science Live show was back as of our visit and a MUST SEE. The new theater is gorgeous! I loved the bike area that was added since my last visit, there are so many cool antique bicycles! My son loved being able to get in the jet cockpit, he kept asking to go back to that all day. He loved anything to do with playing in water and there were a few areas that allowed that. He had so much fun climbing around in the honeycomb structure. We were able to sit in for a cosmos show which was also a great break from wandering the huge property all day. I was disappointed to find out that after a certain point in the day, they only serve pizza at the cafe - as a diabetic, low carb dieter - that meant there were no options for me for lunch. I wish there was something on the website somewhere that lets you know this so people staying all day and banking on grabbing something on site can plan accordingly. All in all, my son had an amazing day and I am sure the next time we visit OKC we will plan to make Science Museum Oklahoma another...

This museum is pure magic. It’s one of those rare places that sticks with you long after you leave. Kids can run from one hands-on exhibit to the next, completely immersed, and adults get to relive the wonder they felt coming here years ago. There’s something really special about watching your child light up over the same things that once amazed you. The exhibits just seem endless, and packed with things to touch, build, climb, and explore. We spent 4 hours here and still didn’t come close to seeing it all. It does get busy, but it never felt overwhelming or chaotic. If you want a quieter experience, mornings are your best bet. Lunchtime comes around and more families start to roll in. The whole place is clean and well-kept, with sanitizing stations everywhere. Some areas have clearly been around for a while, but overall, it’s obvious how much care goes into maintaining everything. What really stood out, though, was the staff. We visited with a six-year-old and a special needs teen, and everyone we interacted with was incredibly kind and accommodating. The planetarium staff in particular went out of their way to make sure we were comfortable, even adjusting the show to avoid any issues with photosensitivity. Bottom line. This place is a gem. Whether it’s your first visit or your fiftieth, you’re going to leave with great memories.

One thing that could use some attention: handicapped parking. There were people waiting around for spaces to open up. It would be great to see more spots added to make access easier for those...