Science & Discovery Center of Northwest Florida — Attraction in Panama City

This review is ONLY for the animal exhibit portion of the museum (I have no issues with any other part of it, my baby enjoys playing here) -

We come fairly often, and each time we do I notice that the animals’ food and water is either completely empty, or barely there. The water is what really worried me... obviously food may have been eaten beforehand; however, if these animals are being taken care of each morning like I was told at the front desk, there is no way their water bowls would be bone dry by 11 AM. I have ignored my gut instinct several times now, but today I couldn’t any longer. There was a poor little Tokay Gecko that was complete skin and bones. His water non-existent and beetles crawling amongst him in his cage (his food I’m assuming) that he didn’t even have the strength to eat. I thought he was already dead, but I was finally able to catch a glimpse of him barely breathing. I think he must have been trying to conserve the last bit of energy he had. He was in the process of shedding see photos, which should have reveled bright new skin (I believe he should have been blue, unless he’s some kind of morph). But his color was just dull; he looked so sickly. I’m writing this in hopes I see a change, or else I will be reporting... and I really don’t like writing negative reviews. Most of the time I think they are largely unnecessary, and I’d hate to get someone in trouble for maybe just having a bad day. But, as mentioned above, this has been a pattern I’ve noticed. I truly believe someone isn’t doing their job. I think it’s wonderful to have things like this! Places to safely educate the public on our reptile and amphibian friends - but in doing so comes a great responsibility to provide genuine, quality care from an educated caretaker and the best possible life an animal can have in an enclosure. Precious beings without a voice should be spoken up for. Please be on the lookout for these things as well, and report them to the front. If this really is a repetitively neglectful situation, I hope multiple people bringing their concerns up will make them change...

5/11 Update in response to their reply To my absolute non-surprise the "director' Michelle Smith was unhelpful as well in response to an email being sent to her. She again clung to the immovable, iron-clad policy of theirs saying it would not be in their "business interest" to offer refunds. Excuse me? But it IS in your business interest to steal $50 from a family? Absolutely shocking to hear such a statement from these people. If this place so desperately needs $50 that they choose to steal it from people, then so be it. Hard lesson learned with these crooks. Instead of gaining the appreciation and continued patronage they choose to steal our money. We will be sure to spread this story far and wide.

Original Review: Let me start by saying the employee "Amy" that works here is one of the most rude, arrogant, and disrespectful people you could ever possibly have the misfortune of interacting with. When I called to inquire about a refund on a summer camp fee we paid 5 hours prior, because we are no longer using the science and discovery center this summer, she began berating me and talking down to me. She told me that the fee was non refundable because other kids have lost out on attending the camp because of our spot. I asked her if the camp was full, which she said no. When I pointed out her blatant lie she became even more rude and combative. She offered to leave a message for the director, to which I responded that I trust her about as far as I can throw her at this point. Not way would I trust this awful person to relay a message to the director at this point.

Amy is the EXACT type of person that is wrong with this community and the world today; an unhappy, arrogant and unhelpful person who is obviously miserable. No understanding and compassion for what people are going through or their circumstances.

Please do yourself a favor and do not give these awful people any...

It's an okay place to visit for a couple of hours but overall pretty disappointing as far museums /science centers go. Most of the exhibits are old and outdated, many did not work, the place was dirty and in serious need of cleaning /updating. A fresh coat of paint and someone occasionally going over the displays /exhibits with clorox wipes would improve the place 100%. The reptile exhibit was a pretty big hit with my son as he loves snakes. There is also a boardwalk that travels through a wooded area on the grounds which is nice. Appears that the place doubles as a daycare center too and I was somewhat surprised that kids were allowed to play in an area outside which is also open to public visitors. Never know what type of people are visiting and I personally don't believe this is a good idea but I guess if the kids are closely supervised maybe they will be okay. Overall, I would have been really disappointed if we had paid full price for admission but we purchased tickets at a seriously discounted rate through Groupon. I guess it was worth the money spent but I don't see us going back unless there are serious improvements made. I must add that the staff were very courteous and friendly. I know many museums /science centers operate solely off donations and admission prices and I hate to be critical of these places as we are big fans of science but I feel this place could be so much more with just a little more effort. It's no Fernbank or Tellus, and will probably never get to that level but it can be great for the area if cleaned up and updated. Hope to...