What: Ruben H. Fleet Science Center
Where: Balboa Park (a.k.a Family Heaven) in sunny San Diego
Why: We finally convinced my son he didn’t need to go to the San Diego Model Railroad Museum for a third visit.
My Kid’s Picks: He forgot all about the Railroad Museum and got his science geek on. My son tend to gravitate towards anything that has gears, balls, and maze-like construction. Luckily, there was plenty of that to be found in the exhibits. He spent the most time in the main gallery, trying out all the hands-on mechanical experiments. The hit of the technology-based exhibits was the one where he got to pose in front of the psychedelic screen. He tried out some of the games in the Origins in Space exhibit, but I don’t think he understood much of the science behind it yet.
Mom’s Verdict: Worth the price of admission, even more so, if you have a Balboa Park Passport. We went soon after it opened on a Sunday, and found the place blissfully uncrowded. That’s a nice change of pace from most kids’ museums. We only spent about an hour at the museum, but that’s mostly because I was rushing things along before lunch.
Useful Tidbits: There is a (thankfully) small gift shop, an Imax theatre, and a cafe. The museum is right across from the San Diego Natural History Museum, so it’s easy to combine both museums in one morning’s visit.
Thanks for the review! We are excited to visit the museum on our upcoming trip. Looks like this will be a fun place for my kids.
I’ve been wondering what my son might make of this place, so thanks for the info! Looks like it might be worth a visit in the future.
Thank you so much for this review. I have been wondering about this place for a while. Do you think 3 year olds will like it?
@Sharlene, I think that there was a small section for toddlers, and all the exhibits are pretty hands-on. That said, they will move pretty quickly through the museum at that age. Kinda like the Exploratorium in S.F.
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