Disclosure:  I received free admission for myself and my family to the Miami Science Museum to facilitate my review.  I received no other compensation and all opinions are 100% my own.

(PLEASE NOTE- My camera died after only take 1 picture at the museum so I had to take all the pictures for this review with my cellphone which doesn’t take the best pictures.  Please excuse the quality of my pictures for this review.)

Growing up in South Florida I have fond memories of taking field trips and family trips down to Miami and going to the Miami Science Museum.  My favorite part was always the laser light show in the planetarium.  The planetarium at the Miami Science museum only has the laser light shows once a month so we weren’t able to see it today.  We were still able to enjoy the planetarium show that was about where to find certain stars and constellations in the sky such as the Big Dipper, North Star, and other important stars.  We are hoping to be able to see some of them when we go outside at night sometime soon.  My girls were excited to see all the stars shining on the planetarium walls and ceiling.  We just wished that they had showed more pictures of what the constellations were supposed to represent so they could visualize it easier.  Hopefully we’ll be able to find some constellations in the night sky soon!

There was so much to do at the museum today.  We were there for about 5 hours and could have stayed longer but we were getting hungry and had to come home to walk our puppy.  Make sure to bring lunch with you or eat before you go because there is no place at the museum to get a meal.  They do have several vending machines to grab a quick snack though and if you are really hungry they have tuna salad kits in the vending machines which are all temperature controlled so even in the hot Florida weather the snacks come out of the machine cold.

I really liked how there were screens throughout the museum that changed between a map of the museum and the schedule of shows for the day so we were able to easily know where we were and what the next shows were.  It even had a QR code that you could scan with your cellphone to get the schedule of events right on your phone.

There were so many hands-on activities for all of us to do.  We started in the Sea Lab.  There we were able to touch and hold starfish, hermit crabs, sea urchins, and shrimp.  Watching the suction cups on the starfish was mesmerizing.  My girls loved this area so much we stopped here 3 times while at the museum.  It was interesting to learn all about these sea animals and my girls were particularly fascinated with the hermit crabs because they were so tiny and there were so many of them.  I have to say my favorite sea animals that we held were the starfishes.

Some of our other favorite exhibits that are currently at the Miami Science Museum include learning about Hurricanes, Moving Things, Water, Wind, and Weather: Miami in a Changing Climate, Energy Tracker, and being Heart Smart.  We sat in an airplane cockpit, used our bodies to generate electricity, problem solved with gears, watched our shadows, and so much more.  There were exhibits that didn’t just challenge our minds and get our hands working but also challenged our bodies like the hula hoop.  

Here’s my new favorite “selfie” picture:
Another one of my favorite part of the museum was the facial recognition exhibit.  You stand in front of the screen and it tries to figure out your age, your sex, and your mood.  It was so much fun to smile at the camera and watch it put a smiley face over my face and then frown and watch it put a sad face over mine.  But the best part- it thought I was a teenager and it thought hubby was in his 50’s.  LOL  Hubby didn’t like that too much! 😉

My girls were both picked to participate in the Science Live Show.  We learned all about liquid nitrogen and they each participated in an experiment on stage.  I am sure it is a lesson they won’t soon forget.

We love animals of all kinds so we all enjoyed the animals in the Wildlife Center.  We saw various snakes, reptiles, arachnids, turtles, tortoises, an owl, vultures, an alligator, a crocodile, a bald eagle, bees in a hive, and so much more more.  We learned how the Wildlife Center rehabilitates many birds and then sets them free back into the wild or keeps them at the center if they cannot be turned back into the wild.  My favorite was the owl.  It was so cute!

If you are in the Miami area make sure to check out the Miami Science Museum.  Admission is just $14.95 for adults and $10.95 for children (Dade county residents get a discount).  It is located just north of Coconut Grove, across from Vizcaya Museum & Gardens and open daily from 10am to 6pm (box office closes at 5:30pm).
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