When is The Putnam Museum & Science Center open?

The Putnam Museum & Science Center is open: Sun - Sun 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM Mon - Sat 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

What hotels are near The Putnam Museum & Science Center?

Hotels near The Putnam Museum & Science Center: (1.63 mi) Hotel Blackhawk, Autograph Collection (0.60 mi) Centrally located, completely remodeled Full Apt unit (4.32 mi) Quality Inn & Suites Davenport Near I-80 (1.52 mi) The Current Iowa, Autograph Collection (7.20 mi) Holiday Inn Express Moline - Quad Cities, an IHG Hotel View all hotels near The Putnam Museum & Science Center on Tripadvisor

What restaurants are near The Putnam Museum & Science Center?

Restaurants near The Putnam Museum & Science Center: (1.11 mi) Cafe d'Marie (0.76 mi) Whitey's Ice Cream (2.07 mi) QC Coffee and Pancake House (0.47 mi) Firehouse Subs (0.51 mi) Big JJ Fish & Chicken View all restaurants near The Putnam Museum & Science Center on Tripadvisor

The Putnam Museum & Science Center (Davenport) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

226 reviews

#3 of 39 things to do in Davenport

Natural History Museums • Science Museums

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5

226 reviews

Excellent

128

Very good

61

Average

27

Poor

7

Terrible

3

Kate P

Davenport, IA59 contributions

Always Something New to See and Learn

Nov 2020 • Family

Even with COVID-19 closing down the hands on exhibits, The Putnam is the museum of my childhood. Amazing mummies and antiquities from around the world, environmental history from the Devonian Era to today, and thoughtful collections spotlighting the people who developed this area of the Mississippi Valley. The current exhibit on the periodic table was the highlight of this trip.

Written November 13, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

arlette vickrey/scott vickrey

3 contributions

at least an annual visit

Mar 2021

the museum is a great size for kids and elders. there are so many things to see and do. i truly enjoyed the forensics exhibit ane fantastic classroom experience. in fact, i came back to enroll my granddaughter in the class.

Written March 15, 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jennie360

USA25 contributions

Excellent! Nice Building, Great Hands-On Exhibits, Cool Artifacts, and IMAX

Jan 2019 • Family

We were a group of adults and teens (family visiting from Chicago) and they were really impressed by the Putnam. We had a great time exploring the exhibits, both visual and interactive. They had a laser harp you could play by putting your fingers in the path of the lights, a pulley system to try to lift oneself into the air, a dinosaur dance floor where one could stand and be filmed while animated dinosaurs approached on the screen. (So you could make it look as if you were running from a raptor or something silly!) And then you could share the video with friends via email! Also cool were the Egyptian rooms, wildlife, and they also have rotating exhibitions. The IMAX movie oceans was a hit too! It's a large place so plan lots of time to get your money's worth!

Written January 9, 2019

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Junker79

Tualatin, Oregon122 contributions

Small local museum

Jun 2013 • Couples

We went to the museum to waste an afternoon while in town visiting family. It was really hot outside so being in the air conditioned museum was nice. The parking was free and there were plenty of spaces for a Saturday afternoon. The price for the standard museum was reasonable at $7 per person but to get into the changing exhibit "Bodies Revealed" it was another $11 per person. A little overpriced so we skipped that. The standard exhibits were nice but they were all very small with just a few items in each. Some of the items in the exhibits looked old and worn out or just not very well put together to begin with. There was a section that did local history and this seemed very interesting but by the time we got to it we were getting worn out....and plan to walk a lot as the exhibits are not set up to walk through one then another but more as you walk through and exhibit to the end and then have to backtrack to go to the next exhibit.

Written June 26, 2013

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

psa954

Milan, IL117 contributions

$42.00 for 1 Adult and two children OVERPRICED

Apr 2012 • Family

Went to the Dinosaurs Unearthed exhibit yesterday and was astonished that it cost so much and the exhibit was very minimal. The rest of the museum had not been maintained as four of the activity portions did not work.On the website it stated that they charged extra for the dinosaur exhibit but did not say it was $10.00 on top of the $7.00 so an adult cost is $17.00 and the kids were $12.50 each,I feel very expensive for the quality of the exhibit,even my 8 year old grandson who loves museums said that wasn't very much to see.We went last spring to The Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum in Springfield and it was much cheaper and much more entertaining and educational.Probably will not be going back here for there special exhibits!

Written April 10, 2012

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

treesprite07

Northern Illinois400 contributions

A hidden gem

Sep 2018 • Family

I was astonished at how nice this museum is. The Egyptian Room, the hands on display and the local history rooms were all well done. A great place to go on a day trip. It was nice not to be in a crowded museum so that you could do all the exhibits.

Written September 11, 2018

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

dispatchergurl

Davenport, IA188 contributions

WASTE OF MONEY

Aug 2014 • Family

They try to charge extra for the cool exhibits and not include them in the regular entrance fee. It is not worth the money.

Written March 16, 2015

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

thedude101

Davenport, IA1 contribution

Overpriced, Terrible, and Outragously Digusting

Jul 2011 • Couples

The bathrooms were not cleaned very well. And it was very overpriced.

Written June 14, 2012

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Patti-trvler

Rockford, IL23 contributions

Great Museum for Kids Under 12

If you are looking for an museum that is not too big, but holds the attention of a elementary school aged child, this is the place for you. We took our 6 year old grandson and it was a nice couple of hours and offered different exhibits for his interest and attention span. We had gone to the iMax movie first, which we really enjoyed, and then went around the museum exhibits. There are some parts of exhibits that allow child interaction and that was a plus. Everyone was friendly and accommodating and this museum is a gem to try with kids on a hot summer day.

Written August 6, 2010

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Melissa

Elko, MN12 contributions

Hands on Fun for Everyone

Oct 2021 • Family

Our kids, ages 14, 12, 8, and 5 all said this was the highlight of our long weekend trip to Iowa. Parts of the building were a little rundown, but that didn't take away from our experience.

Written October 24, 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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