Discovery Place Science
Discovery Place Science
4.5
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Sunday
10:30 AM - 4:30 PM
About
Hands-on science Museum in Uptown Charlotte featuring interactive exhibitions, the Carolinas' largest IMAX screen and one-of-a-kind Accenture IMAX Dome Theatre and educational programs. And don't forget: We offer summer camps and birthday parties so take advantage of both options before these spaces fill up completely!
Duration: More than 3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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Address
Neighborhood: Fourth Ward
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888 within 3 miles
Attractions
260 within 6 miles
See what travelers are saying
- John F23 contributionsGood Fun for the FamilyThis was ranked one the best things to do while visiting Charlotte and for good reason. Loved the spaciousness of the place. There were tons of things to look at an explore. Highly recommend this attraction. Buy tickets online for a discount. We parked in a parking garage across the street and walked over. Did not see they had their own garage that attached to the attraction.Visited April 2024Traveled with familyWritten April 8, 2024
- TravelingOYEsterPalm Beach, Florida407 contributionsSurpassed expectations!Amazing. Surpassed expectations. We brought a 4 yo and they enjoyed almost everything there was at the museum. We watched the science show and they were mesmerized! The only hard part was that it was crowded due to all the school trips there so my little one had to be patient is all.Visited April 2024Traveled with familyWritten April 12, 2024
- MarshallCharlotte, North Carolina4 contributionsThree boys at Discovery PlaceKeeping three active boys entertained for 3 & 1/2 hours. The dinosaur exhibit drew us, and it was certainly impressive; however, we spent more time at the other exhibits. There is a contraption just outside the Cool Stuff area where a dozen kids are spinning levers and wheels to move sand like pebbles up and down and back again. We had to pull our grandkids away after 25 minutes. And see if you can find the six hidden Vietnamese Moss toads. We went on a Monday, so crowds were not an issue.Visited July 2024Traveled with familyWritten July 1, 2024
- Kate AltickAugusta, Georgia174 contributionsYou don't need a kidI don't often visit science/children's museums, but I went to Discovery Place Science in Charlotte with my husband and sister-in-law (a teen) and we all had a lot of fun. I wanted to go specifically for the Ultimate Dinosaurs traveling exhibit, but the rest of the exhibits did not disappoint. Admission is a little pricey and costs even more at the door, so purchase your tickets online if possible. There is a lot of fun stuff to do, and I promise everyone will have a good time!Visited August 2024Traveled with familyWritten January 3, 2025
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
1,492 reviews
Excellent
897
Very good
446
Average
104
Poor
31
Terrible
14
DnSudds D
Loganville, GA34 contributions
Oct 2023 • Family
Located near multiple parking garages. Military discount is available in person with ID. Multiple floors with many displays and interactive learning. We primarily went for the World of Marvel Exhibition which is a separate fee from entry. If you are a marvel fan you will love seeing the actual costumes used, real comic pages, original art, the history display, and the very 1st comic ever published. Even if you are not a marvel fan, the history and details of what is involved in the creative process is interesting. If you get stuck with a camp be patient, their excitement brings a whole different experience to what you are viewing. It was an enjoyable time. Restrooms were clean and their is a restaurant on site.
Written October 6, 2023
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.
chgomom24
13 contributions
Jun 2022
SUPER FUN! My 13 year old and I visited for about 3 hours at the end of the day and could have stayed longer if it wasn't closing. It was nice to arrive in the afternoon as we saw a lot of school groups heading out and we really had most of the place to ourselves after 3:00. We have GREAT museums in Chicago so we are a bit spoiled and had low expectations, but this place is really amazing. Live animals, cool exhibits on the human body, hands-on experiments regarding physics concepts, I could go on and on. My son said he wished we had a museum like that near us.
Written June 11, 2022
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.
Lily H
Charlotte, NC6 contributions
Nov 2021
Discovery Place was a key part of my very early childhood-I went frequently and loved the atmosphere, science, animals, and fun activities. It is a great place for a wide variety of ages, with fun science ranging from physics and the human body to animals and aquariums. I recently went with my class on a field trip and it was still just as awesome!
Written April 19, 2022
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.
jarsfr88
Wake Forest, NC17 contributions
Jul 2024 • Family
We visited the museum for several hours with a near 12 year old and a 6.5 year old. There were items of interest for both kids. Unfortunately, way too many of the exhibits were out of order. Also, they could have used at least 3 times the number of employees that they had. That lack showed, for example, in the extraordinarily long wait for the cafe lunch as well as in the lack of assistants around to show kids how to operate hands-on exhibits. IMAX would have been an additional $8 per person and it is just 45 minutes long. That is on top of the $18 per person that you have already paid and the exorbitant parking fees. Be mindful if you choose to pay for your parking inside; my husband list his receipt and had to pay twice.
Also, that Marvel exhibit was not at the downtown Charlotte location; I hate that we missed it.
Also, that Marvel exhibit was not at the downtown Charlotte location; I hate that we missed it.
Written July 29, 2024
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.
B B
1 contribution
Apr 2023
This place was not at all worth the price. You can see frogs, fish and birds at the pet store for free. Give me a break. They threw some facts on the wall about the human body and are calling this a museum?! There are barely any hands on activities. The "Spy" experience they have up; several of the "clues" were broken and most were extremely difficult to understand, complete or hear, rendering this exhibit totally useless. One wing of the 2nd floor was about bias and while the topic is important the exhibit was extremely boring. There are some stuffed bears, a large globe and 2 areas where you can look up stuff under a microscope. That's basically it. Took an hour. The one room that has interactive areas was only for kids under 7 so my kid couldn't go. Even if half the second floor wasn't currently being blocked off for an upcoming exhibit, there's nothing they could put in there to make a ticket worth the price.
Written April 3, 2023
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.
Michelle J
1 contribution
Jul 2023 • Family
Though my son had a good time, for the price I paid, I was not at all impressed! On the second floor, 8 out of the thirteen things he tried to use or do were broken and had been broken for who knows how long! If I am going to pay that much, then $14 parking on top of that, I want everything to be working or at the very least see someone attempting to fix it!
Written July 10, 2023
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.
chesneesc
Charleston, SC8 contributions
Nov 2020
We went on November 7th 2020. It was our second time bringing the grandchildren here. We brought my son here when he was a child. I know things are different now because of Covid but they should be ashamed to charge full price for what they are offering.
A lot of the rooms don't have people or supplies in them. I could give you multiple examples but one would be where Ozobots were. They were all broken, except for one and they markers had dried out tips and there was no one supporting the room and it was dirty.
About a fourth of the activities weren't available for use due to Covid even though they seemed to have no more touch points than the other activities.
They have no main feature or attraction right now. about six months ago it was dinosaurs and in a few months it will be AI.
Overall if you want to spend an hour somewhere with your kids it's worth about five bucks not the nearly twenty they charge plus parking. I would wait until this place goes back to what it used to be before I spend my money. Shame on them!
A lot of the rooms don't have people or supplies in them. I could give you multiple examples but one would be where Ozobots were. They were all broken, except for one and they markers had dried out tips and there was no one supporting the room and it was dirty.
About a fourth of the activities weren't available for use due to Covid even though they seemed to have no more touch points than the other activities.
They have no main feature or attraction right now. about six months ago it was dinosaurs and in a few months it will be AI.
Overall if you want to spend an hour somewhere with your kids it's worth about five bucks not the nearly twenty they charge plus parking. I would wait until this place goes back to what it used to be before I spend my money. Shame on them!
Written November 8, 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.
Jessica S
Tampa, FL548 contributions
Jun 2021
We enjoyed a few hours here one afternoon after flying in, prior to driving to the mountains. There was definitely something for every age which was nice, but not enough to spend more than 2-3 hours. They were shutting down and sanitizing different stations which was nice to see - especially for the area for little kids. If you're coming from a city with a great children's museum or science museum, this probably won't impress. If you have kids under 6 or 7, the will likely enjoy the park/playgrounds just as much. But if you are looking for something inside, or want to support a museum, it is nicely appointed and there are fun things for all ages to see/do.
Written June 29, 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.
rinas805to803
3 contributions
Feb 2020
Kids of all ages enjoyed this museum. We went for the Antarctic Exhibit recently and my girls (2 & 4) loved it. They're also big fans of the toddler play area (water table, light pegs, blocks, and so much more). There's a cafe on the mail floor for food/snacks. They change things up enough that going a few times a year still feels fresh. We've taken many family members that come to visit. The biggest fans so far were my teenage nieces (15 and 13). The 15 year old just wanted to stay there all day. Lots to see and do, and the kids - and adults - walk away learning something new.
Written February 16, 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.
kldj13
Boone, NC351 contributions
Apr 2021 • Family
Our first stop for a quick family vacation to Charlotte because it came highly recommended for kids. Definitely very cool, but also very $. For the 4 of us, it was around $70 and we saw and experienced everything in 90 minutes. If we lived closer, I could see the benefits of a membership with the changing exhibitions.
Written April 8, 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.
If you have a membership to a similar place in your town, check to see if they have a reciprocal relationship. You may get in free!
Written February 20, 2019
Is parking free? Also is this place walkable to the Imagion library especially with younger kids? Is this a safe part of town?
Written February 19, 2019
Parking is not free but, Bring your parking ticket to the desk and get it stamped for free parking for your visit. Yes, this seems to be a safe part of town from my observation.
Written February 20, 2019
I’m looking for a hotel nearby the discovery place that has an indoor pool. Any suggestions?
Written August 7, 2018
Ritz-Carlton, Hilton Garden Inn Charlotte Uptown, Courtyard Charlotte City Center.
Written August 7, 2018
I have a few hours tomorrow in Charlotte before my nine year old daughter and I have to catch a flight home. I was looking for activities to do. I was thinking of going to the museum and was wondering if there are any other kid friendly activities nearby we could see within walking distance to the museum?
Written April 6, 2018
You can easily spend 2-2.5 hours just at the museum. There are several kid friendly restaurants nearby the museum too.
Written April 7, 2018
Can you bring in outside food
Written September 10, 2017
You can bring food and sit in the cafe or you can order from their cafe. They have a cute little restaurant and also have cupcakes and coffee for sale. We often pack a lunch in my backpack and eat in the cafe. Later we sometimes get a coffee or treat.
Written September 10, 2017
sjjtimmerman
North Augusta, South Carolina
What is the cost for a single visit to senior citizens? What is the cost of 42 senior citizens year pass?
Written January 6, 2017
A single senior ticket for the museum only is $15 or $20 with the IMAX included. You would need to contact them directly for the membership and group discounts.
Written January 7, 2017
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