The science museum is a great place to spend the day learning and having fun with the whole family. 

The museum has great fixed exhibits like Creative World and Ecosystems and special temporary exhibits like Journey to Space. Special exhibits usually require a ticket you can purchase at the ticket booth.

Along with the exhibits, the museum has a large format IMAX theater that shows films with scientific themes. Some are shown in spectacular, vivid 3D.

The best attraction at the museum nowadays is the Endeavor final resting place. You must go through Ecosystems to get the Endeavor display. The first time I entered this hall, I was surprised at the spaceship’s giant size. It dwarfs the throngs of people gazing up at it. 

On the walls surrounding Endeavor, you can experience a space station module, a space shuttle engine and many photos and videos of the shuttle missions. 

Before you get to endeavor, you must pass through Ecosystems. It is worth lingering here for a while, so you can experience Earth’s Forest, River, Island and Extreme zones.  You can also zoom in onto the L.A. zone for more intimate details about our environment. 

 And don’t forget to visit Creative World. This is a place for the whole family to interact and create. You build a structure and see the effect of earthquakes on your creation. Or you can see how the wind lifts the wings on an airplane in a wind tunnel. How about making some model cars move with the power of solar energy, or finding the perfect angle for a sailboat in the wind?

A great area for younger kids is the Discovery Room where they can play with hands-on toys and experiments or use preloaded iPads with educational games. They can also visit the Air and Space area and pretend to be astronauts piloting the Endeavor. 

During my visit I watched the Journey to Space IMAX 3D movie. It felt to me like I was in the space shuttle and then visiting the space station. The view of our Earth from above is breathtaking. 

On your way out, visit the “Explora Store” where you can find the perfect souvenir for inquiring minds. You can find kits, model spaceships, rock collections and much more.

Plan your visit and learn more about the center at the official website here: www.californiasciencecenter.org.

The Science Center is located next to the University of Southern California (USC) at Exposition Park.

Admission is free unless you want to watch an IMAX movie or visit one of the special Exhibits. 

During our recent visit, we enjoyed the Maya exhibit, which included displays and artifacts about the Maya civilization. We also watched an IMAX film about the Maya and how some of their cities were discovered deep in jungles. 

IMAX movie tickets are $8.50 and the Journey to Space exhibit is $6.50.

You can avoid traffic and parking fees by riding the Metrolink expo line, which takes you directly to exposition park – a few steps away from the museum.

California Science Center

www.californiasciencecenter.org