Things to do Around Orlando: The Orlando Science Center

When my sister asked what she could buy my girls for Christmas this year, I knew I wanted them to have something experiential. I browsed the Orlando Mom Collective 99 family friendly experience gift guide by another contributor and immediately knew my girls would love the Orlando Science Center. They both love to learn, adore outer space and learn best through experiences. Our family membership covers myself, my husband and both girls – PLUS we got free tickets to bring a guest with us. We can also get more tickets for guests at a discount if we use the freebies given to us with the membership. Considering the price of admission for one day, the yearly membership is a great deal.

Let me tell you why I adore the Orlando Science Center:

1. 1. My 3 & 5 year old have plenty to learn/explore together and apart – I always worry that with their age gap my girls will want to go in totally different directions, making it hard for me to take them alone. At the Orlando Science Center, this is 100% not a problem. They each have plenty they want to experience but they always seem to be able to enjoy pieces of an exhibit that the other wanted to explore.  
2. The 2nd floor exhibit is constantly changing – Since something is always different on the second floor of the Orlando Science Center, I know our experience will be different every time we go. We have experienced the Hot Wheels and Earth exhibits, both of which were a huge hit with both my girls. I cannot wait to see what exhibit comes next.
3. Dinosaur bones… need I say more?! – I mean, with a huge section of the top floor dedicated to dinosaur bones, it’s a guaranteed hit with my girls. They loved seeing all their favorite dinosaurs as skeletons. And being able to play in the Dig Site playing archeologist is the icing on the cake for this exhibit.
4. Interactive play spaces – Just past the ticket entrance is a play space dedicated for younger kids (its still appropriate for my 5 year old) that the girls could spend hours in. It has climbing space, a huge water table, art, a grocery store and so much more that kids won’t even realize they are learning. Other exhibits are also interactive! The top floor has a weather section and a paper airplane folding/launching exhibit that we also spent a long time in.
   
5. Specific to Central Florida – In particular, the weather exhibit next to the dinosaurs, focuses on Central Florida weather so it was fun to see my oldest connect the dots between the weather man on screen talking about hurricanes and her experiences with Hurricane Ian and Nicole. I love that she is learning about our new home state without realizing it!
6. Entrance fee can be applied to a membership – If you are unsure if the financial commitment of the membership is right for you, you can pay to go to the Orlando Science Center for the day and then apply that money towards a membership purchase. The family membership is $189 for the year (which is minimal compared to what you would pay for an annual pass at Disney or Universal) but it is still a large amount of money. So, go and experience the Orlando Science Center and then decide if you will want to go back within the year! Your membership card is available in the Orlando Science Center app, so there’s no way you will lose it… which is a huge plus!