Last month, I headed up to Exposition Park to check out the California Science Center and the “Exploring Trees Inside and Out” exhibit by Doubletree. I packed a bag and drove up the 5 with my friend, Katie, and our kiddos in tow. We spent an incredible afternoon there and guess what? It didn’t cost a dime, except for parking!

The Science is Center is located in Exposition Park and is the West Coast’s largest hands on science center. It boasts 3 floors, which holds  permanent exhibits and a special exhibit gallery which showcases popular exhibits from museums around the world. The permanent exhibits are The Creative World Exhibit, The World of Life Exhibit, Air and Space Exhibit, the Science court and our absolute favorite, The Ecosystems.

On last month’s visit, we spent almost 3 hours there and I don’t know if you can believe this, but spent the entire time checking out the Ecosystems Exhibit and in particular the traveling exhibit ” Exploring Trees Inside and Out” sponsored by the DoubleTree Hotels. I took my son and he was in absolute and complete wonderland. He played and ran through the exhibit to his heart’s desire!

The “Exploring Trees Inside and Out” exhibit, is designed for young children (ages 2-7) to better understand the significant role trees play in the environment. Through a series of “sensation stations,” children discover trees by crawling inside a giant log and experiencing it as a habitat for living things, listening to the sounds of animals that live in trees, perching and playing in a larger-than-life bird’s nest and becoming a forest creature in a real-time, animated, blue-screen flying experience. While visiting the exhibit, children can experience a glimpse of the wonders that await them outside in their own neighborhoods and learn the simple steps they can take to help conserve the Earth’s natural resources. The exhibit runs until September 26th.

I can’t rave enough about the many educational opportunities of this exhibit and they all happen to be done in amazingly fun environment! We had a blast and you can seriously spend hours and hours discovering every inch of the museum.

On our last visit about a year and a half ago, we toured  The Creative World , which showcases advances humans have made in communication, architecture and transportation. My kids loved the exhibit. My daughter was fascinated with the communication section of the exhibit. The second and final exhibit we toured was the World of Life exhibit. My kids were in heaven. They did not want to budge from the gallery. They loved the the Life Source gallery which featured a chicken hatchery. The absolute highlight of the trip for them was a visit to the Discovery Room. If you have kids under 7 this is probably where you will spend a good chunk of time. Your children will be able to see frogs, spiders, crabs, turtles, birds and snakes close up. There is a fantastic toddler area. My son Michael who was only only a year old  at the time was entertained for at least an hour. We had planned to visit the Air and Space Exhibit but we ran out of time. If you are planning a visit make sure you allow for plenty of time.

I can’t tell you enough how much we all loved the museum.. I would either pack a lunch for a fun picnic on the grounds or stop to have lunch downstairs at McDonald’s. Trust me your entire  family will love this place!

Make an entire day of it by heading there on the first Tuesday of the month, and stopping by the Museum of Natural History, which is next door and free on the First Tuesday of the month!

California Science Center – Exposition Park, 700 State Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90037
Open Daily from 10am to 5pm
closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas and New Year’s Day
Admission to the Science Center’s permanent exhibit galleries is FREE!!

Parking is $8
For additional information click here