Fleet Science Center image

Fleet Science Center

Tourist attraction Science museum Imax theater

Educational center with hands-on exhibits, a planetarium, an IMAX theater & interactive displays. People often mention kids, science, exhibits, interactive, good, great, center, time, hours, experience,


Address

1875 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101

Website

www.fleetscience.org

Contact

(619) 238-1233

Rating on Google Maps

4.50 (3.5K reviews)

Open on Google Maps

Working Hours

  • Saturday: 10 AM to 5 PM
  • Sunday: 10 AM to 5 PM
  • Monday: 10 AM to 5 PM
  • Tuesday: 10 AM to 5 PM
  • Wednesday: 10 AM to 5 PM
  • Thursday: 10 AM to 5 PM
  • Friday: 10 AM to 5 PM

Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: kids (44) science (21) exhibits (16) interactive (13) good (10) great (10) center (9) time (9) hours (9) experience (8)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 2/5 Karina P. 2 years ago on Google
    It’s really old, dirty and outdated. Clearly the kids could hurt themselves on some of these toys. They’re sharp and broken. The only thing that looks new is the VR experience and the cafeteria and the shop. The free ice cream is really good. Everything else is broken or really old it’s falling apart. The kids zone has such old toys you can’t even tell what kind of fruit or vegetable they’re playing with. The little rings that are supposed to roll on their own don’t even have a stick so you can interact with the display. The carpets are filthy and old. Upstairs where the “music” section is a lot of the displays are missing parts. The one good thing is that the customer service is really good but I wouldn’t really visit unless you want to spend money on “something to do”. The dome theatre is kinda cool
    11 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Raymond C. 3 months ago on Google • 566 reviews New
    My toddler loves this place. There's a wide range of activities and play areas. There are also a few designated areas upstairs for babies under 18 months and for kids under 5. Right now the light exhibit is my son's favorite but everything here is interactive and educational
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 Serhii P. 2 years ago on Google
    It doesn’t seem to worry about cleanliness and order. I hope the relevant services will someday pay attention to the children's entertainment science center!
    6 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Summa L. 2 months ago on Google • 484 reviews New
    My son spent a whole day here. Great value cuz the ticket comes with iMax. Don't miss.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Malinda S. 2 years ago on Google
    Kind of boring, I'm used to the one in Arizona.. but the virtual reality thing was pretty cool, I loved the theater, we watched a movie on a sea turtle. The 2 young men that worked in the kids workshop area, were really nice, upbeat and helpful..we made a couple spinning tops.
    5 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Ericka G. 1 month ago on Google • 355 reviews New
    Great place for kids. Lots of fun interactive exhibits. Try to avoid the days there are field trips. It can get very crowded with so many kids there. Parking is easy, adults are $24 and kids under 3 are free.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Kevin C. 6 months ago on Google • 274 reviews
    Great place to bring younger kids to check out and learn about the world around us through science and creative visuals. Lots of interactive exhibits that encourage you to engage with them and plenty of things to see. Remember there is a free day each month too if you can take advantage of that. It's a medium sized exhibit but there is plenty to explore for half a day. There's also a workshop area to make sculptures out of used e-waste. Staff on hand are very friendly and helpful with any questions you may have about how to use and start in the workshop.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Stephanie D. 7 months ago on Google • 256 reviews
    Neat place. Many hands on activities for kids. Suited for younger kids- 12 and under I'd say. The shows are great. Do not do the VR. It is 100% not worth it. Spend the day around the museum and go to some others or walk around and view all if balboa park. Nice area
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Darrell W. 2 years ago on Google
    My 4 year old loved almost every aspect of it. I have been going here for almost 35 years and it's still fun and interesting!
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 A. S. 3 months ago on Google • 288 reviews New
    First time visiting, it was a blast!! Every corner of the facilities were well structured. The movie space was amazing! Me and the kid was there for 4 hours, easily!

  • 5/5 MW G. 2 months ago on Google • 265 reviews New
    Nice educational to bring the whole family, can spend a good few hours here. I especially like the Dome Theatre, which is included in the general admission fare ( 1 movie). Highly recommended if you are visiting San Diego

  • 3/5 oleg p. 1 year ago on Google
    I visited the center with my family two adults and 2 kids that center activity it’s interesting for kids , but it’s only for one time visit but safe for one adult ticket price I think overpriced 25$ adult , 20$ kids for what they have inside in what kind of gadgets for they have inside , sum of the display was closed or it was not working , I’ll recommend better if you wanna go multiple times take , annual pass because it will gonna be more cheaper than take one day ticket for four people , we pay $80 +tax is not worth , plus they have a couple stuff inside where you need to pay extra money which one is not including and the ticket price. And I found one of the toy ship 🚢 was cracked , I reported to that employee and they said they gonna take care which one is good but I’ll check next time if they fix it
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Shahram A. 2 years ago on Google
    It is located in beautiful Balboa park, is a wonderful experience for kids. There is an amazing VR and IMAX theater. You and your kids will learn a lot about energy and water generation and consumption in the US and in San Diego county.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Adrian P. 1 year ago on Google
    Great place. Recommended for kids. There was a set place for kids to go and it contained cool contraptions. There were 2 stories and we saw everything in about 3 hours. There was a dome with a show. It was really cool and it premiered different shows about the world. Great for all kids and adults alike! Best feature in my opinion was the dome. I want one! It was kinda crowded and not that many people wore masks
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Esther V. 2 years ago on Google
    This place was so much fun for our kids. It is very clean, had multiple rooms with a lot of things to do.. you should go visit ! Make sure you mention kids free in October to get free tickets for your kids !
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Bryan U. 1 month ago on Google • 144 reviews New
    I love it here, it's amazing that they fit so many interactive displays into one area. It will be good to see what they have in store to replace some of the displays that are getting more dated, but even so it's great and educational for kids of all ages. We love to get the season pass and visit all of the different museums all year. This one is typically our first stop on a visit and the last stop of the day as we leave any other museum.

  • 3/5 Eileen M. 3 months ago on Google • 42 reviews New
    We expected more. I was so curious and excited to come here after visiting Balboa Park many times in the past. We really did like the Serengeti IMAX show. But for the money spent (excess of $60 for me and 2 kids) it felt like a waste. The kids center was lacking. Some conveyor belts and the ball machine was entertaining, but the area overall was smaller, and just needed more. Some experiment stations downstairs were fun, but many did not hold the interest for most kids there. If anticipating a mind blowing experience, may consider either Discovery Cube in So. Cal, or the Frost Museum of Science if and when in Miami.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Lisa B. 1 month ago on Google • 9 reviews New
    I took my daughters (3 & 5) here for a few hours after school, and we had a blast! We need to come back for a longer visit. The color exhibit was amazing and very interactive. The makerspace activity was just the right difficulty so they could do most of it unassisted, and create their own souvenir to take home. They played "grocery store" in Kid City for about an hour. We only saw about half of everything in our 3 hours there. Next time, we will go through parts we missed, but Kid City and the makerspace will be a must each time. Also the ball pit!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Sarah G. 1 year ago on Google
    Nice science center, it is similar to smaller scale science museums. I've seen most of the exhibits already in other museums. However, I wouldn't discourage people from visiting. My son loved the electricity center, he did the VR ride, and we had to have a conversation about sharing over the racing bike game--he basically wouldn't leave it.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 3/5 Shamair B. 7 months ago on Google
    The best part was the imax dome theater. This is one of the least stimulating science museums I’ve visited. I love science museums generally but, this one was a bit lame. They have a survival feature now that has a bunch of plywood board displays of ways to survive dangerous situations… it takes up space but, not very engaging content. Multiple sections of the museum were closed.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Sarah M. 2 years ago on Google
    Loved this place, great hands on interactive for kids, IMAX movies to choose from, good fun facts to keep kids engaged. Great family fun. Can take in stroller,water and little ice cream shop outside.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Rebecca M. 2 months ago on Google • 72 reviews New
    Definitely a fun place you'd want to bring your kids to. There's a ton of interactive exhibits to get kids excited about science. Not really a place for just adults though. It's not like a museum you'd wander through and the exhibits are very much geared towards younger audiences. If you are an adult and find yourself here, the Imax movies are awesome for all ages! And the after hours show "The Sky Tonight" was so much fun! If you're into learning about space definitely check it out. It was the highlight of my family's San Diego trip.

  • 5/5 Daniel O. 1 month ago on Google • 57 reviews New
    This place has changed a lot since I was a kid. For myself and my son it was around 40 bucks. We could have spent 4 hours here. So much great learning information for both kids and adults.

  • 4/5 Ayushi G. 8 months ago on Google • 44 reviews
    It has activity for all ages - kid city for toddlers 2-5years old, balls swim pool for all ages, 3-D virtual reality show for another $10 is not worthy. It has different science concept and not only limited to solar system, typhoon or so. I used my go city pass for admission

  • 5/5 Annie R. 3 months ago on Google • 36 reviews New
    First time visiting with a 6 year old boy. Loved it. And enjoyed Serengeti show at the Dome Theater. It was just amazing. Only downside was too packed and so many people were being rude. But just the place itself I give a five star

  • 5/5 Teo 2 years ago on Google
    Science rocks! This place can give you a broad experience of many wonderful science projects. You can spend many hours trying different experiments. This is a great place for kids ages 5-12!

  • 5/5 Cassey H. 1 year ago on Google
    I love this science center! It's been a few years since we've been here but we purchased the annual subscription and had a great time! I love the changing exhibits and the transportation exhibit they have going on right now! It was a blast and they have a hover craft right now too. It's more like an air hockey table type of hover but still cool!

  • 4/5 Cesar C. 2 years ago on Google
    Very nice to take the kids, simple but very useful experiments to teach kids basic science and technology concepts, while having fun and being fully engaged. Kids love it! The exhibits are changing frequently, there is another upstairs floor with even more science. Don't miss out and watch one of the IMAX science/nature movies on the dome planetarium screen. Kids can spend the whole day trying out all the different exhibits. Bring your water and snacks!

  • 4/5 Aisha E. 1 year ago on Google
    This is a very fun experience for families. Lots of interactive exhibits. Some of them were closed due to construction so that was a let down. Tix come with a 60 min movie. VR experience is an addl $8 I believe.

  • 5/5 Matt W. 2 years ago on Google
    This place is great for kids and adults. I had a blasted and so did the little ones. You get to be very interactive with all the displays and is well worth the price of admission especially that it comes with a iMax ticket. There are two floors you can explore and the top one does have an area for smaller kiddos so if you have an age difference like we did no one felt left out. Also really liked the nasa info they had in there.

  • 4/5 Kelsey B. 2 years ago on Google
    On the smaller side but still had some neat stuff. We spent about an hour and a half here with our girls. There were hand sanitizer stations everywhere and all staff and guests were wearing masks.

  • 4/5 Erin A. 2 years ago on Google
    The iMax movie was fantastic! I always love coming to the Fleet Science Center. My only critique is that a lot of the exhibits aren't very "hands-on" or interactive. The ones that are attracted the most interest from the kids.

  • 5/5 Rafael L. 2 years ago on Google
    Wonderful and helpful staff. Watching DUNE on the Omnimax screen was amazing!

  • 5/5 Heather N. 1 year ago on Google
    We visited Fleet Science Center not knowing what to expect. We spent 4 hours there, exploring and learning! For reference, I have a Kindergartener, but I saw people of ALL ages enjoying the exhibits. We'll be back for sure!

  • 4/5 D S. 2 years ago on Google
    The science center was smaller than I expected but still a wonderful place to explore and learn no matter your age. I took my 87 year old grandma and my 11 year old daughter today and we all enjoyed it. There's a kid play room on the second level with many activities and structures that will keep the kids busy. Recommend seeing a show at the Heikoff Giant Dome IMAX Theater, you get one free show with your Fleet Science Center paid admission ticket 🎟

  • 4/5 Jason F. 8 months ago on Google
    Interesting Science Center, but many exhibits are failing, and not 20% as impressive as San Francisco's Exploratorium. The building workshop was interesting though. Highly recommended for kids and adults. And there's a relatively weird area related to crisis management. Kids can also play around some of the exhibits here. Imax was good also. Serrengeti is great, watched it in New York before. I watched Ice Caves and it was great too. And look around the place. There's a lot of nice photo points.

  • 5/5 Klint J. 1 year ago on Google
    My kids loved this place. Is nothing but interactive science stations, an expensive IMAX theater, and a really cool shop with lots of amazing science toys. Each exhibit has a purpose to teach and experience something. We loved the exhibits that taught about waves, electricity and light and sound. The shocker is the best- provides a static charge. The light exhibits were also awesome. Truly this shop is a toy science HQ. Their prices are reasonable compared to Amazon -actually priced a bit lower. Some really high quality science gadgets/toys, at fair prices (not cheap, just fair). My kids really loved it- those in age range 6-13 more than the older kids.

  • 5/5 Michelle P. 1 year ago on Google
    We went to an event here and I was very impressed. Not only was the event great, but I was really impressed with how much has changed in the science center. It's very informative, but in a fun interactive way. We were like big kids playing with all the activities. I will be bringing my kids, nieces and nephews here for sure. Lots of fun learning opportunities and just a good time with 3 floors of interactive activities.

  • 5/5 Cloud 3. 2 years ago on Google
    Good exploring area for kids to experience different stuff such as electric. Static, gravity, and so on.

  • 5/5 Barbara B. 2 years ago on Google
    I used to go there as a kid and it's changed so much over the years.. currently, there's video games and the educational part of it is the science behind it.. customer service is still good as well as I remember.. Prices have gone up and now Hollywood movies are shown there in addition to the educational documentaries... They're still require face masks and safety protocols..

  • 5/5 Melissa W. 1 year ago on Google
    We had a fantastic time at the Fleet Science Center. We weren't sure how it would be for the kids (ages 2, 3, and 12), but there were a huge range of age appropriate exhibits for everyone. Sometimes science centers are much more focused on older kids, so it was nice to have a selection of options.


Call (619) 238-1233 Open on Google Maps

Amenities


  • Accessibility
    • ✓️ Wheelchair rental
    • ✓️ Assisted listening devices
    • ✓️ Wheelchair accessible seating
    • ✓️ Wheelchair accessible entrance
    • ✓️ Wheelchair accessible restroom
    • ✓️ Wheelchair accessible parking lot

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