We basically had the whole place to ourselves, as it was a weekday and the museum most likely is less busy due to covid. It was very nice, and there was a lot to see and read. All the taxidermy there is very good quality, and the scenes that the taxidermy are placed into are all very realistic (down to fake animal droppings haha). You can tell that a lot of time went into creating the scenes and into research for the information. It was very enjoyable. I loved the gift shop as well, lots of very interesting and cool items. we got crystal bracelets, soap, and a little plastic frog. I would definitely go again, especially since they show different exhibits and do different things like that sometimes. Go pirates! :)

Great experience for the family. Lot of learning about our habitats and the animal species that live there in. They have great sceneries presented with great detail from the rodents all the way up to the big animals. Different species of bird types with all taxidermied animals. Great price for a good experience. Highly recommend for a small family outing about 45 minutes spent walking around looking at different things. With the telescope Up on the Roof we were able to observe the moon very close up.

We went for the children's program & the talk. Missed the talk but the Jurassic Experience was amazing for the grandkids ages 3 - 8. Lots to see & do. Questions to answer, coloring, digging in a sand pit for fossils & games with prizes. Everybody wins. Then a tour of the Great Valley Museum. Once outside got to see 2 foxes running across the lawn towards the atheletic field. I highly recommend this place for the young & old. Upcoming events too like an astromny night with telescopes on the roof to look at the planets.

Great little museum not known by many people. Took some out of town family for a little day trip & we all ended up learning a few things about our region & the critters within it. Very affordable & if you take your time & look @ everything you could very well spend a couple hours entertaining little ones. Don't forget to check out the gift shop on the way out.....you may find a little project to continue your learning!

My family and I went to the Dinosaur exhibit this evening, the kids had a lot of fun, they had face painting and kind of like a scavenger hunt, raffle and we got to see a lot of the animal exhibits as well. We plan on going back sometime to go to the planetarium. Had a lot of fun.

Nice museum for young kids full of local animals displayed in natural habitats. The gift shop has cool, well priced science activities for kids. The entire museum can be enjoyed in 30-45 minutes but introduces kids to science nature very well. Support our local museum.

On first Fridays there are usually special programs. Today's programs were really great! A wonderful museum and a great staff. Check it out!!

Great value for just 5 bucks!

Very nice place to take kids ! You can pack a lunch eat inside a nice cool and very relaxing atmosphere. Love it

I don't mind it it's nice but in the planetarium too many children and I'm just there to do extra credit for an astronomy course parents don't teach kids not to kick ppls chairs and I have spinal injuries so I was aggravated.

Today's experience with Robin at my granddaughters school was absolutely horrible!!! I don't know how Great Valley would even hire someone like this woman!!!! She is horrible with kids her personality is horrible and obviously to old for this position she made my blood pressure go up!! I had to walk out of the classroom as respect for the little ones before I gave her a piece of my mind poor kids were just happy to hear about the animals. Awful boring no personality lady!

Our three year old liked the exhibits and loved the craft in the kid's area. It was a quick trip. Less than two hours. Nice facility with well maintained exhibits. We will definitely go again once our daughter is older. Gift shop has lots of cool stuff.

The Great Valley Museum is a family-friendly museum in Modesto. Several exhibits feature various artefacts and even some live animals. Permanent exhibits include The Native Californian, which showcases artefacts from various indigenous cultures of the region, and Science on a Sphere, which features a floating sphere that projects real-time weather. A planetarium is located right next to the museum, and many events take place throughout the year. Group tours are available.

Grandson's enjoyed the experience would have like to see more space and planets exbits

Great place to bring kids to show them the animals of the Central valley. Keep your eyes open, there is plenty to see and discover in the animal habitats.

Beautiful small museum, with a rotating gallery often filled with international artists' works, and a local natural history museum in the back where you can learn about native plants and animals.

Small but ok for a day trip!

First Time and we Loved every second of it. So much information for kids and adults. 💜 My children enjoy themselves and learn at the same time.