For you adults without children (or with older children), for $9 you can go to just an IMAX film (or just a 3-D film, but I tend to find those less interesting) and skip the museum entirely. My husband and I live in Lafayette, so sometimes walk over for a film. Very cool!

Where can you dig for fossils, examine shipwrecks' treasure, and rehabilitate and return injured animals to the wild? New Jersey! Discover all this and more using Science Near You (http://snu.lsc.org), an innovative web application created by Liberty Science Center.


Whether you want to take a hike outdoors or take a seat in a planetarium, you'll find endless opportunities for exploration with this interactive online tool. Just enter your address, decide how far you want to travel, choose your favorite topics, and get going!

http://snu.lsc.org/

Anybody been here recently? I have not been there since it opened. Anything new? planetarium? cost to get in? best days to go? any help would be bee's knees.

I love the museum (and so does my 10 year old son.) There is a good section on health and germs, the animal exhibit is great and so is the technology section. In my opinion (and I don't mean this in a preachy way), if you become engaged with your child and talk about each of the exhibits, they will get a lot out of it. I can see how he would be bored without my guidance and questions through the exhibits, because he wouldn't really read the information and ingest it.

Yes, I agree. I think my 2-year-old niece loves it too. It's a good place for younger kids, but maybe not so much for older kids and teens. And I think there are science museums that do a better job of making sure that people of all ages are interested and entertained.

So to the parents of younger kids, yes, I would recommend it.

Amy,

I agree that it is boring if you're an adult, but my daughter (2) loves it. It has fish, some animals, a bunch of levers for her to play with and moving pieces all around.

It is just great for her.

I have to agree with Amy. I go there with my kids aged 5 and 8, and I find it's a little boring. The kids don't want to play with the computers. The toddler room on the first floor is good though. It's got a lot of stuff for the kids to manipulate and play with.

I actually liked the exhibits at the Science Center before the renovation. The floor with all of the health stuff was really fun. I guess it's matter of opinion though. I prefer biology and the natural sciences to technology which bores me to tears.

The cafeteria is a lot nicer since the renovation though.

I guess I'll be the lone dissenter here and say that I went there a few months ago and was disappointed. The exhibits weren't that impressive (though I wasn't looking at it from a child's perspective). A lot of it was just computerized games. I felt like they could have done more with all the space they had.

I've been to Liberty Science Center as both a child, and more recently as an adult with my own kids' field trips, and can enthusiastically say that each time is thoroughly enjoyed. The interactive exhibits are genuinely interesting; I definitely walked out of there feeling like a wannabee middle school science teacher. The only downside is the increasing presence of Latin King members loitering near the soda pop machine just outside the iMax ticket window, and playing dice in the parking lot. I've also noticed that they are trying to holler at my wife, even with me next to her!

Speaking of which, the iMax science/nature are worth a trip in and of themselves - unlike the Hollywood films now shown as special features, the science presentations are filmed in a format designed specifically for the dome shaped back drop.

Our two year old loves it, and not just the 'kids' area. At two they just like to wander around and look at stuff and it is great with a lot of hands on and moving exhibits.

Go early in the morning if you can, much less crowded before lunch.

Has anyone been to the Liberty Science Center area for children under 5?

I am looking for a fun, educational place to take a 2 year old. The website says that its good for 2 - 5 year olds.

Let me know your thoughts - or if you know of another fun place for a 2 year old. Im trying to buy a creative, yet educational present for a 2 year old.

They even have a camp-in program where visitors with their kids can stay overnight.Check out their website under Our experiences.

I highly recommend it. My children are 4 & 2.5 years old and they love it. We go frequently and they do not tire of it.

An out-of-town friend came to visit in December with her three little ones in tow. She really wanted to take them into the city, but the weather was a bit stroller-prohibitive so we took them to Liberty Science Center instead ... and they L-O-V-E-D it. Her kids were 4 yrs, 2.5 yrs, and 7 months. There were plenty of age-appropriate activities for them, and, from what I could see, for kids of all ages. Staff members were great with kids, too. We had a great time, and my friend has been raving about Jersey City ever since. =)

I went as a kid (it's been a long time!), but I remember liking all the hands-on exhibits showing how different scientific principles function. More recently I was there to see the new art installation of sound and light, and that is way cool. It's an impressive facility.

I was thinking of taking my kids to the Liberty Science Center this weekend, since I have never been there, can somebody tell me what they think of it? Thanks