My family has been to a bunch of science museums all over the US and
Liberty Science Center in New Jersey is, by far, one of my most favorite! We are so fortunate to live in an area that has so much to do within a few hours driving distance in any direction. Jersey City is full of things to do and
Liberty State Park, home to the science center, is a fantastic place to spend the day! It is definitely worth the drive!
There is ample parking at the science center, it's 7$ for the whole day which is very reasonable for this area. The LSC occupies a large portion of the park and as you pull up, it looks sort of like a laboratory for a mad scientist. As you walk in the front lobby you are greeted by a large growing metal ball, an expanding sphere of metal that is both beautiful and mesmerizing. You know that this is going to be a magical experience.
After paying for our tickets, we started our adventure upstairs! We first headed to the Star Trek exhibit (not included in general admission). This exhibit was WELL worth the extra price, it took us about an hour to tour the whole thing. My Trekkie husband and daughter were in absolute heaven. There were flying missions, examining Klingons as a ship doctor and even a life size replica of the flight deck. My daughter pretended to be the Captain ordering us around like a pro!
After your fill of deep space, our next stop is the aquarium and live animal section of the museum. The aquarium section is filled with tanks of native marine life as well as a large water table that is so much messy fun! The water table is filled with spouts, blocks and sand to build, divert and pool the constantly flowing water. If that isn't enough wet fun, there is a touch tank filled with all kinds of salt water creatures!
We then explored the land animals; Liberty Science Center is home to over 100 species of native and exotic animals and insects. Get up close with burrows of naked mole rats, thousands of baby praying mantises or huge lazy reptiles. The museum does live animal shows twice a day, where you can learn all about them in the wild!
After your fill of animals there is still plenty of things left to explore! There are multiple rooms for playing; a large suspended playground hangs from the ceiling and looks like a mushroom village in the sky!
Or how about a whole room full of Thomas trains! Tables full of tracks and train cars, life size playhouses with slides and little hidden nooks. It's a train lover's dream!
Lastly was my most favorite play area, a whole room full of interactive, STEAM play structures! A tree house to climb, air tubes that suck up scarfs and send them flying, sand table, water painting, light wall...it's a science wonderland!
The LSC also has a 3D theater, planetarium and cafeteria. There are plenty of places to sit and grab a bite to eat while you are visiting, bringing your own food is also allowed. If you go on a nice day, the park is a beautiful place to take a walk, with NYC views across the river. I highly recommend making the drive and spending a whole day immersed in interactive, science fun!
Tips for this visit:
- For Admission prices visit here.
- The museum is open Tues-Fri 9-4 & Sat-Sun 9-5:30.
- The museum is very busy on the weekends so I highly recommend going on a weekday if possible. If you do go on a weekend going very early or later in the day is best, to avoid crowds.
- You can bring in your own food and there is a cafe in the museum.
- You can purchase tickets online to avoid the crowds at the ticketing office.
- Parking is 7$ a vehicle daily.
- The museum is stroller friendly.
- Visit my blog post on things to do in Jersey City if you want to make a whole weekend vacation out of your visit!
For more information visit LSC online.
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