A Visit to the New York Hall of Science

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One of my favorite NYC things to do is a visit to the New York Hall of Science located in the borough of Queens. When little man was small, we lived just a few miles away from the Hall of Science. For many years we had a membership and would visit often – mostly to play in the Preschool play space. Since moving to Long Island we have only been back to the Hall of a Science a few times, but we were excited to be recently invited to come check it out!

Momma to Go (and especially little man and baby girl) would like to thank the New York Hall of Science for hosting our visit. We were given member passes which included complimentary parking and coat check. As always, all opinions are my own.

A Visit to the New York Hall of Science

From the south shore of Long Island, the NY Hall of Science is only about a 30-minute drive. Unlike many spots in NYC, there is a large parking lot. Parking for non-members costs $10, but it is definitely worth it! We recently visited during our spring break and I would recommend spending the majority of a day at the NY Hall of Science.

If you are traveling to the NY Hall of Science via public transportation you can take the 7 train to 111^th Street and then walk down 111^th street. The NY Hall of Science is located on the western most part of Flushing Meadows park, close to the Queens Zoo, Citifield and the National Tennis Center. The address is 47-01 111th Street, Corona, Queens.

The NY Hall of Science is an interactive science focused museum but it has something for kids of all ages! The littlest ones will love Preschool Place, a play and exploration area designed for kids six and under.

On our recent visit, we skipped preschool place and instead went right into the Central Pavilion – where many of the science exhibits are located. We started with Seeing The Light, an awesome exhibit which taught you all about light. There were so many interactive things to look at, play with and explore. We all loved this exhibit!

Next, we headed over to Mathematica: A World of Numbers, the math exhibit (which I loved, of course!) and then over to the rotating exhibit about natural selection and survival of the fittest. This exhibit, titled Charlie and Kiwi’s Evolutionary Adventures was one we all found fascinating. I do not think my kids have studied anything like this in school so it was really eye opening for them. Baby girl and I found the video about how human mothers have evolved to give birth to babies so interesting, we were mesmerized!

After completing the circle of the main floor of the Central Pavilion, we headed down to the lower level. Since it was spring break, there were students participating in day-long camps. We headed to the microscopes and animal tanks. The kids loved looking at the organisms through the microscopes and seeing the insects and critters in the different tanks.

On the lower level, you will also find the Design Lab, Maker Space and Birthday party areas. There were Legos, board games, PVC pipes to build with – a great open ended exploration area.

Lastly, we headed up to the kids’ FAVORITE exhibit – the Sports Challenge! This exhibit has been at the Hall of Science forever and its really great for elementary age kids. They can see how fast they can throw a fastball, race a race car and try to balance on the surf board! By this time, I was beat and wanted to head home before getting stuck in rush hour traffic!

There were so many exhibits we didn’t see – like most of the second floor because we ran out of time. There are also two outdoor attractions that sadly we had to skip because it was pouring rain. But if you head to the Hall of Science on a nicer day, you can check out the Rocket mini-golf and the Science Playground (a tried and true favorite of the Momma to Go kids).

The New York Hall of Science is open weekdays from 9:30 to 5:30 and on weekends from 10am to 6pm. Each Friday afternoon, from 2pm – 5pm admission is free, as well as on Sunday mornings from 10-11am. Anyone heading to New York City should put the NY Hall of Science on your NYC to-do list!

Have you been to the New York Hall of Science? What is your favorite science museum?