Your Guide to Visiting the California Science Center in Los Angeles

Must-see California Science Center exhibits

Space Shuttle Endeavor

Photo: Joseph Sohm/Shutterstock

Endeavour is one of a small handful of retired space shuttles that are now on display in the US. It went to space 25 times between 1992 and 2011 on missions that included service and assembly to the Hubble Space Telescope and International Space Station. The space shuttle is now on display in the Samuel Oschin Pavilion alongside an exhibit called “Endeavour Together: Parts & People” that features artifacts such as an external tank, a flight simulator, and a video detailing the complicated process of transporting the space shuttle to the museum.

SKETCH Foundation Air and Space Exhibits

Despite the excitement surrounding Endeavour, one could argue that the SKETCH Foundation Air and Space Exhibits in the museum’s Science Court are more exciting for spacecraft enthusiasts. It’s filled with interactive exhibits that are broken down into four categories: “Air & Airfract,” “Stars & Telescopes,” “Humans in Space,” and “Mission to the Planets.” Here, visitors can strap on wings and enter a large wind tunnel to see what force it takes to lift aircraft off the ground, simulate a test flight of the 1903 Wright Flyer using the same method as the Wright Brothers, and launch a model space rocket 40 feet in the air. Also on display are three flown space capsules from the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space programs, model satellites, a moon rock, and more.

Kelp Forest

Photo: Hayk_Shalunts/Shutterstock

Of the nine exhibits in the Ecosystems gallery — Kelp Forest, Rocky Shore, Desert, Poles, Deep Sea Vents, Island Zone, River Zone, LA Zone, and Global Zone — the undersea world of Southern California’s kelp forests is most fascinating to visitors. The exhibit is comprised of a 188,000-gallon tank that’s been filled with kelp that can “grow as large as trees” and marine life such as leopard sharks, moray eels, and spiny lobsters. Visitors walk through with iPads in hand to read up on the species present as they identify them.

Rocky Shore

Photo: Hayk_Shalunts/Shutterstock

Rocky Shore is a close second to Kelp Forest in the Ecosystems gallery. In this exhibit, visitors can take an interactive approach to learning about sea life by gently handling species such as sea stars and anemones in the touch tank. Another activity lets visitors roleplay as rockbound barnacles by trying to catch “prey” that’s actually ping pong balls while stuck in one place.

Desert Zone

Underrated exhibits to check out at the California Science Center

Mission 26: The Big Endeavour

After you’ve gotten up close and personal with the Endeavour space shuttle, Roth-Johnson advises visitors not to miss this photo exhibit on the second floor of the Creative World gallery. This exhibit traces Endeavour‘s move across the US, from Florida to California, after it was retired. Images capture various points along the journey, showing the space shuttle backdropped by cities and scenes all across the country, while oversized shuttle mission patches. Being surrounded by photos of Endeavour in all its glory right here on Earth almost makes you feel closer to the spacecraft than the physical shuttle.

Fire! Science & Safety

What you can skip at the California Science Center

Between the museum’s six permanent exhibits, handful of special exhibitions, IMAX screenings, and educational programs, you’d be hard-pressed to see everything at the California Science Center in a single day. But what you choose to skip is up to you. As you’re browsing the website before your visit, take note of what doesn’t strike your fancy, as well as what does, and don’t feel pressured to prioritize the most popular exhibits just because they’re popular.

“If you aren’t interested in aquatic life, don’t go see the kelp forest,” says Roth-Johnson. “If there isn’t an IMAX film that catches your eye, don’t go there.”