Orlando Science Center

The Orlando Science Center sits in Loch Haven Park, one of Orlando's cultural districts, and covers four floors of hands-on science exhibits that get kids genuinely engaged rather than politely interested. The building itself is architecturally interesting — large open spaces with visible mechanical systems that curious kids immediately start questioning.

The exhibit floors span natural science, technology, engineering, and the human body. Kids who love building can spend an hour at the engineering challenges. The natural history floor has fossil displays and a resident gopher tortoise. The technology exhibits include robotics demonstrations and interactive physics installations where kids conduct real experiments rather than watch demonstrations.

DinoDigs is the experience that separates Orlando Science Center from generic museums. Kids get a sediment block containing real fossils and tools to excavate them — and they keep what they find. For kids ages 6-10, this is deeply satisfying in a way that glass-case displays are not.

It requires advance booking and costs extra, but the 45-minute experience produces a fossil that goes home with the child.

The planetarium shows run on a set schedule throughout the day — worth timing your visit around. Dome-style projection systems show deep space imagery and narrated tours of the solar system that work for kids as young as 4.

For very young children, KidsTown on the lower level is a dedicated space with age-appropriate activities — water play, building blocks, and sensory elements. It keeps toddlers happy while older siblings explore the upper floors. The museum is closed Wednesdays, which is the most common day families arrive to find a locked door — check the website.