gateway science museum

Our first visit happened to be on the same date as the 5th anniversary and it was hard to believe 5 years had passed and we hadn't been yet. Very friendly staff greeted us despite the initial awkwardness of buying tickets from the not so enthusiastic staff in the gift shop. Staff in the exhibit rooms were very helpful yet gave us space to move about at our leisure. I wish I had a kid because I'd enjoy a membership more if I shared the learning experience with a child. Glad we went.

My partner and I visited the museum with a friend. All three of us were delighted and surprised at how much we learned and how entertaining the exhibits were. Although we had heard, approvingly, that Gateway was designed to teach and inspire children, we three adults spent an engaging and informative few hours there. Watching the children in attendance react to enlarged pictures of mosquitos was, certainly part of the pleasure, but we also studied the displays and found ourselves discussing and remarking on the details of insect life which were new to us. The building itself is very appealing, open, full of light and peopled with gracious docents. The exhibits (one about stinging insects, the other about local agriculture, but with larger implications) were informative and graphic.

We went to the Gateway Science Museum recently for a birthday party for on of my daughters' friends. I was a group that ranged in age from four to eight. All the kids seemed to have a wonderful time. When we were there, the exhibits were very interesting. The first room we went to was all about earthquakes. There was everything from interpretive displays to hands-on activities, such as building a structure to see if it could survive a CA tremors! This was a very popular activity. Another room we went to had a lot of Exploratorium type activities for the kids as well, including some art projects. My kids had fun here as well, but needed more adult guidance to properly do the activities. One fun thing we were able to do was go into a back room and do a private activity with one of the staff volunteers since we were part of the birthday party. The staff was very patient with the little kids and it was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon in Chico when the weather was not very nice out. I would encourage all families to check out the museum. The exhibits are always changing, so if you've never been or haven't recently, make room in your weekend.

A much-needed museum catering to children and encouraging their love of the history and unique assets of their region, in addition to stimulating their interest in sciences with constantly changing hands-on exhibits and demonstrations. Highly recommend for families with school-age children. Good quality and surprising variety. Located next to Bidwell Mansion on Esplanade Ave. Lovingly staffed and funded by generous local residents in cooperation with the University to give local children a quality experience without needing to travel to San Francisco.

Relies mostly on corporate exhibitions instead of locally curated ones. The lecture series is solid but the museum itself is average, at best.

I took my 13 yr old to this just for something to do, and it was so fun! There's isn't a ton of stuff to do, but we still managed to spend two hours poking around :) They also offered a demonstration by a scientist that was really interesting.

As a couple in our late 60's we had lots of fun & learned hands on, this is a great place for anyone interested in life! Sometimes it's easier for anyone to learn by experiencing what makes what work & the how, when & why. It enriches the rest of one's life to understand & know what is so well presented here. This museum makes the most of all media in it's presentation & is a beautiful place to just be. The staff makes sure to answer any questions yet leaves you alone to explore, contemplate, plus "oh" & "ah" all you want. We will go back regularly as the topics change & we found it time & a little money very well spent! Sometimes you learn & appreciate more as you get older, not less!

Love taking my grand-daughters for a afternoon outing. They enjoy learning and playing every time we go.

Lame for older teens and adults. Perfect for those with children (5-6+ through early teens). This was not relevant for our Jr. & Sr. High School age kids. Exhibits are well done for younger visitors.

The funny thing about the Gateway Science Museum is that it really isn't very big, but you can spend a lot of time in there. The interactive exhibits are very good. There was a physics lab and an earthquake exhibit on display on our recent visit and we spent a good deal of time building structures to test on the quake table. It was really quite fun, as were the experiments in the physics room. I figured we would be there for an hour but went ahead and bought two hours of parking (yes, you do need to pay for parking, but it's just $1 an hour). We needed it as the time flew.It is a newer facility so it is very clean and modern. Again, don't let the size fool you, a child can spend hours in there having fun and learning something. So can adults. Quite frankly, I'm kind of surprised this is the first review. It's a winner.It is closed Monday and Tuesday, so plan accordingly.