Catawba Science Center

Fantastic experience: This place is amazing! If you come here you’re gonna want Courtney as your guide, she’s amazing with the animals and knows everything there is to them! Very sweet and gave an amazing tour!!

Fantastic experience: Great place to visit. We went with our daughter, son in law, and 2 grandchildren, ages 6 and 4. We had a great time with all the children's activities, watching the planetarium show, and visiting the butterfly exhibit.

Fantastic experience: My 2 grandsons loved the museum. They have a lot to offer. Hands on experiences for children of all ages.

Fantastic experience: Bought the year pass for 3 years so far absolutely worth the money

Positive experience: Cute science center. Entry fees should be cheaper with no special exhibit open.

Negative experience: Why is so much broken or missing parts? For almost $20 a head you would think someone could fix a thing or two? Velo city had no balls to do any of the experiments with. At least one of The Laser things is always broken.

Fantastic experience: We visited the Science Center for my birthday and was blown away by the amazing staff. Very knowledgeable about all the animals and very personable. We talked with Mindy and we didn’t catch the other lady’s name but she had short hair and has been working there for three years they were both very passionate about their jobs there and made the experience very memorable. Definitely plan to come back at some point. ❤️ also definitely liked the tactile 3-D printed Maps around the building have never seen that in any other Science Center thought that was a very nice touch. 10 out of 10 would recommend.

Negative experience: It's not worth it. The only reason I gave it two stars is because of the kindness of the people in the lobby. the 50 dollars most wasted

Positive experience: The planetarium need more excitement down stairs the thang u shoot the arrow don’t work half the time the air on the thangs some of them don’t work we come alot but older kids that is delayed and like title kids is boring anymore same thang way to much art now they have changed there’s up more but I’m not interested in art as much in the animal room it’s always the same thang but once in a while the other room yall took out the ball tunnel thang that’s what the kids love the most yall need to think about the older kids to they won’t to come to my son and grand daughter loves the dinosaur and Thomas chip but it need up graded to a little older some rooms and play area same thang for ever once in a while yall bring some thing new but yall have same thing all the time the aquarium same thang turtles won’t move and heating ray everythang the same once in a while yall change something but not much kids getting booted I bring three grand children at 6,7,and 13 but she like 10 and then my 17 son he like 12 or 13 they all board of the same thang

Positive experience: Newly revamped space exhibit. Really pushing the online membership rather than staff and volunteers setting people up via the cash register gift shop. Be ready to QR Code sign up online. Great benefits as a member of both ASTC and SERM programs!

Fantastic experience: Have always loved it here, used to go all the time as a kid.

Fantastic experience: I planned my son’s 3rd birthday party here at the science center and it was a wonderful experience. I paid for the big room in the planetarium to have his party, decorations, cupcakes, snacks and drinks. They ordered cupcakes from Lowes foods and they were great and very cute! They gave my son a science center shirt and he got to pet a turtle, snake, and a hissing cockroach! They also brought out the tarantula. It was very cool and informative. The ladies that set everything up for us were so sweet! This was a great party and they took away a lot of stress of planning a party and setting up. I would recommend to anyone that has a curious child who loves learning! My son already loved coming to the science center.

Fantastic experience: Our family had a wonderful time at the Catawba Science Center and can't wait until our next visit! And I can't rave enough about their customer service. In person, they were just exceptionally friendly and helpful. We were visiting from out of state and lost our toddlers digital camera (it looks like a toy however it takes real pictures so it has special memories on it). When I called them to ask if they found it, they were just as wonderful to speak with over the phone. They found the camera and shipped it to us, along with some goodies (pen and magnet). Thank you for wonderful memories!

Positive experience: The science museum itself is a lot of fun and my kids really loved it but I’m still trying to understand why on Mondays and Tuesdays the museum is closed to the public. It doesn’t make sense especially during the summer

Negative experience: Was almost empty, so many staff that just didnt care and it was EXTREMELY overpriced

Positive experience: Very fun experience! However some things were broke and it also felt like some things were missing. The aquarium area got a huge update over the last few years and it was great. We saw that they had dinosaurs and such in a lot of advertisements however upon arriving they said they didn’t and didn’t know what we were talking about despite seeing pictures and videos on YouTube about it and locally. So it was a let down for some of us wanting to see that. But overall had a fun time and enjoyed the day

Fantastic experience: First visit to the science center and whoa did we have fun! The planetarium was amazing! The aquarium was fun! And the staff was friendly and enganging. I chatted with a guy in the aquarium about the masters. He was very knowledgeable and funny. Will be coming again.

Fantastic experience: Great time For are whole Family ,lots in 1 space even to the smallest of your Family

Fantastic experience: My son jus went on his 6th grade Field Trip, and he absolutely loved it. I didn't know they had all the cool things to do there as well as go and learn. I've never been, but will definitely be going here in near future with my son.

Positive experience: A very laid back place for young children to explore and learn a lot of different things and also has a gift shop and an art museum attached to it and a small aquarium area

Fantastic experience: Science center in the winter, cold, but warm inside. Granddaughter is having a great time.. I highly recommend it.

Fantastic experience: Great entertainment for the kids! Lots to do and the planetarium is awesome as always!

Fantastic experience: My grandbabies had a blast! Alot of things to interact with children.

Fantastic experience: This place is pretty big due to there is two separate buildings the aquarium is kind of small but my two-year-old had fun and that's all that counted I enjoyed the dinosaurs because they actually moved but the price is a little steep they should offer discounts for EBT customers

Fantastic experience: Two younger kids and they both love the Catawba Science Center. Many working interactive exhibits and a little area to play for those under 5. Staff and volunteers are friendly and helpful.

Fantastic experience: This place is super cool with lots of amazing hands-on experiments and features! I had a blast and learned a lot here!

Fantastic experience: So much fun to visit the science center. I especially liked the dinosaur exhibit, and the aquarium, the stingrays most of all.

Negative experience: Fine for very small children, but not worth the price. Planetarium show had nothing to do with planets or space. Its a badly made dinosaur documentary that would have been easier to watch on a regular screen.

Positive experience: Lots of fun and teachable things for kids and adults alike, lots to see, great family activity

Fantastic experience: My family enjoyed the science center. My 2 year old daughter loved the fact that it was so interactive. She loved the moving dinosaurs. The walkway was comfortable for our baby in the stroller. I would recommend showing up for planetarium show little earlier, it gets filled up pretty quickly.

Fantastic experience: Great place. Fairly priced. There was a guy working there named Evan that was really helpful and made our experience even better.

Fantastic experience: Took my grandchildren and had a wonderful day with them. So much to do and for the kids to learn.

Fantastic experience: I went on a field trip with my granddaughter,It was fun and an experience for me.

Fantastic experience: Fun for all! Learn, create, and play!

Positive experience: Went here on a field trip with my child’s school. Exhibits were great they especially loved the aquarium part. Staff was friendly EXCEPT the lady who was teaching the science program. She yelled at the kids on multiple occasions and told my daughter if she didn’t do it right then they wouldn’t participate and that it didn’t matter to her if they did it or not. Note the kids are in 2nd grade! She was very rude to the students and a parent or 2. Maybe y’all should pick a different lady for the science class/program!

Negative experience: WAY over priced for what it is!!!

Fantastic experience: Fun science center for all ages. Lots of interactive and interesting exhibits. Staff was extremely helpful and knowledgeable. There’s always a staff member in each exhibit to answer questions and spark curiosity. Nice outdoor area for eating lunch and admission includes entrance to the art museum across the way. I highly recommend if your kids are truly into science. Will definitely be back for more.

Fantastic experience: Amazing place for kids who love all things science. The staff is very friendly and they have a lot of live animals and knowledgeable staff that are happy to help answer your questions.

Fantastic experience: Great freshwater and saltwater tanks for kids to check out. The planetarium is also pretty cool. Great place to take elementary kiddos for an afternoon.

Fantastic experience: We love going here, there's really something for everyone, even babies and young toddlers! Science experiment activities, Building activities, an art museum, and an aquarium. We haven't been to a planetarium yet because the last time we went it was under some sort of construction. The aquarium is okay, it's probably more fun for little kids but maybe not as exciting for older kids that want to see some bigger aquatic life. Lots of hands on fun and a close drive to downtown hickory. Also, it's right next door to the library.

Fantastic experience: The kids loved seeing the dinosaurs but playing with the science displays was a big winner. We also saw the dinosaur movie in the planetarium, which was pretty cool too.

Fantastic experience: Go during the weekday. They has festivities on the weekend and parking is non existent. The dinosaur exhibit was great and the aquarium, our 9 month old loved it.

Fantastic experience: A special thank you to the wonderful staff. This was an AWESOME trip and worth the time and money! Clean place. Our family has such an amazing time! Thank you all!

Fantastic experience: Best place in Hickory! A wonderful and true community center. The foundation puts together great events and shows for the community. Very clean and very safe for the entire family. Kid friendly. Elderly friendly. An overall outstanding place.

Negative experience: Staff were amazing and friendly but for $12 a person half the exhibits were closed things online weren’t even open yet and good portion of it was broken

Fantastic experience: The wife and I took our son there today earlier and he loved it. I think the aquarium was the highlight for him. He loves looking at the fish and trying to touch them. They had a decent size sting ray and some nursing sharks that you could touch. They had there butterfly exhibit open today which was pretty cool. Our son enjoyed watching them fly around and landing on the flowers. Just about all the exhibits we're open today and they were having a few shows in the planetarium. They weren't that busy when we got there and we got there about twelve thirty. Good place for elementary age children plenty of hands on activities to do. Our son played with everyone of them. I give them my two thumbs up.

Positive experience: I was pleasantly suprised at the live animal attractions, and interactive displays and experiences available. Admission is low cost, so my expectations were low. Finding our way around was a bit difficult, as there are seperate builings as well as 3 different floors in one building, but staff was always great at helping find our way. Some corridors can get a bit tricky with the amount of traffic, so if you are going with a few kiddos, take another adult to help manage the kids in the mass. And the gift shop is easy to avoid, if thats what you are looking to do.

Fantastic experience: We enjoyed our visit today. The butterflies showed out and the recent improvements were nice. Nick at the aquarium area was fantastic! He went out of his way to give my kids interesting details about Splash and the menacing antics of the fish. We will be back, for sure!!

Fantastic experience: Great place, lots of interactive things to do.

Fantastic experience: We had a great time with our 6 year old. We loved the butterfly exhibit, stingray, and all of the science areas to both play and learn. Everyone there was very friendly and helpful. We will be back!

Fantastic experience: So, I've only been here twice, but those 2 times have probably been the most fun I've ever had learning anything! This place focuses on being interactive, and that's what makes it so fun! It almost feels like a game that makes you smarter by playing it, like chess! If you ever need to have a fun time and learn some science, then this place has got to be your next stop!

Fantastic experience: Great place for the family. We have a membership and enjoy going each time. Today was the first day of the butterfly exhibit.

Fantastic experience: Great place for kids thay can learn and play

Fantastic experience: We visited today and the volunteer, William was so helpful and incredibly knowledgeable! We had a great time and will definitely be back!

Negative experience: Went here today with my family, and am sorry to say I didn't really have a great time. Recently got the yearly pass, so we`ve been going a lot lately, and they have had the exact same exhibits for at least 7 months. The little room in the corner when you walk in used to be updated regularly but it has been the same for a long time. Also, the rooms are all run-down and kind of boring. I understand that the pandemic caused some restrictions, but that isn't much of an excuse to have some broken and malfunctioning exhibits. Also, the curtain leading to the "under renovarions" planetarium room was very clearly opened, making us believe it was finished. We were then run out of the curtained room as if it was still closed. Very confusing! This placement has kind of gone downhill over the years, which makes me sad. Get some fundraisers or sponsors or something to update your exhibits and get more animals and stuff. The lady at the front desk, was very nice though, so I'll give 2 stars just for her.

Negative experience: Could be....and use to be....a great resource for the community. Sorely in need of an update. Exhibits are run down. "Hands on tanks" are closed. The Covid excuse is old and tired at this point. Let's get this place back to it's glory days.

Positive experience: Hate to say it, but for the price of admission, this place is too small. If the aquarium portion were larger, then I would consider the price worth it…but as it stands, 10 dollars is much too high.

Fantastic experience: Great place to take the kids

Fantastic experience: Take your 2-12 Year old kids here.They will love it! Parents will revert back to their childhood with their kids. Went on a beautiful Sunday afternoon and it was not crowded...perfect! You can park at the facility, no worries.

Fantastic experience: There's plenty activities for kids to do, I highly recommend it.

Positive experience: Although it was cheap to get it and there were quite a few exhibits, it was still a bit of a let down compared to what i remember as a child. Could just be the nostalgia factor but i remember it being a lot cooler. A lot of exhibits were down or limited i guess still due to covid.

Positive experience: This is a great small scale science center. They have done some improvements overtime and I hope to see more in the future. I hope they can add more animals and exhibits in the future. They have added a cute groundhog and I love the aquarium. Hopefully one day the will be able to expand.

Fantastic experience: Lots of different centers, including aquarium and planetarium. They have all the sciences covered. Very interactive. Lots to do and learn.

Fantastic experience: Amazing time! Been coming to this place whole life. In recent years, as I now have kids of my own, this has become a special occasion destination. Even our little toddler enjoyed herself. Something for every age!

Positive experience: Was treated horribly by the staff at the desks except for the art guy. Big and very confusing place.

Negative experience: There should be some disclaimers on the website about exhibits being closed. Not being able to touch the stingrays and sharks was a major disappointment. If you are only going to have a handful of exhibits available for use it should be noted on the website before people purchase tickets.

Fantastic experience: This place is amazing! I took my daughter here right at opening and we spent the entire day here. Once we got to the end they were closing. So much to do for me and the little one! If you're thinking about going please do! Definitely a must!

Fantastic experience: It was great. Fun for the kids.

Negative experience: If you can't wear a mask, don't waste your time going here. I was discriminated against because I have a medical condition that prevents me from wearing a mask. I haven't ever been denied entry to an establishment. I wear a card around my neck to show merchants. It is illegal to discriminate against someone due to a medical disability. The guy at the counter didn't care and refused to let me tour. I won't be back.

Fantastic experience: Fantastic time!!! I wish I could give this review 10 stars!!! My grandkiddos beg to visit the Science Center every time they come to Hickory, but due to CoVid, we’ve been unable to go since last year. WOW, what a surprise we had when we finally got to visit this past weekend. On Saturday 2/27, I took my grands (aged 5-7) and we stayed for over 3 hrs. Everything has been revamped with fresh paint and new items/exhibits. The Goose bumps exhibit was super fun, and we all enjoyed the aquarium. The Nature Center had wonderful new items to explore, and the kiddos absolutely loved getting to watch the groundhog eat his lunch. The entire building has been cleaned from top to bottom and there was someone constantly sanitizing all the surfaces while we were there. The staff, as always, were so friendly. It is obvious they love their jobs and are proud to be employees of the Catawba Science Center. Aaron and Pam were two of the staff we encountered while visiting, and they were kind, caring, and full of amazing information about the exhibits and the center. I asked my grands what their favorite thing was about our visit and they couldn’t pick only one – the Tree house exhibit, the aquarium, the Gross Lab, and of course, the gift shop were top on their list (Shout out to Mindy for helping them pick out their souvenirs) . Thank you Catawba Science Center – each of the staff should be applauded for all they have and continue to do to make this place such a fabulous place to visit. We can’t wait until our next adventure.

Negative experience: We came on 2/27/2021. This place used to be great. Now it's awful. Everything is old and dirty worn out. Security guard ( yes they have a cop) is super unfriendly. And the price is 10 dollars a piece now for adults. Don't waste your money or time

Fantastic experience: Right now, the Science Center has hand sanitizer everywhere, is enforcing their 6 feet apart rule, and are limiting the amount of people allowed to go in at the moment. It is fun as always, but many of the activities have changed. If you go, bring your mask, and be prepared to have fun!

Fantastic experience: Amazing! You may need most of the day to visit. There is so much to see!

Positive experience: Enjoyed ourselves. Had my disabled husband and an autistic little child with our group. The staff was accommodating. Especially the young lady in the aquarium part. Very patient and kind with the child.

Negative experience: Not recommended, a man yelled at my child for “running” but my child was actually speed walk and was very careful with small children mean while other kids were running and he didn’t say anything I’m African American and so is my child I was really affected and do not wish to come back

Fantastic experience: Excellent place. Nice people. Friendly, Fun. Great for homeschool field trips. All my kids loved it. Many times over.

Fantastic experience: Great time. Volunteer at aquarium was very knowledgeable about the fish.

Fantastic experience: My family had so much fun today! About 19 of us went 7 adults and 12 kids ranging from 1-16....Every single one of us enjoyed all of the activities and the feedings that they had to offer. This was everyone's first time visiting the Catawba Science Center bc we are from Fl but we will be back! There was so much to do even for the little ones which I was surprised at. Plus you literally cant beat family fun for a $1.50 a person(it was an event they were running) The staff was very nice and friendly. Also I am 6 months pregnant and have a 1 year old that I did push around in a stroller and I didn't find it difficult at all to maneuver however they do have places that are steps only. Mind you I have a decently wide stroller.

Fantastic experience: We took our nephews to the science center. It's a lot for them to see and do. They even remarked they loved it and want to return. Nice job to all involved with the science center!

Fantastic experience: The Catawba Science Center is a great place to visit, our little ones had so much fun. There is so much to see and do. They are even open on the weekends. We got to watch them feed the Sting Rays and Sharks. We had so much fun. The Art Gallery is there also, we just didn't make it over there.

Positive experience: IT'S ROBOT FIGHTING TIME!!! Every year, Carolina Combat Robotics and the Catawba Science Center hold Hickory Bot Battles, a robot combat event for robots weighing between 150g and 3lbs. This results in an exciting weekend for builders and spectators alike. Now, if only the events didn't start at 7AM...

Negative experience: I really want to like this place, but it is just not good. Nothing has been updated in many years. Half of the exhibits are broken and dirty. It is not stroller or mom/infant friendly so if you are planning to come on your own with a baby and an older sibling it will be a struggle. The staff is always very friendly and it's right in my own community so I really want to support it. I decided to give it another chance today. I haven't been in about a year. They advertised "dress like a bug, get in free" for today only. I went out and put together a special bug costume for my 3 year old and brought her and her infant brother for what I thought would be a fun afternoon. However, there was a huge group of summer camp kids there. It looked like 100 or more kids. Why on earth would they do a one day only promotion to the community when they already have such a huge group scheduled to be there?!?! They still charged me full price to get in and my daughter wasn't able to participate in anything because it was completely taken over by the summer camp! Whoever is running this place is not doing a good job. There is obviously no planning and the place is just deteriorating. We won't be back anytime soon. So disappointed

Fantastic experience: My 12 yr old and I visited yesterday and had a blast! We saw the butterfly habitat, touched stingrays, enjoyed the tornado chamber, loved Seymor (giant tortoise) and the electric eel was awesome. Thanks for letting us watch the eel eat - it was electrifying! The summer laser show was wonderful! A fantastic place for kids and adults alike. And not expensive.

Fantastic experience: Excellent place for kids. Great time. Visit the aquarium side as well.

Fantastic experience: Me, my friend, and her 4 year old son visited here recently; my first time as an adult. It was a lot of fun! I personally enjoy any and all of the animal exhibits. But, the interactive machine and devices were more fun for her son. So, there's something for everyone, I imagine. A fun, educational outing, especially for those with children in tow. All the staff seemed happy to help and good with children, too.

Fantastic experience: Kids of all ages have such a great time. So much to see and touch

Positive experience: It's a really fun place, however we were disappointed at how many of the displays that were out of order. Yet they still charge full price to get in.

Negative experience: The layout is confusing. No hand sanitizers nor did I see any cleaning going on, some of the things looked dirty and didn't want to touch them. Lots of interaction exhibits didn't work. However, the staff was very nice and the Planetarium.

Fantastic experience: Went on a field trip with my daughter here Friday and it was fantastic! They learned all about the ocean and cut up a real squid!!

Negative experience: Same stuff as from when I was a child. The aquarium needs some work. What did work only worked halfway. Then the gift shop told us at closing "if you know what ya want you can buy". Really? I spend money to get in this place and you can't wait 1 minute for me to grab something for my 3 yr old? I did know what I was going to get but after the attitude from the worker nope!!! I'll spend my money somewhere that wants it! I will never be back!!!!!

Positive experience: Needs updating and a good clean in the fish tanks. Where did the sharks go? It kept my 3 little kids happy for about $20 on a rainy day. If you need something to do inside with young kids and not in Charlotte, it is a good place. I would go back.

Negative experience: I used to love this place. It was the one attraction around my house growing up. It made for a nice Friday trip after school. But after taking my little sister here today I don't think I'll be coming back. Most of the exhibits haven't been updated in at least a decade and many of the buttons and knobs don't function correctly. The newer building that houses the aquarium seems to have forgotten that maybe they should get more fish. There are some nice sized pools with only a few or almost no creatures in them. All of the displays use old tech that takes away from the experience. One of the monitors even displayed the computer files rather than whatever it was supposed to show. The one "newish" tech I saw was a fake xray machine that used a Microsoft connect camera. I understand that the foundation in charge needs money but they can't expect people to fund anything if they don't at least present any plans to update. The whole experience was like walking through dying childhood memories.

Positive experience: The museum is a series of relics from the 1980s, really rundown and most neglected. Walking through you can see that an exhibit was put up once and that was the end of it. There are two saving graces for this museum is that they have a nice "woodland" area with two live tortoises (in WAY to small an enclosure), and they have an extensive collection of animal hides (that the children can touch), and a lot of dead insect specimens (for viewing). The other good point is the aquarium (located in another building), that has a touch pool with a really friendly stingray who is very active splashing in and out of the water.

Fantastic experience: What a wonderful place to visit! Great environment to learn and the staff is very helpful! Hickory is lucky to have great family education and entertainment.

Positive experience: Very small. Target audience are children. I wasn't that excited about the place.

Fantastic experience: Was there with 2 teenagers, and they had a blast!

Positive experience: The museum is split up between a couple different buildings, which was a little confusing a first. The most fun exhibit for us was the aquarium, where you can pet skates and sharks and pick up horsehoe crabs.

Fantastic experience: Loved this place for elementary students!

Fantastic experience: We've been taking our toddler here for a while now. The staff is always beyond helpful and the environment kept family- friendly. They have special exhibits that switch out from time to time and so there's always something new to experience. My little one loves the aquarium section the most, especially the touch pond with sharks and rays. The planetarium shows also switch out from time to time- for the most part the shows have been a little too advanced for my 4 year old but are a unique learning experience for older kids. We recently joined CSCs membership program which includes free visits for the family (worth the cost right there), discounts, and tickets/special nights for other events in the community (i.e. Crawdads baseball). We have also been attending CSCs summer programs- week long classes with flexible scheduling (we go just M-F 10a-12p) and my little one won't stop talking about all the new things she has learned in classes such as Underwater Explorer or Little Dinos. If you're new to the area or even been around for a while and have kids of any age, I would 110% recommend a visit here.

Fantastic experience: Wonderful place to visit, includes exhibits of various animals, special limited time exhibits of space or other topics, has separate building with incredible aquatic life displays including touch tanks. Very affordable. My family looks forward to going twice a year.