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.

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.

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, theres 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.

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 dont think Ill be coming back. Most of the exhibits havent been updated in at least a decade and many of the buttons and knobs dont 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 cant expect people to fund anything if they dont at least present any plans to update. The whole experience was like walking through dying childhood memories.

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 didnt make it over there.

Really cool its a great afternoon

Weve been visiting for over 15 years

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

My kids really enjoyed this place

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 everyones 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 didnt find it difficult at all to maneuver however they do have places that are steps only. Mind you I have a decently wide stroller.

We took our nephews to the science center. Its 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!

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

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

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 its right in my own community so I really want to support it. I decided to give it another chance today. I havent 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 wasnt 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 wont be back anytime soon. So disappointed

ITS 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 didnt start at 7AM...

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.

My son had gotten free passes through school so we thought this would be a good day trip. The kids had a good time but there were several things out of order which was a little disappointing. I do have to say that the staff was beyond friendly. What exhibits they had were small & did leave a little to be desired. I would recommend it but would be disappointed if we had paid to get in & they upcharge a $1.00 extra for the cooler exhibits. Not a bad experience & the planetarium was the best part!

It was fun but, it was raining and like a quarter of is out side. It would have been better if it all under one roof.Im 13 so veiw from a younger person

Extremely disappointing. Nothing new to explore. Same exhibits from 2008 when I came with my oldest for a field trip. How do you expect people to keep returning, if there’s nothing new? Most of the hands on games, etc. are broken and dirty. You would think there would also be a few sanitizer dispensers for guests, throughout the building. This place needs a mega face lift, more excitement, more animals/sea creatures, and more life brought back into it! No hate here, just constructive criticism.

Absolutely love this place no matter or ages

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

Took the kiddos and they loved it. Employees were nice and helpful. If your looking for something to do with the kids give this place a shot.

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.

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.

We visited this science center on our recent trip to NC because we had reciprocal membership privileges through our local science museum. As a family, we have probably visited over a dozen nature/science/natural history museums in several different cities/states, and this was definitely in the top 2-3 (which is saying something for little ole Hickory, NC). You know you have a hit on your hands when parents are putting away their cell phones to join the kids in the interactive activities. This place truly has something for everyone - there are live animals, an aquarium, a planetarium, exhibits on space, germs, and physics/motion, and a climbing wall! Our favorite exhibits were the gross labs and raceways. The planetarium show was a little lackluster, but most places charge extra for the planetarium, so I have to give them credit for including this attraction in the regular admission price.

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 cant 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!!! Ill spend my money somewhere that wants it! I will never be back!!!!!

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

Friendly, helpful staff; lots of hands-on exhibits.

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.

The layout is confusing. No hand sanitizers nor did I see any cleaning going on, some of the things looked dirty and didnt want to touch them. Lots of interaction exhibits didnt work. However, the staff was very nice and the Planetarium.

I remember coming here as a kid and loving it. When I had a child of my own I knew that I was going to make it a major part of her early education. We still enroll in the camps and visit occasionally throughout the year, she is always excited to go. The exhibits change so keep updated through their website as to whats there currently. The aquarium touch tank is a must for younger kids, they love touching the rays and sharks.

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!!

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.

Went here on a field trip! Workers were friendly and the classes were awesome!

Will be returning to pet the stingrays again

Its 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.

I just love taking my kids here! Wonderful place. I have been coming here since I was little.

Great for young kids. Hands on sea life fun for all ages.

This was a really fun place to explore with my son. All the exhibits worked and were very interactive. He enjoyed the variety of animals and exhibit. The admission is very reasonable and the movie, Black holes was cool. I would do it again.

Fantastic place for kids for a half day or full day trip. Plenty of interactive exhibits, touch tanks for marine life and a really cool planetarium. The historic building that houses the Catawba Science Center also houses the Hickory Museum of Art.

Wonderful place for families.

While we have been to museums with much more to see they were also much further away. My kids love this place and it keeps them occupied on rainy days so I love it too.

This place was great. We have kids from 8 to 1 and they all had a great time. What I really liked is most of the exhibits are hands on and that really kept them occupied.

Have enjoyed for years & disappointed to read some of the poor reviews- but I have always had a positive experience at the science center. My oldest son won a science fair competition using a sound tube at the science center. My youngest son and I will spend the night at the science center in 2012 as part of a cub scout sleep over. Im planning to go today - the day after thanksgiving.

Such a nice trip! My kids thoroughly enjoyed this fun trip while I know they were learning all at the same time.

Its kinda limited and expensive, but for what it has is a good place to go on or for a trip. Many interesting exhibits.

Awesome place. Our family will be visiting again

Rude Staff! I could not believe how terrible my sister and I were treated right when we walked into the door. She and I walked in and walked right out. People need to learn some manners- good luck to anyone who goes there.

Ive been going here for a long time now and I love it every time

My kids have loved this place since they were 4 and 5. We can spend the whole day here and its way cheaper than most museums!

This is a great attraction, though it is hard to find your way around. However, the planetarium is amazing!

Weve 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 theres 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 wont stop talking about all the new things she has learned in classes such as Underwater Explorer or Little Dinos. If youre new to the area or even been around for a while and have kids of any age, I would 110% recommend a visit here.

Good museum for kids (and adults). We drove almost an hour from the Charlotte area, and it was worth it.

I have been to this center since I was five Im almost 30 now. They have added a lot but again they have kept a lot and it shows. But its nice for the hickory area

My family had a really fun time. My daughter still talks about touching the stingrays.

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

We try to go a couple times a year. Always fun.

Your Science CENTER is so Excellent I will come their every day

Had a great time with the new Gross Lab exhibit!

I love science and Im hoping my 4yearold old will have the same intrest as I do So I try to introduce her to the science center as much as possible.

We have a membership here and my kids love it!

Great place for curious kids to explore

Great for rainy fall break days

Loved this place for elementary students!

Love this place always been my favorite

Catawba Science Center

Kids loved it.

Been at this place for various occasions my entire life. Its always new in my eyes.

Very small. Target audience are children. I wasnt that excited about the place.

I thought it was awesome.

Great hands-on museum for everyone!

So awesome

Fun place for the kids

A good experience for families, but not the best.

Loved it!!

So did i

I went their for my field trip