Oregon Museum of Science and Industry

I’ll give this place 5 stars even though the cost is challenging for a single parent. Science with kids is always worth it! With a children’s area, science playground, the Empirical theatre, it offers good stuff for young minds to explore.

They host the Rose City Astronomers group, and they recently showed a ton of Studio Ghibli movies in their huge theater. Seriously, the best.

Purchased a membership. A lot of the displays were closed off. Wasnt informed of this when we got there. Luckily we had a 15% off coupon for the membership but still pretty dissapointed. Im hoping that the next time we go they would have done some updates. After all, we did purchase a year membership. Ps. The how long can you balance display upstairs is a lot harder than it looks.

What a great resource to have here in Portland. Everyone knows and loves OMSI. But I can’t say enough how wonderful this place is. We love the dining options and the beer on tap. Our kids love the upstairs kids room and sand and water labs. Can’t complain. We make this a weekly stop when time provides. Highly recommend to people of all ages and walks of life!

I’m a Portland native and have been visiting OMSI since I was a little girl. Brought my kids here and bought a membership. I’m a little disappointed. There are few things to do and most things are run down and worn out. Kinda bummed. I would not recommend buying a membership.

Yes, I remember the old OMSI by the zoo. I must’ve been one of the last to go there and see Laser Zeppelin. Awww the odd smoke rolling out of the cars as we all filed in… BUT this is the new OMSI, and it is pretty fantastic, and an interactive glory especially for the youngsters. So many great memories of me and my Dad at old OMSI and just as many with my kids at the new OMSI be it with the mummies (a bit scary) or in the areas with drawing, sand, and simple water features.
This last visit was a bit different. An awards dinner for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society and I must say they dressed the cafeteria up quite nice. I always cry at these things, but I’m used to it. Regardless, the evening was special and the employees of OMSI made sure that everyone was comfortable.
I know OMSI has rooms for lots of events, and I’m always impressed with how they manage to wear so many hats, as it were. I will always miss the old OMSI but the new one is lovely, including the IMAX, where we took our boys to see the conservation efforts of elephants in Africa.
OMSI, you’re the best… But I miss being able to walk through the big plastic heart, and visits to the planetarium with Dad.
Somebody bring back laser Zeppelin. Please? Just for one night?

A really great experience for younger children. Some of their exhibits are adult and children friendly but I would say that they are definitely geared towards children. My fiancé and I are pretty young at heart so we played along with all the little activities and puzzles all along the way. It’s a good way to spend a cold/​rainy/​snowy day if you can’t be outside.
I would definitely recommend to families with young children. If you have some older and younger children the older children can catch a movie at the imax theater or maybe use the simulator (the simulator was out of order on the day we went).
Tip: First Sunday of every month its only $ 2 to get in vs the $ 13.50.

Went today. Pretty expensive — lots of the more desirable exhibits you have to pay extra to see. The things included weren’t very stimulating at all. It was a disappointing experience for this tourist family. 75.00 for about 90 minutes of walking around looking for anything interesting. Not a good value.

Really went downhill. The hall by food strongly reeks of urine. To many broken things. Stuck with a year pass I bought online. Pass doesn’t cover parking anymore. HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT! !

I had only been to OMSI a couple of times for adult evening events before yesterday. For me the previous visits were meh, nothing amazing. Going with my nephew, his wife and their little guys was far more fun. The boys are 4 and 6. There were more fun things for them to do than they had time for yesterday, so they definitely plan to come back.
We watched a 30 minute movie in the Planetarium to start. The laser show wasn’t as impressive as the ones I remember from the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, but the kids enjoyed it.
We mainly stayed in the science area. The six year old and I went to the chemistry lab to do some experiments since he’s interested in science. There were plenty of exhibits where we could all play together which was fun for everyone. The café was perfectly fine for a beverage and popcorn break.
For roughly the same price as movie tickets we had several hours of educational fun. The kids were completely entertained and engaged which is tough to accomplish with active boys that age.

For every book worm and scientist in the family. I highly recommend the #OMSI two thumbs up

One time I went to the Detroit Institute of Arts, and in one of the galleries with them older pieces, a little boy walked in through the enormous doors, looked around, announced «BORING!» at full volume, then turned around and walked out.
His parents were mortified.
She-​beaux and I consider him a king.
But, yeah– that’s exactly how I felt in OMSI. While the educational stuff is interacting, it just needs an upgrade, yo. In fairness, maybe not the whole joint, but the Environmental section is straight hurt.
Folks just wandering through, like they’re grocery shopping, but don’t have enough money to do so, and don’t want to be there anyway.

I’m an adult and scientist. So I am bored a priori by science museums who are trying to engage children and their companion animal parents.
But I have to say that OMSI is proactive in reinventing itself to engage children through their parents. They do a good job across branches of science.
This review and its star rating is about a submarine tour you can add to your admission for a small increment to your admission fee to OMSI. Do it! Srsly!
The early submarines were co opted by the military. They wanted to go underwater blind — for killing objectives, rather than engaging under water beauty. Personally I’m more for beauty over killing.
This is a decommissioned military submarine from the late 1950’s.
The complexity required by any underwater vessel, especially spending days underwater and months without fuel, are a challenge to comprehend for adults and children.
This submarine carried enough fuel for a 19,000 mile journey!
Tours take about 45 minutes and tours overlap on a 30 minute schedule.
The submarine has had some stairs added but walking about, heights and widths are extremely, extremely confined.
This era of submarines have 3 levels or stories, the first two levels on the tour, connected by narrow stairs, very low ceiling heights and 4 and a half foot hatches you have to step over while ducking under. The lowest of the three levels sometimes can be seen through floor hatches with ironic now day stuffed animals in view.
This submarine was used as a set in the film The Hunt For Red October as a Russian submarine. So you can review that film before or after your visit. Our tour included a submarine veteran who confirmed the cultish culture of submarine crew behavior that went along with relatively food food and small spaces.
The tour visits the officers quarters and rooms, the enlisted crew quarters and mess, the kitchens, the radio, navigation, main control, engine, engine control and torpedo rooms. You can look through the periscope.
Some spots have simulations with sound effects that a guest is selected to engage.
On our tour, a 3 year old girl, youngest of our group, and touring with parent, was invited to operate the controls to simulate starting the engines, sitting in the chair a crew member would do it. The tour guide explained how to start the engines through a series of switches the child followed. Proving OMSI gets it, the guide asked the child how they would stop the engines. She got it, operating the controls to stop on her own!
There are only a small number of submarine tours in the world. Portland’s OMSI has one, for which we are fortunate.
There is also an opportunity for children to sleep overnight in the submarine. Personally I am not in favor of that as a recruiting tool for warfare. But the now primitive controls might be interesting to children.
If you go to OMSI, you have time, and your companion children are potentially interested, the submarine tour is a unique addition.

OMSI WAS A TOTAL MUST!
I was amazed at the Ripley’s exhibit, got to star gaze in the planetarium, was submerged underwater in the submarine, and got to learn some interesting facts about physics and life sciences!
My friend and I spent the whole day here and still didn’t cover as much as we would have liked! It was too much fun :)

Great for kids of all ages! I’ve been coming here since I was a kid except it was located adjacent to the Oregon Zoo then. My stepdaughter works here now in the restaurant and loves it!
There is always an interesting traveling exhibit. Today I saw the Ripley’s Believe it or Not! exhibit and I touched the Dino dung!
It’s educational fun!

Ripleys Believe it or not.
History of Oregon.
Chemistry Lab as in Breaking Bad???
Physics Lab.
Toddler playground.
Fun Facts.
Human and Natural History.
You name it, OMSI pretty much has it.
One of the biggest science museums I have ever visited. Admission prices are decent. Very educational and entertaining for all ages.
Located in downtown Portland. Convenient to everything once you’ve spent about four to five hours here minimum, plenty more of Portland to see!
#getting#educated

OMSI is awesome! We went on a Sunday, so admission was only $ 2! Parking is $ 5.
There are so many interactive exhibits here that the kids were mesmerized by, and if not… they even have a children’s play area on the very top floor where they have different sections like a water section, a grocery store section, a hands-​on area where you can craft (we made and played with flubber), a cavernous area where the kids can pretend to be bears and foxes, a reading nook, a sandbox, an area where kids can pretend to collect rocks and investigate insects, etc. We spent a good 3 hours here and didn’t even get to go to every exhibit! The special exhibit when we came was Mr. Ripley’s Believe-​it-​or-​not and that was pretty cool too. This place is fun for both kids and adults, and it feels so modern and clean.
You walk outside and you see a beautiful setting of water all around. We didn’t have time to actually go outside, so I had to observe from the floor to ceiling windows inside OMSI. This place is so worth checking out, especially on Sundays! It didn’t feel overly crowded either (but that could also be because it was super sunny and nice outside the day we came so maybe others took their play outside).

OMSI is an absolute delight of an experience. Quite often very busy but a treat.
If you have never been, I suggest taking a chunk of your morning or afternoon to experience the joy and knowledge it has to offer.
As I experienced yesterday, the submarine tour is a must! You must Be prepared to smush and squish into small spaces, but it’s so fun and interesting and HOT!
The planetarium is fun, but seems like it could use a bit of an update.
You are never short of learning and fun here, even as an adult.
If you can manage to drop by for an OMSI after dark on a Wednesday night, you are in for a treat. No kiddos allowed!

Waited over 5 years!!! Finally, got to go to the amazing OMSI! Please don’t wait 5 years like me, just go and enjoy this place… You can even go by yourself!!! YAY!!!

OMSI is pretty cool in my book.
There are 5 different interactive rooms to check out at OMSI.
Earth Hall– The focus is on environment, geology, weather, etc.
Life Hall– The human body and development.
Turbine Hall– Physical science and technology.
Science Labs– Science experiments, think Mr. Wizard meets H.S. chemistry class.
Science Playground– For kids 6 and under. Sandbox, mazes, water play, puppets, etc.
OMSI offers a giant dome movie theater that shows both educational, and mainstream movies.
There’s a planetarium, and a submarine the USS Blueback (SS-​581).
The gift shop has lots of goodies, from legos, to chemistry kits, to fun nerdy T-​Shirts.
The cafeteria has a decent selection of healthy, and not so healthy items to choose from.
OMSI after dark is a blast! Adults 21 and over get to run around and play with everything OMSI has to offer, with no pesky ;) little ones in the way. Even better, there’s food and Alcohol!

First time I visited OMSI, I wanted to write a raving review of this place. But I wanted to reserve my enthusiasm until I have visited a second time. Then I revisited this WONDERFUL museum a second time just recently and I just fell in love with this place.
I love how they have hands on labs for kids and adults alike to play with different scientific concepts and how they have a 3-​D printing lab to demonstrate what 3-​D printing is.
One of my favorite exhibit at the Museum is the submarine that is sitting outside in the water. You find out so much about life living in a submarine as a soldier through the little tour. It is pretty amazing.
Of course they have other fabulous exhibits that I can’t wait to take my little cousins and family friends to. I love love love this place!

On a school field trip and it had been awhile since I have been to the museum, but it has not changed in years.
I am not fully impressed with the museum and the lack of older areas of science and education.
The school scheduled a group lesson called «what matters».. and I think an hour of having students sit thru a lesson on a field trip is hard. I also think they could jazz this up with music and videos instead of one person entertaining kids. Was long and hard to get through.
I am also not impressed with the help in areas of the museum… They need to be more child caring and centered. They are older folks that don’t always have the best kid interactions. I don’t like the way they interact with kids at all. Get younger people there that love kids and can help them learn rather than scold them! Why do they have retired volunteers anyways.
With as much money coming through there, things should be changing and more activities happening!