Reviews of Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center & IMAX Dome Theater (Movie Theater)

Joel Fuller

In need of a little maintenance and new attractions/activities. We had a fun afternoon though. Plus, my daughter got to see her first IMAX movie.

Elizabeth Geer

We didn't realize that this was a children's museum. It's a great museum that had gone a long way toward making science understandable and fun. On the downside, the healthy body section is in desperate need of repairs and not all of the broken exhibits are marked.

Deborah Kane

We had fun, glad our museum membership got us in free as lots of out of order stuff.

Tremaine McCants

I would like this place to get more funding. It was my first time going, and it was awesome.

John Miller

Loved the overall experience. Many of the activities were not in order. The Dome IMAX is a must see.

Tabitha Hillman

My boys love this place!

Corey Martin

It's a cool place.

Sarah Dixon

Really great prices and easily able to spend 5 hours

Mike Davis

Currently doing some light construction but still alot of interactive exhibits. I max was closed?

Mike Brown

Very interesting place more for younger visitors

Katie Carter

Always an amazing experience. My kids love it and my toddler talks about it for weeks. She was absolutely obsessed with the shadow wall. I think the membership is point worth it for any family especially you go more than twice a year.

Grandmaster

Great place for parents to relax while the children play. They also have a 4d movie available occasionally.

Robert Harrison

Great place to visit. Friendly staff.

chongo frank

granddaughter loved it

Hope Jacquet

Decently priced and fun play area for young kids. However the feature exhibit and upstairs area was filled with mostly broken things. We specifically went for Curious George. We followed him and waited in line so my son could hug him and take a picture like all the other children but the character left, with us being the only ones left out. He never came back. It was disappointing. We wouldn't have waited in line so long if we knew he was just going to leave.

Summer Lemoine

Really fun. A lot of different things to do for all ages.

Dennis Burgess

It was ok.. But expensive for the limited things you can do .. Small area under general admission

Brad Godwin

Imax was great .. Great time for family

Julie Zuercher

As soon as I had children, I asked for an Explorium membership for my family that Christmas. My kids are now 2.5 and 4 and we still love going to the Explorium!! We have had one birthday party there and it was a huge hit! And SO EASY! I love when the traveling exhibit is a kid-friendly one- we loved Curious George!!! The Wharf of Wonder is always fun too. I wish they had certain days or hours listed that were for field trips. I don’t like being there for those times with my small children. We love the bubble day they do during the summer and all of the special events!!!

Todd Arthur

Outstanding place. Kids loved it. Very educational. Nice military discount. Well done exhibits. Would strongly recommend to others.

Frank Busbey

Five stars for the Ghengis Khan exhibit. Three stars for the Museum- good but small.

Blackjack 92

Always a nice place to take the kids for a daycation

Rob West

Great experience! Good way to take our minds off the hurricane Michael.

Phyllis Moody

Try to go a few times a year. Support the Arts!

Gachatuber 123

Absolutely love the Exploreum. The exhibits are fantastic, the staff friendly and my kids get to play with the interactive displays while learning. Can't beat that!

Brittany Hardy

The theater is down for repairs. Also several individual machines were out of order or malfunctioning.

Ellen Raney

School age children would love this. It was a little too much for my 3 1/2 year old grandson. Maybe a more calmer, quieter type child would enjoy it more. His favorite was the "hands on" section. I highly recommend it !

Austin Bullard

Got there at 4:30 they close at 5 and the kids don't get off the bus till 3:15... so maybe think about extending hours during school...

Christian Stjohn

The family loved it! Friendly staff, very interesting and hands on exhibits. Tons of stuff to do for the kids! Only bad thing was a lot of the exhibits didnt work that well, or was broken. Otherwise its be a 5 star

John White

Been there two times with a few years in-between and both times it had been nice but always seems run down, like they are almost bankrupt and can't quite keep up with the repairs

April Brockmiller

We were on a field trip. It waa great! Seats were comfy.

Glenna Matthey

My girls 10 and 3 and alot of fun in the little kids playroom with the boat. I have been to other museums like this and this one didnt quite have as much to really interact with. Staff was very friendly. All play areas were clean. Not sure it was worth the 2 hr drive and the cost, but we had fun.

P V

Lots broken..but nice

Ea Vie

This place is absolutely amazing! They have the IMAX theater and a clear glass windowed room where you can see the huge IMAX reels in action! The interactive children's science exploration room was incredible for adults and children. I especially enjoyed the paper airplane testing and the musical harp. There was a health exhibit that had a giant 8 feet tall beating model of a heart and a fascinating interactive maze with blocks and tools to show how difficult the task a surgeon has to do work inside the body around important and immovable structures. We only had 2 hours and ran out of time. Next time, we'll have more time! Only 4 hours' drive from Atlanta!

Nancy Pitts

My friend and I enjoyed viewing the museum and tour of the home of Jefferson Davis. It was interesting to note that he had had a black child to live with them as a member of their family before moving to Mississippi. The home is quite lovely and filled with antiques. In one of the smaller twin houses that flank each side of the homestead, a movie depicting the damage suffered during Hurricane Katrina was playing. However, don't miss the opportunity to check put the side of the building where quotes from Jefferson Davis are etched. Also spend some time under the towering magnolias where Jefferson Davis also went to pray and do Bible study.

Richard Morgan

Outstanding exhibit of Genghis Kahn.

Andrea McKee

Absolutely loved The National Parks Annette movie at the IMAX. We took our 17 month old with us and he loved it. It was perfect for how age, only a 45 min movie and nothing scary in it.

Dennis Harris

Our group ranged in age from 7-75. The special exhibit was Animation Academy. It covered the early days to recent, contemporary works. A great wealth of knowledge and exposure awaits young and old minds alike. The health exhibit provides insight into medical procedures as well as personal health/fitness assessments. The endoscopy display shows the skill doctors must have for delicate procedures. No IMAX for my group. We are looking forward to the Genghis Khan exhibit in the spring!

James Boykin

It was alright. Seems a little expensive for what you get

Clint Cobb

Awesome IMAX movie and the Genghis Kahn exhibit was interesting

Tonya Gerullis

Very neat place. The exhibit on the human body and surgery was very interactive and educational.

Sam Mayes

My family and I have a membership and it's totally worth it. My son goes to the summer camp and learns about all kinds of cool stuff and we usually go to any events they host. Also we travel alot and with the exploreum membership we get free entrance to science museums across the country.

Jodi Peer

One of the main reasons that we decided to visit this place is because they were on the list for Blue Star museums that were free for military families. The other reason is because I have had other friends recommend it to us. All the stations they offered kept us busy but some of the items did not work properly or were not working at all. All in all we still had a great time and spent about two hours there. I wish that the staff would be more interactive with the patrons to advise us what each display was about and how it worked.

Bianca Turner

After meaning to visit the Exploreum, we finally made time to do so. We got there about 3:00 and were concerned that we didn't have time to do the Center justice. The lady at the desk said that it usually takes families about an hour to go through the Center. Our inquisitive pre-teen managed to be the very last person to leave after they closed at 5:00. Two hours wasn't nearly enough time for our visit.The exhibits were good. The activities were good. The staff was friendly and helpful. The staff-led activities were really engaging. It looks like we'll have to go back again soon.

Rob Malone

Fun place to take the kids, or just by yourself.

Microscope Mom

The Body Works exhibit is a great place to learn anatomy and physiology for all age groups. There are a variety of educational games that teach individuals about nutrition, and how to make healthy choices when selecting the foods we put into our body. Also, one can learn about different occupations within the medical field by participating in hands on activities. This is only a small portion of what the museum has to offer. There are many other exciting exhibits to explore. I chose to share this one because it is my children's favorite.

Jeremy Moore

Would recommend visiting. Probably not a place you'd visit twice though.

Sandra Stowe

We had fun, but not nearly as much as we could have had, if 20%+/- of the things weren't broken! Even the water fountain didn't work.

Caitlin Woody

We have the ASTC pass and go to as many science centers that we can during our travels. The Gulf Coast Exploreum was decent and had some nice options for toddlers (our 3yo and 1yo enjoyed themselves). However as Momma, I would have preferred it to be a little more clean and maintained. The new body exhibits are cool though!

Paulina White

Phone died so i didnt get alot of pics. But alot of hands on activities for the family and the kids to do.

Samaria Moore

My children and I love this place. We went on a Sunday and there were lots to do with little wait time. New favorite spot.

Erin Marty Freeman

Absolutely loved the trip. We had an amazing time as usual. Will definitely be back to see another IMAX movie

AL Ingle

We make a point of stopping there anytime we are in the area. They have a wonderful variety of scientific-based exhibits. There are always new ones each year and there are some old favorites as well.

Angel P.

I cannot say enough, fantastic place, I remember the Egyptian gallery

Laird Culver

Genghis Khan exhibit. Nuf said.

Brandon Langley

I take my daughter at least once every couple months and she loves it also always has very interesting exhibits for adults and older kids and the IMAX is huge!!!!

marilyn canon

Have been several times and their special exhibits are always informative and well put together. Our docent Wayne was an excellent guide. The IMAX theater will be renovated over the summer. Look forward to more interesting exhibits in the future.

Kristi Tanner

Great place to visit as an adult or a child. Love the Hands-On science experiments. The Explorium offers traveling exhibits and can also host birthday parties and other events. IMAX theater is always an excellent addition to the visit. A little cafe is available for light snacks and the food is edible. Be warned you may want to have cash for the cafe because there is a $3 minimum balance required to use a debit or credit card

Midge Blocker

Went to see Genghis Khan exhibit and then to the IMAX theater to see more. It was great and would highly recommend it. They also had shows that were live. And a woman are doing illustrations from Japan in ink drawings that were just beautiful.

Maria Davis

My daughter loved it!!

Kristy Daniel

We loved it! A great family outing not that far from Pensacola. They are right downtown in Mobile with lots of neat places in walking distance. My 2 1/2 year old loved all the hands on exhibits. I think it's great for all ages.

M. Carter

The theater is under renovation but everything else is available. The fear exhibit was fun and interesting.

Stewart & Sharon Hobbie

A number of "work in progress" signs...and hands on things that didn't work as intended. Fun for children and very educational! But a little disappointing!

Melissa Scimeca

So many fun activities we didn't have time for everything! Nice spaces carved out for the under-five-year old crowd.

Cheryl Gage

Love love love this place

Tinalee Warren

Grandchild love this place so much we got a yearly membership.

KC Case

Really enjoyed. Interesting educational exhibits for all ages. Nice that there is an Imax associated. Even though downtown, parking wasn’t a problem. As someone else has pointed out the body works area is well worth the visit. You will learn here.

Ziggy Zane

We were here for a birthday party and was pleasantly surprised by what it was. There is an hour of play time before being taken to the party room. Our host was great but we both felt like the gifts could have gone better. After the party, we had until closing to play in the rest of the Exploreum.

Mark Wilson

This museum "inspired" me to write the following post on Facebook. I'm a US Citizen living in the US. Kids museums in Canada are just plain ol' better by a factor of at least 10+ than US museums. I've taken my son to no less than 10 museums in the US since May. Only 2 impressed and neither of those two were better than the least interesting museum I've been to in Canada. Today we went to the Exploreum in Mobile, AL. What I have noticed is that while there are interactive components on both sides of the border for kids age 10 and down, above that age level, the US museums think they can just slap up big touch screens with gratuitous environmental and health/diet messaging and this will elicit a child's passion and intellectual curiosities in biology, earth science, technology, medicine, math, civilization, space, etc. In addition, the pervasive use of *little more* than those big touch screens in the US where kids of all ages are supposed to be drawn to learn or do anything is egregiously counter-intuitive...and I'll say-- it is pathetic, teaches nothing, inspires nothing, challenges no one. It seems that museum designers believe that in order to inspire, they have to become a walk-in 'leap frog' device or it's game over for the institution. Think again curators, design committees and sponsors! You were kids once. What was the essence of your childhood experience that compelled your interests, your passions? Better yet, how about you just pay your staff-members way to a few museums in Canada and you'll quickly say, "Oh my god, we're totally doing this wrong." On top of this, some of the better things in the US museums are pay-only! Really?!?!? Come on. I pay to enter and you want me to pay additional to see a vortex of mist inside a closed plexi-glass tube with a self-service POS device on it? Nevermind that the IMAX cost 8.75 per person for a short movie. And we wonder why our institutiins are cranking out disinterested, uninspired minions who all hit the gloriously high mark of "meets expectations" in school while US companies get beaten in the face for importing actual foreign intellectual capital. Please! Exploreum, you've missed the mark like so many other museums in AL and elsewhere.

Devon Gansmann

Very cool. Was expecting a bit more to do but the kids area with the ballpit was over the top. Son loved it.

Carrie Marie Weber Culpepper

Kids liked it. Child area is nice. Some exhibits and paint need repair, cleaning, and updating. Workers are really nice.

Dani Roman

Great place to take the kids! Lots to do and worth every $

Alabama Clay

Awesome!! My 5 year old also enjoyed it!

Melisa Acheson

What a fantastic family place. Plenty for the children to do but also keep the adults interested. Staff was friendly and helpful and the building was clean. We will be back for sure.

Jennifer Mcilwain

I absolutely love this place! I have a 4 year old son that I bring here at least once a month. There is something to do here for literally anyone of any age. Also the IMAX theater is pretty incredible.

Lance H

Super fun place with a great IMAX dome theater. I have seen many traveling exhibitions here that were very well presented. This place is always clean and inviting. The cafe is very expensive for a drink or snack.

Clifford Elkins

Even at 71 I learned quite a bit. Had a blast with me 9 yr ole great grand-daughter. The IMAX was great, superhero dogs. I did get a $ 10.00 parking ticket, but it was worth it.Had a great time that's all that counts.

Naomi Leeder

A really great place for kids under the age of about 12 I would say. Well done, fairly priced. Clean, clever equipment and exhibits. The Imax is simply an awesome experience but I think for teens and adults, not the little ones.

Tatyana Axsom

Great place to spend the day with the whole family. Also great for younger children

Ras Abaddon

Great place to take the kids! Mine really loved it, though my daughter WAS a little scared of the VERY inlarged HD face of a bumble bee and cried for a sec. My boys loved it

Benjamin Wilson

Many of the exhibits were not functional. My child was pretty disappointed.

Tamamaria Stormy Morris

Very friendly and helpful. Lots of hands on Exhibit. Have lots of fun

Kimberly Liles

Super fantastic place and we love the exhibits!

Brandon Ezell

This is one of our favorite places to visit in Mobile. We have a family membership (really good prices on those). So we can go multiple times a year. ALSO included in that membership is a membership to a national organization of other science centers across the U.S. For example we visited some friends in Yorktown, VA. And got in to an Air and Space museum there FOR FREE.

Jeff T

Pretty great for little (Pre-K) kids. Older kids can have fun too. Middle school and up will enjoy the IMAX experience, but the price tag does go up a bit. Still not that bad and parking around the area is very inexpensive compared to NO. Plenty to eat nearby too, but avoid "the fort" it's just bleh.

Jake Hansen

The Exploreum was a bit smaller than I expected and some of the exhibits were closed for remodeling or updating when we were there on a Friday afternoon. The staff we interacted with was quite friendly and knowledgeable on the exhibits. I think our conversations with one of the staff was my favorite part of the experience. Our older elementary age and middle school age kids were entertained but not fascinated. But I think younger aged kids might enjoy it a bit more.

Joshua Griffin

Arrived an hour before they closed so I rushed through the special exhibit but the staff was great and the exhibits were cool.

Dana Swann

G Staff members are polite. Movies are great. Need to clean the projectors.

Greg Pufahl

My kids loved this place. Plenty for my kids age (4, 6, 8) to do. Get the IMax with it. Of course, as with every place like this, it would be way better to buy the membership. We don't live near here so we just went for the day.

Brennica Woodcock

Loved the hands on activities

meyber santos

Great place for children. My daughter enjoyed the curious George exhibit few months ago and now the dinosaur exhibit they have currently. Parents can relax and let their kids run around get tired.

Trina Coburn

Took the grandbabies on a spur of the moment adventure. They are 3 & 4 they had a blast and really enjoyed learning about their bodies. I didn't give 5 stars because the 3rd floor display was empty.

Marilyn Munger

Great attractions, learning and activities for all ages.

Jean Nobles

Went to a baby shower and the event was beautiful

Frank Chompy

25% of the science exhibits were not working

Natalie Bobe

The museum was cool very educational for kids and adults. Although a bunch of exhibits were under renovation. The staff was helpful and nice, fair price. The place was sooo CLEAN..

Venita Garner

Small. Doesn't take a ton of time

joy lane

Great place to visit with family. There is always a nice exhibit. Along with interactive, fun learning stations for children. The Imax theater is a great experience for the whole family. I'm looking forward to our next visit.

Dia'Mond Woodman

Many broken items and inattentive staff.

Erich Terens

Great place to visit with kids! Very fun and made plans to go back!

T L

Cool place to bring your kids with neat scientific exhibits!

Amber A

Love this place! Great pleople, friendly service and some pretty amazing exhibits. If you come to Mobile and you have not been yet this is definitely a place to go and spend the day with the family.

John Cosman

I'm 27 years old and have been visiting this place since I was a small child. One of the greatest attractions Mobile has to offer. It's best to plan your trip coinciding with one of their featured exhibits. My favorites have been the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Human Body exhibits. But even if they don't have any major exhibits, their normal day-to-day entertainment is always a blast. Learning and fun packed into one. And they have the only IMAX theater that I'm aware of on the Gulf Coast. I have seen lots of awesome documentaries in their theater. This place is really awesome and I hope it'll remain open so I can take my kids, my grandkids, my great grandkids, and haunt my great great grandkids as they learn about science in a super fun way.

Eman Knox

Bought a membership, still haven't received it over a month later. Also the smallest science museum I've ever seen. It only has two exhibition rooms and a large kids play area. Don't waste your money unless you have a membership.

Samuel Crittenden

Great place to take your kid. Military gets in for free. Lots to do and wasn't to crowded.

Gina Knitter

Fantastic exhibits to engage kids of most ages! The wharf of wonder was right up the 5 and under age group's alley! There is relatively little parking available close by. Be prepared to walk a couple of blocks just in case!

Alvin Nelson

This is a great place for small children to have a birthday party.

Grizzly Crossbones

Great place to take your children.

Andrea Sullivan

Great for the whole family and the kids had a blast in the play area they have there. Would definitely recommend to anyone with younger kids

Lisa Higdon

Wonderful day outing for our ages 11 and 7 kids. Hands on experiences of all kinds, we all had a great time. Special area for 5 and under kids to enjoy. Family outing or school field trips, you won't be let down!

Michael Hunter

Great fun! They have a wonderful hands on learning section. This area included flight simulators although they were not working properly when I was there, a large water play table, oversized building blocks, Lego table, parachute and hover experimentation area, an ocean themed ball and more.

Cara Jones

Limited exhibits and overpriced for what you get. All exhibits had displays that were broken or missing. Exhibits were outdated and not very user friendly for children. I've been to much better childrens museums in other towns.

Samantha M.

Such a fun place for kids (and I enjoyed it as an adult,too)!

Robert Adams

In general, it is a great place if you are under 12. If you are over 12, the rotating exhibit is cool (we saw Ghengis Khan). However, if you over 12, the explorium portion is easy to get through in ~90 minutes. There just is only so much compelling interaction for teens or adults.

Maranda Hunnicutt

Small but mighty. Lots of things for kids to make, staff was very friendly. Food wasn't good. The body exhibit was awesome.

Diane Nelsib-Busbey

Disappointed. We routinely take our grandchildren to museums. We just moved to Mobile. Compaired to other places, in different states, we were let down.

Crystal Ross

Great educational center for children of all ages.

Holly Schlusler

The Genghis Kahn exhibition was awesome. This would be a great place to visit time and again.

Cathy Hardy

A lot of the equipment in the body museum or broken

Philip Rivera

We were visiting from out of town and really found this place to be great. If you are a teacher, bring your teacher ID and you'll get a discount. Parking is a little tough, but if you're willing to hunt, you'll find free 2 hour parking. However, I was told that they really do enforce the 2-hour limit

Regina Stanford

Every other year for the past 6 years we have visited the exploreum. Each time has been amazing. Wonderful new exhibits every time.

S B

My children love this place and the Summer camps are awesome.

Michael Vanden Heuvel

I always love going to the Exploreum. We went to the Genghis Khan exhibit and saw some very interesting artifacts. Great place to take children! Kids can have fun and learn while doing so.

Nance Nabywaniec

Went for Gengis Kahn exhibit, was not disappointed

Sophia Bravo

Amazing place, good for kids and all the family. Good prices and so many activities to do.

Bailie Anderson

Wish the "free exploreum admittance" events included admittance to the exhibit... but over all a good trip.

Tammy Feist

A hidden gem. Don't forget to visit if vacationing Alabama on the gulf coast. The children love the hands on experience. The education they receive is priceless. ♥️

Bradley Bennett

Reasonably priced, $19 for two adults and one child (8 years old); that was with a discount and NO imax tickets. For the most part we had a good time, great for kids, tons of hands on displays, build and conduct different “experiments” in the hands on hall Cons: attended while two elementary schools were on field trip, would advise to try and go on a day were this is not the case; many of the displays were broken/did not function correctly Overall experience was good, and for the money a great way to spend a few hours without much harm on the wallet!!

Darren Harbison

IT WAS MY FIRST VISIT, WE TOOK MY GREAT NEICES AND NEPHEWS, THEY HAD A BLAST, SO DID ALL THE ADULTS.

Justin Taylor

Me and wife both went together after not going for quite a while and we both enjoyed it. Well worth the 20 dollars or so.

Nakita Darville

Was expecting more... Things were either broken or it malfunctioned...

Mary Erodenko

We had a great time. My 4 year old did not want to leave!

Randi Pope

Great place for kids! Took our students for a field trip! We all had fun!

Tiffany Elliott

Most everything we tried to use was broken

Katrina Kellar

Tons of stuff to do here for kids of all ages. The adults enjoyed it too. We went for the Halloween party today. Between the special activities and the regular exhibits we could have spent the entire day but we left after 3 hours because of much needed naps. We did not visit the cafe or gift shop & we did not watch an IMAX film. We would definitely buy a membership if we lived in the area. The best part of the day was definitely the pumpkin explosion.

Linda Mims

Loved visiting here. The kids and adults enjoyed it

Ashley Field

This place is a must for little ones. My son loves the ball pit in the kids area. The staff are extremely friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommend to everyone and anyone.

Dronetastic M

Very cool place. Interactive hands on. Good learning experience.

Suzanne Stafford

Enjoyed a great field trip to see the animation academy. The staff is great help moving the group through all the exhibits.

Ahmed Lary

Most of the stuff was out of order and unclean

Jennifer Booker

Interesting exhibits. Could be cleaner.

Mary Lou Wich

We thoughtfully enjoyed the Genghas Khan exhibit.

David Kerr

The staff was amazingly friendly! But the exhibit's where very lacking. Most where non interactive videos and displays for the right wing of the museum. The left wing however was very decent for the kids. They really need to revamp their health and space sections to something more hands on. Not just computer programs.

Julianna Akers

This place is awesome. Brought my kids. But I think I enjoyed it way more than them! I wish i would have found the back exhibits earlier. I went closer to closing and they were cleaning the ball pit for kids. My daughter would have had the best time. We stopped and got ice cream before going home. The gift shop has items on clearance as well.

Ryan Russell

Great experience.... Got to see the Ghengis Khan exhibition! Well done!!

River Lotus

Amazing childrens play area! The museum needs cleaning and some attention but this is a wonderful place to play. The body exhibit truly needs to be reconsidered. It does not truly offer interactive educational experiences. It certainly tries.

Moxy Wolf

A fun place to spend the day, especially with kids.

Chance Cooper

This place is always great. The exhibits are a fun way to learn about new things. And the "Warf of Wonder" is an awesome in door playground for younger kids.