Explora Science Center and Children's Museum of Albuquerque
Overview
Expert Summary
Detailed Insights
Explora Science Center and Children's Museum is a highly interactive, hands-on learning environment consistently praised for its engaging exhibits that allow children (and adults) to explore science through play. It offers a wide variety of activities, from manipulating water and electricity to physical challenges and sensory play, ensuring curious minds are constantly stimulated and families leave having learned something new.
Key Highlights
- ✓Engaging, interactive, hands-on exhibits perfect for curious minds.
- ✓Friendly and helpful staff maintain a clean, well-maintained facility.
- ✓Unique exhibits include instruments for 'miraculous' water manipulation, electricity experiments, and creative physics builds.
- ✓Features a cable bike ride, bubble area, rollercoaster for balls, and a sand and water play area.
- ✓Dedicated room for crawling children and a bubble room specifically great for smaller children.
- ✓All activities are designed to engage a child's sensory experience throughout various displays.
- ✓The atmosphere is super energetic and promotes educational concepts.
- ✓Includes hidden nursing stations for mothers and babies.
- ✓A super cool, large elevator equipped with a piano and 'doohickeys' provides a unique and relaxing experience.
- ✓Offers a family-friendly atmosphere where adults also find themselves participating and having fun.
Standout Features
- ⭐Diverse range of interactive, hands-on science exhibits.
- ⭐Clean and well-maintained facility with friendly and helpful staff.
- ⭐Specific areas catering to very young children, like a crawling room and bubble room.
- ⭐Hidden nursing stations for parent convenience.
- ⭐Unique elevator experience with a piano.
- ⭐Ability to host children's birthday parties.
- ⭐Offers a membership option that provides great value.
Perfect For
Ideal For
💡Pro Tips from Reviews
- →Just walk in to pay; no need for prior reservations mentioned.
- →Try the cable bike ride for a fun and educational experience.
- →Be extra vigilant with younger children, especially near exits, as supervision of doorways by staff is not guaranteed.
- →Consider a membership if you plan multiple visits, as the price for membership is considered great value.
Things to Consider
- ⚠One parent expressed concern over the lack of family tracking or staff monitoring exits, suggesting it would be easy for a child to wander off or exit unsupervised due to high crowd levels.
Price & Value
Individual adult admission is approximately $11. Prices are considered reasonable for the high quality of the experience. Membership is available and deemed 'great' value, with one reviewer receiving it through Lovelace (a potential perk from specific organizations). No hidden costs were mentioned.
♿Accessibility & Special Needs
- •Features hidden nursing stations for mothers and babies.
- •A room specifically designed for children who are crawling.
- •The 'super cool' large elevator could indicate ease of movement between floors for strollers or wheelchairs, though not explicitly stated.
🍎Food & Drink Policy
- •There is a little cafe on-site, though its operating hours are not known. No explicit policy on outside food was mentioned.
🚗Parking Info
- •Parking details were not mentioned in the provided reviews.
👥Crowd Levels
- •Can be busy, with 'a number of people inside,' but one reviewer noted that kids 'always have a blast' regardless of visiting during peak or off-peak hours, suggesting crowds do not detract from the experience for most.
🛡️Safety Features
- •A concern was raised regarding the lack of staff monitoring exits, which could pose a safety risk for young children wandering off. No positive safety features were explicitly mentioned, implying primary child supervision falls on parents.
⏰When to Avoid
- • No specific times or situations to avoid were mentioned directly. Review 1 states it's fun regardless of peak or off-peak hours, but Review 5's safety concern implies it can get busy enough that close parental supervision is critical.
Pricing/Package/Events
Pricing & Packages
Basic Membership
$100Duration: One year
Membership for up to two people, one must be age 18+.
Includes:
- •Unlimited visits for one year
- •Discounts on camps
- •Discounts on birthday parties
- •Discounts on other special programs
- •10% off merchandise in 'Ideas, the Store at Explora'
- •Free entry to non-alcohol Adult Nights (ages 18+)
- •Discount on Adult Nights (ages 21+)
- •Monthly member specials
- •Additional savings on store merchandise during special member shopping days
- •Free admission to over 300 participating Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) worldwide through the ASTC Passport Program (some restrictions apply, e.g., museums within 90 miles of Explora are excluded)
Family Membership
$125Duration: One year
Membership for up to six people within a family, at least one member must be age 18+.
Includes:
- •Unlimited visits for one year
- •Discounts on camps
- •Discounts on birthday parties
- •Discounts on other special programs
- •10% off merchandise in 'Ideas, the Store at Explora'
- •Free entry to non-alcohol Adult Nights (ages 18+)
- •Discount on Adult Nights (ages 21+)
- •Monthly member specials
- •Additional savings on store merchandise during special member shopping days
- •Free admission to over 300 participating Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) worldwide through the ASTC Passport Program (some restrictions apply, e.g., museums within 90 miles of Explora are excluded)
Family Plus Membership
$150Duration: One year
Membership for up to eight people within a family, at least one member must be age 18+.
Includes:
- •Unlimited visits for one year
- •Discounts on camps
- •Discounts on birthday parties
- •Discounts on other special programs
- •10% off merchandise in 'Ideas, the Store at Explora'
- •Free entry to non-alcohol Adult Nights (ages 18+)
- •Discount on Adult Nights (ages 21+)
- •Monthly member specials
- •Additional savings on store merchandise during special member shopping days
- •Free admission to over 300 participating Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) worldwide through the ASTC Passport Program (some restrictions apply, e.g., museums within 90 miles of Explora are excluded)
Events & Schedule
Special Events(Last 2 months - Next 6 months)
Connect with local scientists
Saturday, October 4
Not specified
Connect with local scientists and see how STEAM is shaping our city. Opportunity to discover career interests.
Breakfast and Balloons (Member event)
October 11, 2025
Requires membership (purchase/renewal)
Explora's biggest member event of the year. Members entered into a drawing for a free hot air balloon ride for two.
Explora Fall School’s Out Camps
October 9, 10, and 13
Registration required; members get a discount
Campers dive into science, art, and engineering in a fun, hands-on environment.
Unique Steeping Event
Not specified
Not specified
Features local roasters, tea sommeliers, and coffee houses showcasing beverages and highlighting the science behind them. Enjoy hands-on activities throughout the museum, exploring chemistry of coffee/tea, experimenting with flavors, creating art with brews, and sampling vendors.
Worldwide Day of Play
Saturday, September 27
Not specified
Special activities like puffy painting and clay creations from 10 am to 1 pm, followed by hands-on museum experiences all day long.
Laser Cut Jewelry
September 30 (Tuesday)
Not specified
Experience Explora's makerspace laser cutter and learn how to use this industrial machine to make gifts.
Teen Maker Programs: Intro to Power Tools
October 6 (Monday), October 13 (Monday)
Not specified
Hands-on, project-based programs for teens. Learn to safely work with power tools, including cutting, sanding, shaping wood, adding texture, using drills and saws.
Unplugged Coding for Young Learners
October 9 - 16 (Thursday)
Not specified
Coding program for young learners.
Adult Night
Not specified (recurring)
Free for members (non-alcohol nights, 18+); discount for members (21+)
Events for adults, sometimes include an 'Explora at home kit'.
Family Science Nights
Not specified (recurring)
Not specified
Educational programs for families.
Youth Intern Program
Not specified (recurring)
Not specified
A program for youth.
Educator workshops and professional development opportunities
Not specified (recurring)
Not specified
Workshops and professional development for teachers.
📅Booking Policy
- • Members are required to reserve tickets online for museum visits.
- • Tickets are available to reserve up to 10 days in advance.
- • Online reservation is required due to ongoing construction of the new teen center X Studio (stated to be completed late 2021, but policy still mentioned for current visits).
What People Say
What's Great
- Clean and well-maintained facilities (mentioned in 2 reviews)
- Fun and entertaining activities (mentioned in 4 reviews)
- Great for birthday parties (mentioned in 2 reviews)
- Spacious play areas (mentioned in 3 reviews)
Recent Reviews
Rachel Tiller
a month agoExplora is the best! We've lost count of how many times we've visited Explora, but one thing remains the same - it's a consistent favorite for our family! As a mom, I love watching my kids' faces light up as they explore and learn through play. The hands-on exhibits and activities are engaging, interactive, and perfect for curious minds. The staff is always friendly and helpful, and the facility is well-maintained and clean. Prices are reasonable for how high quality Explora is. We've visited during peak hours and off-peak hours, and regardless of the crowd, our kids always have a blast! If you're a local or just visiting Albuquerque, Explora is a must-visit destination for families!
Angelena Shelton
2 months agoThis is a super interactive museum center. Almost every station requires some kind of participation. There are instruments that I’ve never seen before that persuade water to do miraculous things. There’s a section where you can influence electricity to turn a lightbulb on or see how magnets and physics works with creative builds. Yes, if you’re an adult, you will still have fun here. There are hidden nursing stations for mothers and babies, just in case you have to feed. There is a little cafe that is there although I do not know the hours. The elevator is super cool and is a huge room with a piano and other doohickeys. Atmosphere is super energetic. I recommend this place. You will leave here learning something. You can just walk in to pay. It is like $11 per adult.
BeKind BeConsiderate
4 months agoHey try the cable bike ride. Fun and educational, all of your child's sensory is engaged throughout every stage of the various displays. The same is said for a child at heart. Parents could host a child's birthday party here if they so desire.
Alycia Lee
3 months agoExplora science center offers a wide variety of interactive exhibits, including a bubble area, a rollercoaster for balls, and a sand and water play area. It has a very family-friendly atmosphere, promotes educational concepts, and the price for membership is great. We were given a membership from Lovelace and had to test explora out. We brought our 10 month old here for the first time over the weekend and she seemed to enjoy it. There was a room specific for children who are crawling. The bubble room is great for smaller children as well! We will certainly return.
Topher Davis
3 months agoOverall, this plane is amazing. There's a ton of things to do for the whole family. I found myself participating in several activities myself, as they do a good job at making it fun for the whole family. My only suggestion would be to add some kind of family tracking to make sure little ones can't leave by themselves or work the wrong person. I was constantly chasing after my kids, and there was no one watching the door. With the number of people inside, it would be easy for a kid to wonder off, or maybe worse. Aside from that, two hours flew by, and we all had a great time. I did find myself relaxing in the giant elevator towards the end, as that was a nice touch. For sure, we are going to go back.