COSI - Center Of Science And Industry Reviews

I visited during my free time on a business trip and was pleasantly surprised. The museum is massive and full of interesting exhibits. I was impressed with the historical counts of the native Americans who contributed so much to the area. Plenty for all to do and see across age categories. Close proximity to downtown restaurants, etc.

COSI was awesome so many activities and history facts. There was a car section where you could draw your own car and get to drive test in a car staying still while watching yourself drive on a big screen. There are dinosaurs and mythical creatures, NASA, static electricity they got an awesome cafeteria the pizza was awesome not to greasy and chicken wrap was amazing. Overall my husband and lil man and I had a blast. Thank you so much

Visited with kids while taking time to know the city. We spent about 4-5 hrs while enjoying this exciting place for all ages.

Three seniors visited this museum and throughly enjoyed the exhibits we saw today. There was an Energy exhibit which was interesting to me as and engineer but down to earth that all but the youngest kids could understand the subjects. There was a Jim Henson and the Muppets exhibit that really appealed to us seniors. We all remembered the evolution of the muppets from the beginning up to Sesame Street. they explained all the players and techniques used in developing the characers and shows. The thirrd exhibit was a look at the history of Dinosaurs. the last exhibit was a special one which was an extra charge. It was a history and displays regarding Mythic Creatures. We were three seniors and Im sure it would have been even more fun had we been with some younger children.

First visit to COSI in 20 years. Numerous interactive exhibits out of service. The planetarium show, "Life: A Cosmic Story" was delayed due to technical difficulties. The remainder of the video was out of sync with the screens. You would think with so many hands-on exhibits that germ control would be a top priority, but the only hand sanitizer we could find in the entire building (other than restrooms) was empty.

This is an all-in hands-on for all ages. Adults make the mistake of thinking it is just for kids. NO WAY. Get a membership so that you can see all the traveling exhibits before the general public and so that you can come back often. Never plan to see the entire place in one visit. It will exhaust you. Pick one of the Discovery Worlds like "Life". Spend your entire visit in "Life" checking out ALL the exhibits. It can take you most of the day, believe it or not. Combine it with an Imax film or Planetarium visit and lunch at the Cafe were the food is really good. There are even healthy choices. Tak advantage of on of the best in Columbus.

It's been 5 years since we were last here and my kids are mostly teens now. We all had such a great time before that I promised we'd come back, so we finally did. We only had an hour here, so it was a whirlwind trip, but they got to revisit all their favorites from last time and see some new things as well. It's still just as good as we remembered. We revisited the water section, the body section, and the old timey streets from last time since those were their favorites. They now have a permanent dinosaur section and Cuba is the subject of the current temporary exhibit. The outside area has also been completely redone with a dinosaur garden (I can't remember if that was there before) and a really great playground. We all had a great time and hope to be able to spend more than an hour here before 5 more years are up.

Married couple without kids. Went to immersive ourselves in the Marvel exhibit. Worth the money and 2 hours of Marvel-ous history. Then spent another 2 hours exploring the rest of the facility. This place is MASSIVE. I HIGHLY recommend very comfortable walking shoes! Enjoyed every nook-and-cranny. Loved the rat basketball - what a weird, unexpected but fun thing to see. Bummed the gift shop didn't have postcards but was thrilled to see the penny presses.

Ideally this is the perfect destination for a school group between 4th and 8th grade. And ideally it's a great rainy day or 1/2 day stop when passing through Columbus.

As science centers go, COSI is spacious and offers many hands on educational exhibits. Some areas include the human body, dinosaurs, oceans, energy, planetarium, and inventions.

Oceans has something for all age's and a opportunity to get a little wet. Except for some microscopes, this area had working exhibits. Kids could learn about soil erosion, water supply, deep diving, submarines, sea life and more. This was my favorite.

Human body addressed the human senses like hearing, sense of touch, eye sight and functions like speech and heart rate. There are a couple graphic exhibits including a sliced human cadaber and several stages of preborn babies in display. The cadaber slices are real and detail organs from the neck to the waist; heart, lungs, stomach, intestines, liver and some bones. Not very colorful, and could use a little more description. The preborn babies may or may not be real, and had good descriptions, but still could have had more detail. This area had at least three non working experiences, and a section on head shrinkers from Equador that just seems out of place.

The unicycle ride is fun if the line has less than 10 people and nobody is afraid of hights, and everyone is big enough to peddle. We had 20 people in front of us, and more than half were too little to peddle back so they needed to be"rescued". The average time is not the 3 to 4 minutes per person. 5 to 6 minutes is real. And if there are kids on the small end then bring a good book. While fun, I missed the educational / science object lesson here. Considering the time wasted, I don't feel this is an appropriate exhibit for the cross section of visitors.

Making short videos, controlling robots, gravity examples, live static electricity shows, live rats playing basketball, hands on electrical grid management were enjoyed by the kids. And most delivered some level of education if not curiosity satisfaction.

However many exhibits did not work. Example, only one hot air balloon works so you can't really race two. Magnetic levitation skate board actually proved the opposite, wheels are better. Robots were interesting until after 10 minutes you realize they can't access most of the balls.

4 to 5 hours would be enough time unless you squander it at the unicycle. It was worth the $10 a kid school group rate. But I can't give it better than a 3 star.

(Don't buy the popcorn, it's a 0 star)

BEWARE- the high wire bicycle is closed for maintenance and there is no warning if you buy tickets via your phone or the app! Imagine my family's disappointment- we had been talking about the unicycle for months since we planned our trip. My oldest remembers it, but my younger 2 were so excited to try it out for the first time. Speaking of maintenance, SO MANY attractions are broken. Every section you go in, 3 or 4 things don't work. For such a huge museum (with a hefty price tag!), you would think everything would work. We won't be back anytime soon.

Amazing I never been to a place like these before and it was incredible experience my kids were impressed by every little part we saw and I hope to come back to it one day caused it was incredible

BEST:
Top floor "Progress" was a huge hit
I messed up buying the tickets. The man at the counter helped me figure it out without making me cry. He was very nice.
The experiments in the hallways are actual science.

WORST:
Too much reading in the rooms. Science should be experienced and felt.

Don't come on daycare day

Tons of the actual science and physics experiments are just lined up in the halls. Don't skip them. This is where the actual science is.

Energy room is awful. It's SO MUCH READING. Nothing fun to just play with, like a giant plasma ball would have been. Would have been so neat to have a pile of coal and have it lead to all the different ways it gets to the things it powers. Would be neat to see how gas stations get their oil delivered and it goes underground. Would have been neat to see Insides of batteries , make a hand warmer from chemicals, etc. I did not see any chemical reactions leading to energy. It was really disappointing. I would fire who ever was in charge. They used a ton of resources to make something that has no payoff. Pretty ironic for the "Energy" room.

COSI After Dark is an event held about once a month for patrons 21 and older. The Center opens up one our after closing to the general public. There is a cash bar and a buffet available at additional cost. This is a very relaxing way to see all the exhibits with a small crowd and with no children around.

Growing up in Columbus, I’ve visited Cosi a lot over the years, and I’ve never had a bad experience there. The permanent and traveling exhibits alike are always outstanding, and are presented in a way that is engaging to all age groups. Fantastic facility, would gladly visit any time!

Visited COSI with my son, his wife and 18 month old grandson. COSI has a great children’s area with very age appropriate experiences. My grandson had a ball and so did I! The staff are great and the children’s area is controlled for safety. Would highly recommend.

Had a membership when my kids were younger. Not as much to interest older children or adults. Might be ok for adults every couple years. The Titantic display was amazing.

We frequently visit this great kids science center for its new exhibits and old favorites. The new permanent dinosaur exhibit is excellent, including lots of hands-on pieces COSI is known for. And our kids continue to enjoy exhibit areas like Ocean, Space, Gadgets and Progress. They’ve outgrown Little Kidspace, but spent many happy hours in there. A family membership is a must if you plan to visit more than once.

We were there with a 3 year old who loves the chilren' s space and many of the hands on experiments. It is well worth the price of admission. There is a great free play ground out front.

Went here over spring break with two seven year olds. Our first trip since my husband and I had been when i was a kid and he worked here in college. Did not get to see rat basketball or the hair static machine, so that was disappointing. Overall, felt like it was understaffed and had many pieces and parts broken, especially considering the steep price tag. boys loved the gadgets room, however surprised that there was only one scientist in the experiment area, and they were running on an hour and a half wait, so when we got there at 2 he said we would not be able to do it as it closes at 330. Seemed crazy to only have 2-3 tables running during spring break, but our fault for not going there right away. Overall our boys had a fun day, and as a teacher my husband And I got in free so the price tag was semi- reasonable. We loved the extra movie, which we paid extra for, but it was very enjoyable. A good day outing, and we may come back in a couple years when they will be tall enough for the tight rope bicycle and hope they have some of the broken things fixed.

COSI is a destination that has something for every age. Special activities for toddlers through adults. They have a cafe so there's no need to leave for food. Keep an eye open for their special exhibits. They also offer spaces for group events.

This was our second time at COSI. We haven’t been here since 2019.

It was Spring Break so a little more crowded for a Monday but it was fine. The parking garage was very busy right at 10, but once in check in was easy.

We primarily went for the Titanic exhibit. I love that they make guests select a time and it helps spread out guests. We all received a passenger ticket and at the end we found out if our passenger survived. These artifacts are amazing to see in person. We absolutely loved the exhibit with sets that made you feel you were on Titanic.

Our family enjoyed the eclipse show at the Planetarium, Progress City, Water, and Gadgets. Some of the exhibits have not changed since last time we there but our kids didn’t remember that.

They could improve their cafe experience from ordering to checkout, plus the costs for food were extremely high, and if I was from in town I would have packed.

Overall our kids had a great time.

Conveniently located, COSI offers many hands on experiences for all ages. We especially liked the permanent dinosaur exhibit and the temporary Silk Road and Egypt exhibits. Similar to the Children’s Museum in Indy but perhaps not as big, the museum is very clean and easy to get around in. Parking is just across the way in an underground lot and with a validation just $6. Don’t forget to pay as you leave. Nice time for everyone,,,

My family and I have visited COSI on several occasions. We actually have a membership. The kids always seem to enjoy going. They have some exhibits all of the time, and new ones that come & go. The parking garage is priced decently and is conveniently located.

COSI was a fun trip for my husband and I and our 2 granddaughters. Our main objective was a day of exploring the dinosaur exhibit with our 2 dinosaur loving granddaughters. They were so excited to see dinosaurs up close and personal. We also explored some other exhibits, but had to leave after 3 hours when the youngest went into meltdown mode. We did purchase a grandparent family pass for $180+ and have since returned to visit COSI again. It is a great way to spend a couple hours seeing the world thru a child's eyes.

Our teenage kids still enjoy an outing to COSI. On a nice day, pack a picnic lunch and eat out on the lawn behind the building. Wide steps lead down to the riverfront and it’s a beautiful setting with shade trees and a lovely view. “Gadgets” on the 2nd level is always fun and everyone enjoys the hands-on experience. We really like the traveling/temporary exhibits — but it must be said that the ADVENTURE exhibit of a few years back will always be our favorite. Such a shame that it was removed. I’d advise parents with older kids to visit later in the afternoon, when the younger set has run out of steam and gone home for a nap. We usually plan for an hour or two, ending just as they close at 5.

We had a recent, three generation 'field trip' to COSI and we had a terrific time. There were activities and exhibits appropriate for each generation. Keep up the good work of making science FUN and prompting the asking of questions and furthering a sense of inquiry and wonder!

Wonderful museum with a lot of activities for different age groups.. we have 3 kids ( age of 7, 4, 2), each one was able to enjoy & find activities fit their different age
It’s indoor with some out door, so it would be perfect to take kids there during cold or snowy winter
Also adults can find something as well to enjoy with kids
For those who live in Columbus or nearby it worth to buy annual membership

We went here as a family group, so we had a mixed group of ages. We all had a fun time, and there was something for everybody to enjoy. It will set you back $25 PP Ad, and $20 PP for ages 3-12. Kids 2 and under are free.
Parking in the garage (underground which was nice) will cost another $6. BUT you MUST take your parking ticket into the museum with you to get it validated, or you will be charged for the amount of time you spend in the museum (up to $20!).
There is a cafe available for lunch, but we opted to pack a cooler. You will be given wrist bands, so you can leave and reenter throughout the day if you choose. You are able to bring your lunch into the museum and use their "group room" provided there is space for you (aside from the group who may be in there). This was a nice option, especially on a hot day! Otherwise, there are picnic tables with umbrellas outside, and it is near a small playground also.
We spent about 4 1/2 hours here (including about 30 minute lunch break), and felt like we saw everything we wanted to see in this time. Even went back to our favorites before leaving. We were with a 2 and 5 year-old, and they were about at their limits in this amount of time.
We went during a dinosaur special exhibit, and everyone like that the best, I think. Everything we saw was well done, informative, and (best of all) interactive. Just to name a few highlights - an example of a lever (outside) lets you "lift" an actual car, a crash test simulator puts you in the driver's seat (using a screen), an ocean area lets you explore all sorts of water exhibits (and you will probably get a bit, or maybe a lot!, wet), and a small child play area (indoors).
The only thing we were disappointed with was the SPACE exhibit. There were a few cool interactive displays, but we wanted most to be able to look at "outer space". They do have a planetarium, but it was an EXTRA $4 PP to check it out. Real bummer!!! (I kind of think that the planetarium show ought to have been included in my $25 entry fee....)
Overall, we did have a great time here. It gave us something fun to do for most of the day. We will probably go back sometime, but with the price of admission, not something we can do frequently.

Wonderful wonderful time! We stayed from open till close and wanted to stay longer. There were a few broken parts that I wish, for the price, was fixed. It’s expensive, but I felt was worth it. Riding the unicycle was a blast, my six year old loved the simulator, and the submarine was cool.

Had a great day exploring all the different science exhibits. We loved the dinosaurs as well as the 2 3 D movies on the amazon and flying birds.
Great day out for all ages
The tech center was amazing also with great instructors.

I have been going to COSI since I was a young child and it was on Broad Street. Hubbs and I went here in our first date at the new location. It’s a fun experience. However it is a pricey one! A once a year venture!

We took our 10 year old granddaughter here on spring break 2019
Most of the exhibits did not have good instructions and were very confusing for us. There is a lot of reading and if your children have attention problems it might be a challenge to get anything out of The displays. I remember when we took our son to COSI back I The day it was a lot better. The gift shop did not have much interesting stuff. Mostly a bunch of junk.
We paid $5 each to go through the Mystic creatures exhibit because our granddaughter loves mermaids and unicorns. We did like how the exhibit told how these creatures were just myths and where the myths cane from but again there was a lot of reading and it did not hold our granddaughters attention to read or watch the videos.

2 adults, we spent about 3 hours here. Lots to do and see. Also lots of kids. This is geared towards school-age children and they can have a blast. So many interactive exhibits. But I even enjoyed myself! We got there at opening time and that was a good idea.
I would suggest to plan to eat elsewhere or bring your own food and sit outside. The food was expensive.
Parking is in the garage on the property for $5.
I highly recommend COSI for everyone!

This is a wonderful place for families. So much to explore with lots of fun to be had. On busy days, parking might be a problem, but otherwise take the kids and let them explore

My grandson is only 7 months old but he enjoys it here. Many tactile exhibits and everyone loves the water area. It is nice they have a separate place for the little ones

Being from north of Columbus, I came here in the 90s on field trips. Being able take my two little girls reminded me of the vastness of imagination and science. We paid for the inclusive tickets. Even members have to pay for extra exhibits. Better than Indy Childrens Museum IMHO. But I am very biased.

I've heard a lot of great things about this science museum so I made sure to stop on my recent trip to Columbus. I can kind of see what others are saying when they say that it's extremely crowded and that unless you bring kids, it's not as fun. I don't have kids, but I did still enjoy the museum. That being said, it was shoulder to shoulder packed on a Friday afternoon. As the end of the day came, it definitely thinned out, but the planetarium is a perfect example of what others are talking about. Since they just leave the doors open the entire show, even when the movie is going, people keep filtering in, trying to find a seat. It's loud and disrupts the show. I don't think I would return but I did like it!

Fantastic.. COSI is wonderful so much to see. We enjoyed our day so much. The Dinosaur exhibit was our grandson's favorite. There are so many things to see you may not get to see everything in one day. Start early and be prepared to do a lot of walking. The parking is very convenient , get your parking pass stamped for a free half hour. The have a food court inside which was surprisingly affordable didn't feel like we were paying too much. They have changing exhibit's so plan ahead. They close at 5:00 pm so get there early

I have not been to COSI for a long time and my daughter and her family were coming into town for a visit so we thought we would go there. It has a lot to see but it is very expensive with a lot of sections not being included in the base price. The food is not cheap and there is not a lot of seating.

My husband and I had a blast here. A lot of the exhibit are geared for kids to have fun but adults can play too! We got the "do-it-all" passes so we could watch the apollo 11 movie, play in the simulator a couple times (they have a bunch of 5ish minutes programs to choose from), and go into the planetarium and special exhibits. It was worth the $40 each. We got there shortly after 10a and left around 4p. You can do everything in a shorter amount of time but we're kids at heart and played in the exhibits.

I really enjoyed this place. I have a 4 and a 2 year old and they loved this. Progress and Ocean are my favorite exhibits. It was a very cool experience. With tickets,parking and food I spent around $170. So be prepared to spend. I do plan on buying a family membership. Such a fun place.

My family, friends and I recently had a great time at COSI. We especially enjoyed the now closed Muppets Exhibit. We always enjoy our visits. The only concern I have is that there is no protocol for keeping track of the whereabouts of children. I would like to see their providing badges/bracelets matching kids with their parents.

During our last visit there was a gentleman who we suspected was recording kids on his phone. We, and another individual, reported our concerns but don't know what came of our report.

Keep your eyes on your kids and keep them close!

This is a really nice family centered science center which children of all ages will enjoy. We went with our son's family which included our 3 year old grandson. He had fun. We mainly went for there special exhibit about the Titanic. Special tickets had to be purchased for this special event. It was very interesting and included real artifacts from the disaster.It's tragic that it happened when it apparently could have been avoided as 3 warnings about icebergs went unheeded. We spent hours here enjoying this exhibit and the many other regular exhibits. It was a fun and enjoyable day for all of us.

What an awesome museum! There is something for all ages and it’s great inside and out. They have science exhibits, a huge play area upstairs for the little ones with a water area, play kitchen, a farm area, construction area and a hospital. A little pricey if you just have little ones at $25 per adult but still fun and definitely worth it for older kids.

Entire family enjoyed ourselves! We are from Indpls and have a membership to the children’s museum & COSI was top notch. We spent 1/2 day there and prob could’ve stayed longer but we wanted to beat rush hour traffic. Tons of things to do and see. Highly recommend and def worth the price!!!

We came here as a family of five. This place is huge! We stayed from 11-4 and was not able to see every attraction or gallery. My five year old loved the kid's play place on the second level. The planetarium is fun and the perfect length of time to keep a child's attention (22-28 minutes). The Ocean exhibit was fun, along with the dinosaur and Egypt exhibits. The Egypt exhibit has a real mummy on display. We ate at the cafe for lunch. The prices are decent and you get a good portion of food. The cafe is not as organized as it could be and there is not staff helping crowd control. Our only issue was parking in the garage. There was space, but after exiting your vehicle, there are no signs pointing you to where you need to go. Even on the elevator, we were questioning which floor to go to, as there are NO SIGNS ANYWHERE! Worth the trip, worth the price and we will go again!

Stopped here while on a family vacation road trip through Ohio before the new school year began. They had a special features exhibit featuring Jim Henson and all of his various creations. Well worth the extra cost as we are all huge Jim Henson fans. The time just flew while we were here!

This place is great! There’s are so many hands on things for kids to explore, my boys loved it and we spent several hours there. *Tip- find coupons before your visit! We had free kids admission with adult purchase. So it cost my family of 4 $50 which wasn’t bad considering how big this place is and all the fun stuff they have available!

My Son and I had a weekend retreat and he wanted to visit COSI again. We had been there a few years ago and I enjoyed it as much as the other times. So many things to try and learn, you don't want to miss anything.

We had a great time with kids at this museum. Our kids are 9 and 5 and they both loved it. The dinosaur exhibit is very good as is the gadgets area.

Great special and permanent exhibits, fantastic historic site on the Scioto River, beautiful grounds and public art. “Oceans” was especially good. We enjoyed the museum very much.

Disappointed that some things were either broken or shut down. The place needed a thorough cleaning (could see dust and cobwebs on many exhibits), many hand sanitizer dispensers were empty also. I think the extra $15 pp for marvel was overpriced and the line for the motion simulator took a long time. Overall it was ok, but the Indianapolis and cincinnati museum is just as good. If my kids were younger than 9 it may have been worth the $180 but i really dont think it was worth it with my 9 and 12 yr old.

we attended an event at cosi while visiting OSU-- this was a very fun place with lots to learn and see. We were very excited to learn about space and world history-- definitely recommend for families.

Greqt science center. I always enjoy Cosi. They always have good displays, movies, and wine. They also had live interating animals, like a penguin, Md gave facts about them. They also have monthly themes with related exhibits

Remarkably well done exhibition regarding discovery and excavation of king tut
Makes you feel as though you were there

COSI is a treat to visit. The property sits on the Scioto River in the heart of downtown Columbus. There are play areas outside as well as inside. We enjoy seeing the National Geographic films which are only $8.00. You can see these fils without paying entrance into the center. You can park here, enjoy the science center and then take a short walk to enjoy the city views and eateries. Check out Brew Dog in Franklinton- just a short walk west and sit on the rooftop patio. Enjoy the sunset in the evening on the river.

Great place! So fun, clean, and well-organized. Nice use of space. A great selection of things without being overwhelming. Everything very nicely maintained. Definitely need all day to see everything; we were there for about 6 hours (with an 8 and 12 year-old) and still didn't get to see it all. Kept everyone entertained.

I can not believe how much fun my family had here. We loved everything about our adventures here. We bought the entire packages and did it all. The shows were great and the exhibit's fun and super clean. One of the best museums I ever went to. Saw some Muppets and a great dog movie. Wow! The lunch was sooooo good here too. The gift shop fabulous too. LOved it

This place is great fun for children and adults, The silk road exhibition was really good with real silk worms and jars to sniff and guess contents. They have serious dinosaur bones here but maybe presentation could be a little more imaginative. However, the children were very engaged. There is an exciting play area for small children and a water area where they can experiment with water and pulleys. There is an art room and on the day we visited children were allowed to experiment with colour mixing. However, the staff there did not engage with children at all. The energy room is looking a little tired but overall this is an exciting place and a good way to get children interested in science. Great views of the city can be had through windows.

This was my first time with no strollers to push while visiting COSI, as we have been here often.
My kiddos love it all, especially Kids Space and the “special” room for the older kids while smaller ones play in Kids Space.
Every exhibit throughout the day brings thought and fun for every age.
Visit soon!

This is a great time for adults and kids of all ages. A great way to spend the day with family ages 2-80.

It was pretty cool we got to see mythical creatures, dinosaurs and space. Great for kids! They have allot of activities for the kids. Great for adults as well! I would recommend.

This place exceeded my expectations! There's something for everybody here. We spent the day and could have stayed longer. Even the food court was impressive, again everyone was satisfied! Outside is a great playground and splash pad...an added bonus!

I went there especially for the planetarium which was great. The rest of the astronomy exhibition had too little depth for adults in my opinion.

We took our 5 year old grandson from Colorado to see the Dinosaurs! He also enjoyed Kids Space, Imaginate, We liked the Progress exhibit. Didn't do the Planetarium ran out of time. We did eat at the cafe. Nice choice of different varieties. Kind of pricey if you are feeding a lot of kids. Over all great time. I do think a place like this should give grandparents (seniors)a little more of a discount than $2.00.

We visited on a Saturday and while it was quite busy it didn't feel overly crowded. My kids are 9 and 5 and they both enjoyed themselves very much. We have been learning about simple machines and it was great to be able to reinforce those lessons throughout the museum. My favorite area was the water area, but my kids really loved the outdoor area. We had a great time and would definitely consider visiting again next time we are in Columbus. The bathrooms were always very clean.

Note for homeschooling parents: They will give you the teacher discount if you bring in your NOI for the year. If you are from out of state and don't have an NOI I would call and see what they will accept as proof of teacher status.

ehh, a little worn...spent a fun afternoon @ COSI, however some of the exhibits seem old and tired...gift shop is reasonably priced as well as the cafe…you would have thought i committed a class one felony asking for a straw and lid in the coffee shop...spent $22 and change on soft pretzels, slurpees and a soda...i mean geezzz, then we were served mustard in a huge plastic cup~ the irony, ey?...the good of COSI outweighs the bad by FAR but there's always room for improvement...the boys {9,11} enjoyed most the bowling ball/tennis ball exhibit in the hallway and the weighted car outside...the simulator was worth the extra money, however there was only one option...we were there in november and there were two...waiting in line for the unicycle is such a waste...maybe have take a number or sign up sheet, then call name or number for the next two or three riders...

We took our 8 yr-old son here while visiting family and he had a great time with all the exhibits, especially the Egyptian room and the Ocean exhibit. Some of the exhibits are showing some wear and tear, but the new park out front (placed above an underground parking lot) was enjoyable and fun to sit and eat in. The food was tasty and reasonably priced. Teachers get in for free!

COSI offers an educational experience for both young and old. There are plenty of interactive exhibits that are fun and educational for the younger visitors. This should be a destination spot for any visitor to Columbus.

It was a first time trip for many in our group. There were many rooms to explore and we did not see it all. We spent 4 hours there including lunch time. It was a perfect way to spend a hot summer day. We had discounted tickets but lunch for 2 kids and 1 adult cost $47. The parking was extra but right on the property.

We visited from out of town just to see COSI. Definitely a must see! Friendly and helpful staff and engaging exhibits. It’s a pretty large building but if you have mobility issues they have scooters to rent. (22./day) Give yourself all day to fully enjoy this museum. The Jim Henson exhibit was our main reason to visit and did not disappoint! Very well done! Be sure to check out the Cracker Jack display. An amazing collection and history of CJ with hundreds of vintage toys found in the boxes. My niece and nephew (9 and 11) really enjoyed the visit. Looking forward to another trip!

Saw Jim Henson exhibit with all my old friends... Kermit, Bert&Ernie, Grover, the Count and all the Muppets!!! So cute! Many things to do for the little people.

Cosi was amazing. Very hands on exhibits. Wish I had time to sit and actually read everything to learn about stuff more. The food was overpriced but that was expected. The whole family enjoyed it.

Lots to do, even without the extra exhibits. Kids always enjoy this place. Now made even better with the permanent dinosaur exhibit!

This museum is terrific for all ages! Right now they have an exhibit on loan from NY Natural History Museum on dinosaurs that is well done and interesting... better than what we recently saw in DC. We had 3 preschoolers with us who explored and had fun! A wonderful place to visit and revisit!

This was my first time visiting COSI since I was a child myself and it was terrible. I went with my ten year old daughter. They allow too many tickets to be purchased. It was so busy and you had to wait to look at almost everything. Quite a few of the exhibits were broken or in bad shape/missing pieces. For as much money as it costs for tickets, you’d think that they would be able to take better care of stuff. We waited ten minutes just to use the elevator in which we didn’t even get to use because there were so many people. It took us multiple times to find a staircase that led to the 2nd floor and for the door to be unlocked as well.

We have a science center in ourhometown but this place is our science center x100 + steroids!

We spent most of the day here & still didn't do it all!

The kids loved COSI & hopefully we'llbe back someday! (*only con: we will have to save up & budget to visit again)

What a great way to spend the afternoon. Great for all ages really. Plenty to do and see and it’s big enough you never feel over crowded. Great time!!

One of the fun things we like to do is visit "COSI"s in other cities and experience all the various things they have. Columbus COSI has some really neat immersive programs. One was a clue finding adventure that my kids loved!

We had the best day. We bought the all access pass, but decided when we return someday that we wouldn’t do that again as the movies were good, but too time consuming with all there was to see and do. We went to the planetarium for the treasures show and quickly realized the screaming group of school kids or daycare kids, unsure which they were, was a bit too much for us. The simulation was beyond cool. There is so much to do outside of sitting and watching a screen! Our children 6&9 were blown away by the amount of things they could touch and do. This is a must do if you are visiting the area. Make sure you don’t skip the outside part. My kiddos loved it all and could not choose their one favorite part!

We took our 8 year old boy to COSI for a fun day of learning. He loved the hands on displays, the dinosaur experience, and the hot wheels exhibition. We also loved the blue planet presentation on the large screen! Overall it was a fun day!

It was a fun place to check out. Lots of hands on experiences. The Jim Henson exhibit was awesome! Would love to go back on a 21+ and over night so I could play with more things without the kids.

COSI has been a favorite of our families. When our kids were little they loved it and as they have grown they continue to find things to love. Some are the same old goodies and others are new. As they have gotten older they have enjoyed the temporary exhibits more. The dinasour exhibit was so great we went 3 different times.

Love this place. So much for kids of all ages up through adults. Would recommend this place in your anywhere in the Columbus area.

Son likes it,I personally don't. Parking 6 bucks and disabled parking is too far away. Would I spend for the membership again? No way

I would be very careful. We tried to go to the planetarium two times and bought tickets., the show was down. We were told we would get a refund however they would not. In which all we were originally only going to do two attractions but we decided all four would be a better deal. They would not even refund me 20$ the price for that one show. They have terrible customer service.

Big place but weirdly set out, doesn't really flow well. Very busy. Staff were friendly. Usual Science centre stuff with crocodiles!!

I have only visited the "new" cosi a few times and I absolutely fall into the group that prefers the original. The "old" building had an iconic look inside and out, and despite the size of the "new" version it does not feel like there are nearly as many things to experience.

As a fan of the ship, I was attracted back to cosi by the Titanic exhibition. I purchased tickets for myself and a family I am friends with that happened to be visiting from overseas. I was lucky to have pre-purchased tickets because upon arriving at cosi the sign out front noted that Titanic was sold out for the day.

The day started off a bit rough, as the lack of signage and design of the underground parking area led to many other patrons blocking access to the stairs as they waited for an elevator that did not appear to be working.

These patrons finally opened the door to the stairs and stopped blocking everyone else, but then stood at the ground level exit and refused to move or open the door for a few minutes.

I don't wish to dwell on this, but it was kind of surprising and I don't blame the patrons because the signage and design were just not adequate.

Outside of cosi there is a fair amount to see, which is rather nice. There are some musical attractions, dinosaurs, and a play area. While I do not like the look of the new building, the landscaping is very well done.

Getting in was a bit less friendly. Despite there being no line at all for the check in my party had to walk through the entire empty queue. I was also a bit put off by the many pay-only exhibits near the entrance and the lack of a bill changer that could handle 10s or 20s for the vending machines. (These machines all had the credit readers turned off.)

Upon getting a wrist band I was very sad to learn that the parking validation would only reduce my parking fee to $10. I get that these kinds of places do nickel and dime patrons, but that felt like a slap in the face considering the ticket prices.

Inside the museum proper several of the exhibits were broken in the space area and I was rather surprised to see that the unicycle would not open until 11:30. I was mildly disappointed by this, but really irritated by the children that would cut the lines for the exhibits right in front of parents that seemed to be impressed with this bad behavior. While cosi cannot be held responsible for this, it would have been nice if someone would have been around to keep a bit of order.

As our window for Titanic approached we had a very difficult time of reaching the exhibit. There was little signage and several staircases allowed no access to any floor or did not allow access to the floor we needed. One of the elevators also excluded access to the floor we needed. I was just flabbergasted by the difficultly in changing floors.

We were able to make Titanic in time, and it is important to note that you have a 15 minute entry window when your time comes for this exhibit. This exhibit was quite nice and well laid out. It was a bit short and access to the grand staircase is quite limited, but it was really exciting to see actual artifacts instead of replicas.

While the exhibit is timed, you can take as much time as you like moving through it.

Titanic goods are only available while inside the exhibit, so you need to make your decisions before leaving. A clerk did tell me that you can get back in for shopping if you can show proof of having entered earlier, so that might be an option. They could have set this up to allow purchases for anyone, but maybe they have their reasons for not.

If I had to note anything that was a little disappointing it was that no foreign language materials were available for the Titanic exhibit. I was able to translate for the family I was with, but I had hoped a brochure might be available in their language. That said, this is an exhibit in a country with an official language, so I hold no ill will against RMS Titanic or cosi for not providing any translations.

After Titanic we headed to the planetarium to catch the eclipse themed show. We arrived early and took note of the rules on cell phones and other requests from cosi. Of note was the one about reducing light pollution by not using cell phones.

I appreciated the use of light pollution because this ties in closely with telescopes in the real world, but much to my chagrin the doors to the planetarium were not closed when the show started. This led to quite a bit of light and sound pollution.

Sadly, things got worse as patrons continued to enter the planetarium throughout the show. They turned on phones to light their way and disrupted those who were seated as they attempted to find seats. Those who made their way to the top actually blocked some of the projectors a few times during the show.

The show was quite good and very informative, so it was really disappointing that cosi did not take measures to ensure seats were filled from the center out or close the doors during the show and bar entry to those who were more than a few minutes late.

After this we toured a couple more areas and things were similar to how the morning started. Children did not respect lines and parents became aggressive if a child was questioned in a manner that assumed the child was not aware of the line instead of entitled.

Is this cosi's responsibility? I questioned this before and it is hard to say, but if they had taken the care to better design the exhibits and spaces I suspect a lot of the behavior problems would be culled.

We left cosi a bit more than one-half unexplored for lunch at a nearly restaurant. After eating I asked the family I was showing around if they would like to return to cosi to see the rest of the exhibits and they all said no in unison. My thoughts on the place aside, I was rather surprised since they will not have the opportunity to visit for many years

As we walked back to the parking garage I thought about how amazing the old COSI was as I was growing up and wished that I could have showed the family that place. I suspect they would have been eager to return after lunch, though in truth I doubt we would have eaten lunch off site if we were at old COSI...

The day is over now and I just don't understand the draw of new cosi. It cannot handle the crowds, the exhibit quality pales in comparison with what was available at COSI, and the cost for a family of four was well over one hundred dollars.

I then discussed my day with someone else who has experienced both versions and they said something that I think sums things up well. She said, "It felt like they just took away everything that was fun when they moved."

Had never heard of this place before. I was extremely surprised and we had a wonderful day. Highly recommend this place if you’re in the Columbus Ohio area. Particularly if you have children. Excellent experience all the way around. Young or old a great time

The family visited during our Big 2019 Road Trip (I was in meetings instead). Positives: the hands-on displays and exhibits (the ones that were working) were good, and the reciprocal admission agreements with other science museums saved money. Negatives: some exhibits weren't working, it's a long walk to/from rideshare drop-off, and the gift shop closed early, disappointing our family.

I took my 13 year old son who acts a little younger than his age. He love most of the exhibits and could have stayed for hours. It is spendy but we had fun.

Have gone to Cosi several times for school feild trip and have always enjoyed the experience. The attractions are fun, and very informative.

Take your children to this place when visiting Columbus! If you are a resident and an adult try COSI after dark for fun as well.

We have a science center by us but not nearly as nice or as big as this. There is something to do for any age. My kids had a wonderful time. My wife and I had a great time. Can't wait to come back

Only reason for 4stars is the price. There needs to be more discounts available. If we lived closer we would definitely get a membership.

We spent the whole day (open to close) with our 2 kids (10 & 13 yrs old). We ate there, saw both movies, and did the planetarium show. We also watched rat basketball in the atrium. We did not make it to the top floor. Loved the outdoor areas. Movies were great. You can skip the planetarium show. Food is pretty good. The adults and 13 yr old thoroughly enjoyed the Jim Henson exhibit. My 10 yr old did the motion simulator 3 times.

We went to the museum with a family membership. The place was busy but has a lot to offer for all ages. There is lots to see and do. We also enjoyed the Silk Road exhibit. We watched a show in the Planetarium; Jr Star Safari: Down Under. Short and just okay, catered for young children with views of constellations above Australia. The Honda exhibit was interactive and offered some good insights. A good place for anyone to have a good time; especially on the rainy days.

For all the under seven-year-olds reading this, be sure to ask your parents or grandparents to take you to visit COSI as soon as possible! It is really cool there. They have tons of stuff to do and play with there. They even have a water table where you can do your own experiments without getting (too) wet! There’s a super hero room, a dinosaur room, and an undersea room – and many many more. When you go, plan on learning a lot of new things, having a fun time, and sleeping really well that night. There’s a lot of walking involved!

So I have been coming to COSI since I was a kid growing up in central Ohio for school field trips and or just family vacations and weekend trips, however now that I no longer live in Ohio but travel back almost every year once or twice to visit family I have been taking my own children here since they were very young. They are teenagers now but still enjoy going. I believe this place has even inspired one of my children to purse a path in science. We always enjoy the big screen theater experiences, the planetarium, the water world, any sort of dinosaur and animal related exhibits, etc. I really enjoyed the old cars and hot wheels exhibit some time ago as well. There is always something new and exciting as well as something that has been there awhile that is fun, hands-on, hands-off, interesting, a reminder, new experience, brain teaser, challenge, and just overall amazing mental adventures. Keep up the great work. Highly recommend for everyone children and adults young and old for all ages there is something to enjoy!

This is a very hands on and interactive museum. If you have kids, it's a great place to go. There are some school groups there while I visited. I really enjoyed the butterflies made out of recycled material. Very creative.

I've gone to COSI for over 30 years, although it was in a different building all those years ago. It is an expensive family activity, but it doesn't stop us from going every other year or so! They do have some discounts for teachers and military, so look into those if they apply to you.

Go early and see all the exhibits! We pack a lunch to avoid the food cost, but buy dip-in-dots because...they are dip-in-dots!

This last trip we went to see the Marvel exhibit. The kids are diehard fans. They absolutely loved it and are talking about going back with their cousins.

The planetarium movie was free and completely different then the planetarium in the old days.

Our tried-and-true favorites are the old-time streets and the water area with Poseidon and the submarine.

We went during the week and after the school group were out of there, we were the only ones to do a show. Our whole family got to touch the electric ball and we were even given a free energy box. They sell them in the gift shop or online.

Loved this place! We didn't have any little kids with us, but was still an enjoyable experience. My favorite was the Ocean exhibit. It was a nice place to "cool off" with all the water activities there. Wish we lived closer so I could bring my grandkids.

Not nearly as fun as it used to be. Very little to do, not much interactive. Kids were bored quickly. Would not go back. Overpriced and had very little to really interact with. The Planetarium show was very good.

If you can only see one of the museums here don't miss this one! Fabulous displays and fascinating information on science! Our children LOVED it!

Tons of things to do and see! Young and old will enjoy. Young especially for mind opening activities. Perfect for bad weather days.

Cosi is for educational fun for children and adults. At the same time, you can have your own private parties there. Rain or shine Cosi is a great place to visit.

Many visitors to Columbus might think this science center is just for kids but that’s not the case. Plenty for adults to do too! Check out COSI after dark, just for adults. Also, the exhibits change so don’t think one visit is all you’ll need!

I haven’t even seen the reviews of this place and I am sure I and wasting my time because there are probably so many GREAT reviews of it.

We had the VIP tickets and took in 4 movies (3 of which were in the planetarium) and filled an ENTIRE day.

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful

Can’t say enough just go!!!

This place is a great experience for the whole family. It has different areas to visit. It has a ton of hands on experiments to try. Gift shop, coffee shop and Cafe.

It is wheelchair accessible. Three levels to check out with something different on each one. It has an elevator for those who need it. Ex- wheelchairs or strollers.

Street and car garage parking

Just a neat place to see. We spent over 3 hours exploring with a one year old.

I'd say that overall, this is a pretty cool place to take kids. Ours is in middle school, so he may have gotten more out of it than smaller kids. I will say that there isn't really a good flow to the facility and parents let their kids run all over and act crazy. There is zero staff enforcement of codes of conduct. We left the planetarium show because they did not lock door when show started, people kept coming and going, acting rude, etc. Several exhibits were broken or in need of repair. All that said, there are some really cool exhibits. Just sometimes hard to focus because of the chaotic people who let their kids act any kind of way.

I liked certain parts of cosi and others icould have done without. I was dissatisfied with the fact that we had a great group of teens and the staff made us follow them as if they were 5!! the staff was not very nice about it either. but we made the best of our time there.

I went to COSI, as I realized that it participated the program of Museums on Us by Band of America. (One free general admission during first full weekend of every month, if holding a credit card from BOA)
So, actually I didn't pay any admission fee. The only cost is parking, $6.

As a scientist, I could say it is not suitable for me, which always happens to me when visiting a science museum.

However, I must say that COSI does great job on public science.
You could find a lot of hand-on program for people to understand science.

I would bring my child there should I get one.

There are so many hands-on activities at COSI. Even adults will have fun with all the activities related to all kinds of science. Plan to spend several hours.

We had a wonderful time exploring all the adventures at COSI. My 1st stop was the coffee shop to enjoy a great Carmel Frappuccino.

Throughout the entire site there are many benches to stop and rest with children or just take a break. Restrooms are also accessible in the facility. My grandson enjoyed all the different activities and it’s much to do for children and adults. There are several different shops to stop and eat. I considered the cost to be affordable.

We attended on a Saturday from 1-5pm.

The whole visit was nice. I wish there was more to do, we finished everything in just under two hours but it was fun. I would go back.

You may get sticker shock when you see ticket prices at the Center of Science and Industry, but it’s worth it. We took our two young granddaughters after having not visited for a few years. We couldn’t believe all the upgrades. New underground parking facility with easy access to the huge new building located right on the beautiful, scenic Scioto (River) Mile. A full day’s experiences await children and adults of all ages. Terrific dinasaur display. And museum of other historical things like food in different parts of the world. Hands on activities and great presentations (live rats trained to play basketball, believe it or not...) You can spend the entire day and never see or do all they have to offer. Well staffed with volunteer docents eager to assist
visitors. Try for a day with good weather, as there is plenty to see and do outside. Highly recommended, but it gets really crowded sometimes when schools are not in session. We will go back again!

Super fun place, lots of great exhibits, just be prepared there will be a ton of kids running around learning!

This is a wonderful way to explore topics such as space travel, the Human
Body, and physics. Hands on experiments and investigations. Great for kids and adults.

We visited COSI (Center of Science and Industry) during a visit to Columbus. It is a great place to visit and wonderful for children and young families. Built on the site of the old Central High School, the COSI building incorporates part of the school facade to meld new and old.

This is a pretty great museum for families traveling with their kids. Not many activities for adults.

was very upset that know one gave us the help to find other way to get up to the second floor. Leaving my 77 year old mother climbing the stairs. which my husband also was had to climb while using a cane

We took our two grandkids to the COSI museum and this was our first visit as well. Our 2 year old grandson loved the dinosaurs and our 6 year old granddaughter is fascinated with Egypt. They both loved the hand-on experience of being an ambulance driver (or patient), watching their skeleton move along with their movements, climb on the rock wall and play in the water area. My granddaughter climbed into the yellow submarine and my grandson loved squirting water at Poseidan. This is a must see attraction but you probably can't do it all in one day - at least with little ones that want to stay in one area. They young volunteers around the corridors were great showing the experiments of a vacuum/balloon; different weights in water, etc. We have a membership at the Cleveland Natural History Museum and the Cleveland Science Center and COSI is a combination museum of both places, but larger and more hands-on. We were able to use our other memberships to get in fro free. The prices in the gift shops are what I would have expected as they were similar to other museum prices.

I took my wife and grandchildren to COSI. The food in the COSI was good. My grandchildren loved the different activities that COSI offered.

This science center is awesome!! We travel all the way from Pittsburgh to come here because it has so much to offer and so many hands on things for kids! Even parents can have fun! It takes a whole day to go thru! It’s better to buy a family pass and it can be used for so many other places as well! The snack area has real food too!! The seating is crowded but otherwise it’s nice to have good food options. So exciting for kids!!

My family and I are Big Time science buffs, and got into COSI at a discount using our reciprocal membership benefits from our local science museum in Canton, Ohio, McKinley Presidental Library and Museum(Fully one third of every single exhibit was out of order. We were there during Spring Break, and I simply can't imagine why you wouldn't utilise closed days leading up to busy season to repair these things. It's a science center- surely there's someone handy about? No one was actively repairing anything either, despite the huge back up the broken gear was creating.
Otherwise COSI is still a pretty good time. We've been spoiled by some better maintained (Great Lakes in Cleveland, OH, Buffalo, NY, Rochester, NY), science centers, so perhaps we're hard to impress. If you have a discount or coupons check out COSI (avoid the weekends if possible), otherwise pass.

I used to take my science classes from the Cincinnati area and now take my grandkids there. COSI is an exceptional example of a hands on museum. The displays and demonstrations are well done.

I took my two boys and my little cousins to Cosi for a family fun day and they had a blast!! Cosi is a fun science center for all ages.

Lots of great things to see and do. Wonderful for both adults and children. Saw the Jim Henson puppet displays. Dinosaurs, live animals, space - many things to see and explore

I visited COSI as a kid in 1981 when visiting Columbus and wanted to take my kids back to the same museum I thoroughly enjoyed. I still remember getting a small plastic magnifying souvenir full of Mt St Helen's ash from the eruption in 1980! Although they are in a different building now, the museum is as great as I remembered it. We spent 5 hours there, but could've easily spent a little more time if they weren't closing for the day.

Something for everyone. Makes adults feel like kids again. Nice area for small children. We live close so we have a family membership and use it a lot. One of the best places to go in Columbus, with or without kids!!

The staff was very fun and informative and we had a great day exploring. We also enjoyed the movie. We will return again soon.

It was a hot day and we were looking for a kid friendly activity ( 3,6,7 years old). True, this is a pricey place to get in, but my friend had a season pass which helped. The parking garage is a nice touch - underground so the car was cool when we left. There are way more exhibits than you can see in one day. The Egypt one appealed to both the kiddos and the adults. The progress one was fun for all. We took the “elevator” down the mine shaft, too bad they don’t have that exhibit anymore. My littlest loved the small child area and didn’t want to leave ( she was ready to go until we arrived there). We barely put a dent in what there is to do and see here.if you are local, definitely get a season pass!

I would have given COSI 3.5 stars if it was an option. We decided to drive an hour and a half to COSI on a Friday to experience this place based on recommendations and reviews. I’ll break a few areas down on why it is worth 3.5 stars.

Price: OVER PRICED! $25/adult and $20 for children. This didn’t even include the planetarium and extras this was general admission. Parking was an additional $6. Make sure to bring your parking ticket in and they can stamp it for the flat rate of $6. Recap we are at $76 for a children’s museum.

Food: We knew going in that we were going to do lunch. Two Nashville Hot chicken sandwiches with fries, one piece of pizza and a drink for $26. Finally something that was priced decently. Most of the food was $7.99 and below. If we go back we will pack a lunch and eat at the tables. Note: Backpacks are allowed, I couldn’t find anything on this topic before we left.

Exhibits: Mostly geared towards a younger crowd. If I had children over 10 I don’t know that they would enjoy this. The younger children’s area was a good time. This is where we spent 80% of our time. Firetruck, Ambulance, Doctor room, Farm Area, Building Area, Water Exploration and a crafts creation area. Our son had a good time, but again was it worth $76?

Some of the individual exhibits weren’t operating or didn’t work. Buttons wouldn’t activate etc. I will say the staff was extremely friendly and helpful especially in the crafts creation room.

Overall we had a good time, but we did think it was overpriced.

Our family has visited COSI many times and loved it. However, this trip was very disappointing. Many of the attractions had parts of the exhibits that weren't working. In Oceans the water pressure was not strong enough to hit the targets. In Space where we were supposed to be able to control robots the levers did not work. Several computer monitors in Energy were not functional either. If this was our first visit, it would also have been our last. However, I did enjoy the Jim Henson exhibit. COSI needs to fix things that aren't working properly.

I would not take a teen here unless there is a special exhibit. I took my 14 yr old grandson to the Marvel's exhibit. We both enjoyed this exhibit. The rest of the museum was geared to younger kids.

The souvenirs were outrageous in cost.

We went to Columbus to celebrate my daughter's 9 Birthday. Decided to do COSI since it was free witj our Cincinnati museum center membership. A-LOT of things in the museum were being fixed, which reflects my rating. Over all the girls loved most of what they saw and interacted with, while there.

One of the most hands-on museums I have ever seen. It engages young and old! We had a great time checking out all the exhibits! I really liked the Aurora borealis in the planetarium. The Titanic exhibit was well worth seeing and engaging. Kids especially will have a good time here.

My kids love this place. You pay for parking and a little extra for a movie. Worth the membership. There is something for a kid of a ages from 2 to teenager.

This is a wonderful place to go no matter what your age. This facility has been around for over 50 years. We used to go here as a family at least twice a year. Once to get out of the heat and the other to escape the snow. There are a hugh number of interactive exhibits spanning a variety of topics. This is a non-profit organization that utilizes the skills of many volunteers. There are seven major areas with exhibits, most of which will educate as well as fascinate pretty much anyone. The dinosaur gallery is amazing. This is not to say the others are not as well. Go see the underwater cave, waterfalls, planetarium, an avatar guide, a recreated town, interactive locations where health testings can be made, an area loaded with gadgets and the dinosaur section mentioned earlier. You could spend an entire day here. There are a variety of discounts available.

Had read mixed reviews but decided to give it a go and SOOO very glad we did, we were there to the kicking out time having spent pretty much all day there. Went with two boys age 12 and 5 who both had a great time. There are inside and outside things to try and look at, loads of hands on things in every display area, learnt loads about Egypt and had lots of fun in the lab area. Didn’t have a go of the unicycle over the reception area but watched some kids attempt it and generally require help. The ocean area was an amazing surprise to find, the outside water play was crazy busy after closing. The views across the river of the city buildings are beautiful out the back of the restaurant and some quirky deer statues dotted about out there. Loved our day at COSI and would definitely recommmend and return here!!

We took our 2 kids 8 and 4 to COSI for a Saturday afternoon. We spent 4 hours there! They were having their Power of Poison display and we all enjoyed it! The kids were fascinated by all of the plants and reptiles that have poison that can be extracted and used to harm people. They had lifesized displays, a show, and just some other really cool items. It's not normally something I would think to take them to but the science and lore that goes into that stuff was so fascinating! We saw so many exhibits from a space shuttle recreation, to the ocean undersea station with submarine, let's not forget the dinosaur display! The exhibits there are so well done and thorough that we are just as fascinated as the kids! The only downside was the food. Very expensive and not good. When we go back we will pack our lunch.

Our boys - 6 and 2 1/2 - thoroughly enjoyed this place. From top to bottom, so many highlights. The dinosaur section, the "Poseidon" adventure, the play area, the mice playing basketball, all terrific. My wife and I remarked that we could see why it is so well-ranked as a museum. We spent four hours there and it flew by.

This place is AMAZING! I went with my 7 year old daughter and we had an absolutely blast. I read some reviews stating it was too expensive for the limited amount of activities. They must have reviewed the wrong place. We did the "do it all" wrist bands.. Adults were $40, don't remember child price but it was very close. With this you could literally do it all. It was well worth the money, as long as you do everything you will definitely get your money's worth. If this price isn't affordable for your family you can still do a lot with the basic entry. There's many hands on activities for kids of all ages. We spent the entire day (from open to close) there and still didn't get to do everything.

This is essentially an interactive children’s science museum. Don’t come here unless you have small children. There is basically nothing to do here for adults or young adults. In fact, it’s awkward to be here without children.

COSI is amazing. I remember visiting here as a child and being amazed by science and technology. I'm 28 now, and I still visit several times a year for different events, like COSI After Dark, or just on a normal day with my son. It's worth the admission fee to see all the wonderful exhibits and learn about science.
Fun for kids as well as adults!

The dinosaur fossils are probably the highlight of the building, which is large and spread out. Not really a lot to see, a few permanent rooms with a theme and then vast expanse of nothingness. The toddler play area on the top level is well maintained and spread out, with controlled access gates for both in and out. Indianapolis and Chattanooga have better facilities for toddlers. Food court offerings are uninspired and overpriced for the quality, pizza crust so hard that an adult may think twice about eating , as pricey dental work may become compromised.The surrounding area is under construction.

This is an absolute must!!! Especially if you have children!! My kids and I got lost with all of the cool science and technology stuff to do, see, touch!!! Plan for several hours at a minimum!!

We happened to visit on a very busy day. There were multiple school groups here due to the time of year. The kids enjoy the interactive displays. The planetarium was included in our ticket price. Tickets are only available online now. They will discount your parking garage fee too. It was a flat $10 for the day.

From climbing on construction equipment outside to 3 floors of interactive science exhibits inside you may think you are too tired to go to the 4th floor. Don't miss 4th floor play area with faux farm, hospital, ambulance, giant lego blocks and many other play areas. Great security as well. You fill out a card listing the number of children and adults in your party, show ID and when you leave they check that you are leaving with the right children.

We always love visiting Cosi, especially the ole time town! My kids love riding the unicycle but not me. I do love the hurrican machine they have.

Lots of neat stuff to see and do. BIG TIP- You get a discount if you are a military service person or a teacher. I would recommend that you pay the extra for the Do It All package. That way you can just go wherever and do whatever. Much easier.

I made a special effort to see the traveling exhibit on the Silk Road. I traveled 50 miles each way, paid for parking and a pricey ticket. While I enjoyed the exhibit, it did not live up to its hype, and many of the pieces in it were facsimiles or copies of authentic items. It seemed to be targeted for children and not adults, which was not clear from the hype, and children as usual behaved rudely in blocking exhibits and in their movement in the dark. I was so disappointed, even though I had made a point of visiting on a weekday, and will probably not fall for any more of these. I don't understand why an exhibit of so many fakes would cost so much to see, or why children can't be expected to behave with the same courtesy as any other visitors. And no, I am not a curmudgeon, I just don't like being pushed, crowded, or crashed into by children who are not participating in the exhibit in any way. The museum and all adults should be able to enforce mutual consideration. We all benefit in the end.

I enjoy taking my grand kids to COSI to experience science is fun. We enjoy every thing from Kids Space to the history walk .

Went for the day and had a blast. Tons to do and it took all day to get thru it all. Great for all ages (we had an almost five year old). I have to say I enjoyed it too as an almost 40 year old. We paid $5/person to see the mystical creatures exhibit. It was cool but we zipped right they it.
Everything was clean and there were hand sanitizing stations and bathrooms everywhere. Had a quick bite at the cafe. We got some chips and a cold buffalo chicken wrap.
Tip: don’t forget to get your parking validated. It’s only $6 then.
We stayed at the holiday inn express in Polaris. It was perfect after the long day of running around.

Stayed at stay bridge hotel previous night only to get up and be on time at COSI, it’s very important to be on time as it’s always rush there and queue to buy tickets, though you reach as soon as they open, take your own food if possible as it’s little bit costly inside, you will get pizza, coffee , pop corn, cool drinks inside, lockers are provide for 4 quarters to store your belongings, they are small and can’t fit med to big bags, visit everything and move quickly as you cannot see all within a day. It actually needs 2 days to fully cover and grasp everything you see, lots of activities for toddlers to big kids, there is also water splash outside COSI so swim dress can be carried. Do it all ticket best suited us as we could watch 3 shows with that 1 day ticket, public paid parking is exactly in front of Cosi, due to Memorial Day weekend luckily we got free parking on Sunday , lot of walking inside and everywhere there is something to experience, overall great and must see if you are in Ohio or nearby states

My husband and I decided to visit COSI as neither of us had been to the new facility. We do not have kids, but we had enjoyed COSI in the past as they offered so many things for young and 'old' alike. Unfortunately, when they moved to this new facility, they changed the venue somewhat as the majority of the center is dedicated to young children. My husband and I visited all of the activities, but the only two we enjoyed were the Progress display and the planetarium. The Progress display has the old-time town with a variety of historical items. It was also fairly 'kid-free' as the young kids are not interested in historical items and have other more exciting activities to choose from, so my husband and I had that activity to ourselves. The planetarium was really interesting, but we would have enjoyed a longer show (it was less than 30 minutes). We are glad we visited, but unless they have the Titanic exhibition or a more adult exhibition in the future, I doubt we will be back. If you have young kids......definitely recommend, just bring your credit card or lots of cash as everything costs...and it isn't cheap!

We have a membership. It is a great way to spend a day with the kids. Progress is my kids favorite. As a fun tip the rocket works with a any change.

Took our 8 year old grandson here for his early birthday. We all had a good time and enjoyed doing most of the things. There were a couple things closed because of covid but most things were open and working. The only thing that sucked was that the food is expensive and of bad quality. We didn’t finish anything because it was not good. Would return with other grandkids if the time comes.

We had always enjoyed COSI in the past. But we hadn't been there in a few years. When we went in early July of 2018, things had changed--for the worse! First of all, getting to the site was difficult and confusing, as was the parking. Once inside, there was very little interesting to see or do. As of this writing, there are only two interesting areas: the dinosaur display and the Egyptian display. Beyond that, there is little to do for any age groups. Don't bother to go to the "M" level, because it is nearly bare of any activity, save the Planetarium, for which you have to pay an extra charge. And speaking of cost, the price has gone up considerably! For two adults, the cost was $50, plus the $6 that you have to pay to park in the very confusing parking garage! And PLEASE do not go into the gift shop unless you expect to pay equally exorbitant prices for less-than-quality products. Overall, our advice is this: DON'T BOTHER WITH COSI UNLESS YOU HAVE LOTS OF MONEY TO SPEND ON LOW-QUALITY EXHIBITS AND ACTIVITIES!

I took my son to COSI and shared with him the same exhibits I grew up with. There is a heavy emphasis on science and there are a lot of activities for all ages that teach basic science. Some of these include gravity, water physics, and many others.

This was our first visit to the new location of COSI. I loved the old Museum. It was packed full of everything. The new building is very nice. It just seemed like a lot of wasted space. They did have an excellent Dinosaur Exhibit and a Jim Henson Exhibit.

I've gone to COSI for over 30 years, although it was in a different building all those years ago. It is an expensive famly activity, but it doesn't stop us from going yearly!

Go early and see all the exhibits! We lack a lunch to avoid the food cost, but buy dip-in-dots because...they are dip-in-dots!

Our granddaughter, grandfather and I thoroughly enjoyed all of the interactive exhibits. They seemed to have truly enjoyed “The Simulator,” which did cost $5. extra.

My granddaughter rates the gift shop as excellent.

So much fun. But they really need to keep up with the alcohol hand sanitizing stations. Kids are germfests With their fingers in every body part and then touching all the exhibits. This place is definitely not a place a germaphobe wants to go.
I found myself with my hands in my pockets. Don’t get me wrong the exhibits are great, tons of interactive stuff for kids. It’s just that’s the problem, those little germ magnets.!
The last time I went to a similar place and forgot about how they are carriers of the plaque, I got deathly ill, so take your own hand sanitizer if you don’t have a strong immune system. Summer is probably better. I would avoid flu season.
My favorite part was the ocean section because there was water to play in, hence no germs!!!
I also loved the Jim Henson exhibit.

EWent during Summer vacation, it was surprisingly crowded which made the visit less than perfect. Interesting displays for kids of different ages, including a play area for the smaller ones.

This museum is excellent. There are plenty of exhibits, shows, experiences, etc to keep kids occupied all day. It is absolutely a 5-star facility, but it was expensive. We purchased the "do-it-all" type ticket (which does include planetarium shows, IMAX shows, etc) and it cost us, a family of four, $150. This of course did not include parking, food, or access to other fee-based attractions in the museum (i.e. Tornado Wind). It felt more like an $80-$100 day to me. A do-it-all ticket doesn't mean you will actually be able to see every show/attraction - it's just not possible.

We've been coming to COSI since I was a teenager. It's a fun and hands on experience for everyone. There's always so much to see and do. I wish they maintained some exhibits better but I think this facility is great. I love their commitment to education for the environment and the small stops along the hallways for learning too.

My kids were bored after too short of a time. Exhibits were fine but I’ve seen better at other museums. Not our favorite museum. Costs too much for what we enjoyed.

It was incredibly crowded at COSI on a July Saturday afternoon, despite the beautiful weather & sunshine outside. The crowds really made the museum a lot less enjoyable—it was hard to get to some of the displays and the kids didn’t get to do all of the interactive things because there were waits for them. I didn’t think that the museum flowed all that well—it was a bit hard to remember what sections we had done and which we hadn’t. The elevators don’t all go to all of the floors, so that was confusing. I’ll be honest—I was underwhelmed by COSI. The kids had fun, but it was just too crowded and chaotic for me to enjoy at all. Perhaps capping ticket sales or doing timed tickets would help cut down on the overcrowding and allow the guests to really enjoy the museum.

Great trip. We arrived at approximately 11 am and made our way towards the entrance of the science center. Admission was quite pricey and cost 48 dollars to view both the science exhibits and the temporary Titanic exhibit on display. The science center was quite large and spanned across several different floors. There were many hands on activities for both children and adults alike. There were also many informational plaques out for display, that provided fun facts about various science themed experiments. After viewing several of the exhibits, we made our way towards the temporary Titanic exhibit. The Titanic exhibit was definitely my favorite part of the museum. The tickets were timed and we were not able to access this section of the museum until the exact time arrived. There was gloomy music playing overhead that echoed across all the rooms we went into. We were also able to view actual recovered artifacts from the ship that were out for display. The temporary exhibit also contained informational plaques, that provided interesting information about the Titanic and the people who were traveling on it. The exhibit also recreated several rooms that mirrored the Titanic, such as the main corridor, the various bedrooms depending on class, and the grand stairway. After viewing the Titanic exhibit, we made our way to the planetarium, where we watched a show about the northern lights. There were several places to eat, along with a gift shop and restrooms, scattered throughout the museum.

Tip: I recommend spending at least half the day here if you truly want to see everything.

I love this place. You don't need kids to have a great time and learn a ton. Spend the extra money and check out the planetarium.

My two grandsons went to COSI this past Saturday. It was an outing with their Trail Life group and there were about 20 some attending.
The boys met outside early Saturday morning as they wanted to be sure that they had as much time as possible to spend exploring the huge facility.
As soon as everyone had paid and stored their coats and gear in the storage lockers near the entrance, we began to plot our course.
The boys spent the day exploring science and technology exhibits. The exhibits were interactive and everyone could participate. The exhibits were not only informative but very fun as well.
Everyone agreed that the day was a success and vowed to return again next year.

This exhibit was amazing!!! I went specifically for the Marvel stuff but there is so MUCH MORE this place is huge! The marvel exhibit was great as well. There are so many real props from the movies I would strongly suggest if your a MCU fan! Enjoy this location that is good for all ages!

Hadnt been to COSI since I was in middle school. It was amazing and offers so much more then I remember. Staff was great, we did a tour and also use in house catering. Great for family event and work

COSI is one of my favorite places in Columbus! I've been going here since I was a little kid and I still enjoy going even as an adult. They're pretty good at adding new exhibits and attractions to keep things fresh. I love going to their adults only events. Definitely a place to check out when visiting Columbus!

After all the hype and the reviews, we gave it a shot. 11 and 8 year old in tow. Both big science fans. Both extremely disappointed. We paid $5 more for a Mythical creatures and dinosaurs exhibit and was the biggest letdown of the whole trip. There were a few neat things followed by a bunch of garbage. Hate to sound so negative but paying the kind of money you pay to get in here is an absolute joke. I was thinking it should cost like $10 adults, $5 kids total. The one really cool thing the kids wanted to do was ride the only ride there, the unicycle, unfortunately there were 20 people in line and each one took around 5 minutes to finish. We have museum passes which can be purchased at your local museum and are good for Cosi and other places across the country but and we can go unlimited times for free but we wont ever be returning. 2 hours and our kids and their friends were begging to leave. Maybe good for under 6 year olds. IDK. But again, huge letdown

We had not visited COSI in a long time and were very happy with our experience. Admission is expensive if you are not a member but it was worth the fun. Special exhibits include DINOSAURS and EQYPT. The kids loved these exhibits as well as the many hands-on activities. My suggestion is to call ahead of time for hours and arrive when COSI opens. It does get very crowded in the early afternoon.

They day was well spent! The hands-on exhibits were great for my grandchildren, but the dinosaurs was his favorite, mine too!

Excellent place for kids to expend some energy and expand their minds! Huge place with two floors of various types of fun and learning activities. Plenty of parking.

If you need to kill some time, this is the place. There are no special things that you can see here, most of the things are in elementary books, so you already knew about most of the things. Instead of books they have duplicate sculptures from real things.

It’s a must with kids! So many fun things to do. The cafe is great too for lunch. We visit every time we can!

if u visiting Columbus, this is one of the must see place for kids...i really miss it....we had memberships for years before we moved to different town.

This is pretty much the same as every other science-related kid place peppered across America. The major difference is the audacious pricing. There was little to no staff to help kids with the exhibits. The one guy who was manning a station relating to water pollution that had a little experiment to go along with it told my kids “you can pretty much read the instructions that are posted in front of you”. Gee- thanks. I’m glad I wasted $150 for some science guy to tell my kids to figure an experiment out on their own. Very disappointing, and I feel ripped off.

We spent two days at COSI during the recent winter storm and had a fantastic time. Due to the weather, the place was almost deserted, but all the special shows still took place. The computer lab with the 3-D printer was outstanding! The staff went above and beyond to help out grandchildren with their projects.

Visited here while in town for a family wedding. Visited on a comfortably crowded Friday afternoon but was navigable and held my 6 year old granddaughter’s attention as well as the 4 adults with her. Lots of interactive displays for the kids to experience. Great place to spend a couple hours.

Such an outstanding museum, such a fun place regardless of your age! Very hands on activities, make sure you go outside as well.

I really enjoyed the visit to COSÍ un Columbus, Ohio RHOD Octiber of 2018. We were there with fellow 4-H Extension Agents in a Convention and we really like it!

This museum is showing its age. There are still some fun attractions. After one visit, I don't feel the need to visit again, however. We did not pay for any of the extra movies or attractions such as the planetarium, however. My kids ages 6 and 8 were too old for the toddler area and just a bit young for some of the other things offered. My 8 year old really wanted to ride the high wire bike. There should be a way to sign up for a time instead of waiting in line for more than an hour to do so.

You cannot go wrong to visit COSI. We have been several times and got our grandchildren year around admission since they live in Columbus. We went this weekend and saw the Jim Henson exhibit and the dinosaurs. The Jim Henson exhibit is one of the best I have seen at COSI. It has original puppets and a good history of the whole era. The dinosaurs exhibit is great too. it is factual and informative for all ages.
They also have a lot there about the the space launches. It is the 50 year anniversary so I am unsure if these exhibits are temporary or permanent. They also accept many museum cards from other places. You would need to check and see.

Took my girlfriend here and we had a lot of fun, we really enjoyed the dinosaur gallery and The Nature of Color exhibit 🦕🎨 we took our time on each floor interacting with eveything we saw and spent a little over 3 hours there. we also saw rat basketball 👏🏼🏀🐀 #TeamOrange 🧡

I was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. I had many childhood experiences in COSI and I even took my own daughter to see all the cool things. Just a few years ago, COSI took away their interactive adventure puzzle. They replaced it with the dinosaur museum. The first time through is great but for a permanent exhibit, the dinosaur museum is subpar. I miss the interactive puzzles that once filled COSI. Now it's hardly worth going to see since nothing every gets changed or updated. I had a membership for three years with them and all that changed in that time was the Dinosaur museum and their mystical creatures exhibit.

Cosi never disappoints. The over 21 venues are a great value with local faire and cocktails. Exhibits are ever changing and informative. Looking at the stars in the planetarium never gets old.

We really enjoyed the COSI. There is a wide varitety of things to seen and do here. Don't miss the Rat Basketball. Definately a highlight you will want to see.

Columbus has nowhere better to take your kids on a day off, except for maybe the zoo. It's entertaining for adults as well! The kids love the ocean area!

We visited COSI on Good Friday. We had been warned about the large crowds that day but showed up at opening, bought tickets in advance and it worked out fine. Best part was extended hours that night. We went back to the hotel and swan ate lunch and then came back to COSI at 5:30 until 9. It was awesome...almost no crowds!

Took my 13 yo granddaughter. I felt the price was a little higher compared to other science museums we've been to. Younger children seemed to be really enjoying it, but my granddaughter found the interactive displays less engaging. As an adult I was a little disappointed in how poorly maintained many of the exhibits were, especially given the admission price.

Great place to take the family or visit by yourself! A lot of cool things to see! A must see when your in Columbus!

Underimpressed. C.O.S.I. was much better when I was younger, but that is their target demographic. It fascinates me that when C.O.S.I. was at Broad and High, it was packed full of cool stuff, but now that they are in Central H.S., it seems like they don't know what to do with all that space. My question is, where is all the money going, if it is not going to make the place better? I am disappointed that they have a lot of space that they can do way more with, but I guess places like E.P.C.O.T. and shows like NOVA have spoiled me in expecting more from a science and industry museum. Then again, C.O.S.I. doesn't have Disney money and is not as well funded as NOVA.

Highly recommend COSI. From the moment you enter it's nonstop fun. We had a blast. TMNT was so much fun.

COSI was amazing! I took my 11 & 13 yr old daughters and we were there from Noon-5pm and still didn’t see everything. Their hands on exhibits were interesting and engaging and they found a way to keep visitors engaged and having fun the entire time.

Their “Meet the Innovators” exhibit featured lots of hands on activities that involved cars, engines, transmissions, etc. and the girls had a lot of fun and were very interested in how things worked and what they did.

The “Animation Academy” exhibit they currently have was so much fun. It took me back to my childhood and the kids had fun checking out the backdrops, answering the quiz questions, and seeing how it was all done before computers.

We will definitely be making another trip soon to see all that we missed.

We went here for a party in the evening so the exhibits were closed. But it’s a nice place for a party.

Overall really nice museum, but had younger kids and a lot of the exhibits were a little out of their league. They could touch but didn't really get what to do. My 8 year old seemed to enjoy it more because could understand things a little better. The younger ones did like the kids area with the blocks and water table. I like the "Life" exhibit. Definitely worth a trip but for toddlers/preschool might try the Duke Energy Museum in Cincinnati (more geared toward them). Older kids/teens and adults would get more out of the COSI.

If you can afford it buy the General Admission + Do-It-All). It is $40 for those 13+ years old and entitles you to unlimited access to the Planetarium, National Geographic Giant Screen Theater and Motion Simulator, as well as, the All Classic COSI exhibits. The ticket for the General Admission (All Classic COSI) allows admission to the main exhibits, live science shows, hallway carts +highway, unicycle and selected temp exhibits. Buy your tickets on line to avoid possible long lines. Additionally they have a $2 discount for seniors 60+. military, teachers, etc..

The Planetarium has state of the art technology, comfortable sitting and air conditioning. The presentation have could definitely been longer. The presentation has a WOW factor especially for younger kids. The National Geographic Giant Screen Screen is the biggest in Ohio. It's an IMAX experience on steroids.You can buy pre-movie snacks. Note that it is an additional $15 to see the Dragons, Unicycle and Mermaids: Mythic creatures which my be the highlight for a younger audience.

Before making a decision consider this. Depending on the individual, it is possible to spend the whole day at the COSI. They have a restaurant although it is pricey but the quality of th4 offerings are of a higher standard. There are lots of interactive interfaces with hands-on experiences like creating flying objects you can test out. Physical thrills like riding the Unicycle above the crowds or dancing in front of a video camera. The Ocean exhibit offers an opportunity to command an under water ROV. For real little ones they have the Little Kids Space were my nephew explored a farm, played in a tree and drove an ambulance.

Add the cost of parking on to your total bill. It is $6 to park in the garage. they have a few electric chargers. Don't forget to bring your parking ticket into the museum to be validated.

Came back after having a great time 3 years ago... unfortunately this time was less than stellar. Arrived at 10 and quickly bought our tickets. Went straight to the gadget room. It needed serious TLC. Seemed like there was an event in it and it wasn’t cleaned or restocked. One of the hot air balloons didn’t work, one of the car games in the energy room didn’t work, and only one of the water jets in the Posiden room where the kids connect the tubes worked. Seems like the place in general needed TLC. Was disappointed with the lack of hands on activities like the Adventure game and Spy game that was there 3 years ago. Black hole planetarium was awesome.

Children will have lots a fun there! I liked the mimicked cabinets of submarine and the exhibit of Sesame Street. The historic street in the museum is educational for children about history and fun to see for adults too.

Maybe we were put off by visiting this museum on a day when it seemed like every kid in Columbus was there on a field trip, but husband and I were not very happy at paying $25 apiece for two pretty good exhibits, a handful of "just OK" ones, and the rest either closed or not included at that price level. Kids might enjoy this place more than we did, but for two adults visiting the area for the first time, we'd advise leaving COSI off your agenda and going to visit the art museum instead.

Lots of fun and informative. Unfortunately, it was full of YMCA day campers on the day that we visited making it impossible for our kid to get the full experience. The Y day campers were on a field trip and were allowed to run wild unsupervised. I called COSI the next day and asked what days are set aside for groups and they told me all days. Its a shame but we won't be back due to the group issue. The place just gets too overcrowded.

Family of 5, with 3 kids under the age of 6. My oldest really loved the Planetarium and I wish we could have taken him to more of their shows. The Energy section was great, but I wish some of the items had been fixed. The Water Area, Dinosaur and Experiment area was fun too. The kids ended the day at the Kids Playground area, where no children over 1st grade were allowed. It was very clean.

Lots of fun exhibits for all ages. COSI has a little kids' space that is wonderful and exclusive for small kids and their parents. Great exhibits for older kids and adults too! Wear sneakers if you want to ride the high wire unicycle. Nice theatre! Fantastic traveling exhibits can be found here as well! This is a great place to visit for families. COSI also has great adult events.

Another Columbus, OH dud. I always wonder why anyone outside of Ohio would have a reason to be a tourist in Columbus, OH, other than that they get conferences because they are in the middle of the state, and the most-hyped places here tend to underwhelm.

The Paw Patrol exhibit was really unimpressive. They had it very hyped outside of the building with banners on the street. It reminded me of a temporary traveling setup one would see at a festival or fair. Very little imagination put into it. We actually thought the graphics on the entrance door were the best part of the Paw Patrol offerings. There was one chaotic room that had some Paw Patrol-themed toys. Don't spend the amount of money they charge if you are mostly interested in going there for Paw Patrol.

One issue at COSI is there is no staff to be found in children's play areas. There was no staff in the Paw Patrol room. There was no staff in the Paw Patrol room. There was no staff in the gadgets room. There were older kids in the Paw Patrol room running around very fast, almost knocking over other children, and they were throwing balls at each other very hard. They also stole some of the balls from the exhibit, taking them when they left. Their parent/guardian did nothing, and there was no staff to stop them. Very odd. There were certain items that paired with certain exhibits. Everything was scattered everywhere because there were no staff to help with organization.

Perfect for our family with a 3 & 6 year old. Adults had fun too! We enjoy interactive exhibits and COSI presents plenty of them. If you have a chance to see the Tiny Giants show, both our young kids loved it. It's an add on but a good down time activity when people need a break. The only downside was the ticket price (it's a chunk of change but this was part of a Christmas trip experience). If we lived closer, a membership option would be great to come and go as we pleased and feel less pressure to see it all in a day.

Traveler suggestion: If you go for the DO IT ALL ticket, plan your event show times ahead (otherwise you'll wing it at the ticket counter). Thankfully the staff member was patient, zero rushing with a line behind us, and helped with suggestions. And make room for lunch in between! We spaced them out pretty well but come lunch time, we had some hangry kids before the giant screen showing. It was a tad overwhelming for a first time visitor (to be on a timed schedule and cut some exhibits short). We might've been OK doing an add on here and there since this was a one time visit. Just depends on how you like to plan your day! All in all we still had a good experience. If you're kids are up to it, plan on an entire day here.

We visited for New Years Eve and had a great time. Kids are 2, 10 & 12 and there were plenty of things for all of them to do. I would say teens may not have has much fun -- seems most directed towards 5-9 age range. Parking was easy and cheap ($5 all nite) and very close. Recommend for a good 3-5 hrs safe and fairly cheap trip for the family. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle exhibit. Imax theatre shows( cost extra on top of admission +$5 person) Great stone oven pizza, science experiments for the kids, AWESOMe! play place for kids up to 1st grade. We had issues gettin the 2 yr old to leave lol. Wear comfortable shoes and bring quarters for the lockers-- Had great time!

So much fun. It has been awhile since we have visited. Loved the new parking garage. We enjoyed the dinosaur exhibits and the planetarium. The rat basketball was awesome. We got passes so we can come again bc we couldn't see it all in one day.

This museum is so interactive! Everything is hands on. There are lots of learning carts throughout the museum that my kids really enjoyed. The Gadget Cafe was so much fun! You get to "order" different experiments that are then brought to the table to do. We shot a seltzer tablet rocket off in the cafe and made flubber. The museum is geared toward younger kids but even my older daughter (12) liked some of it. I was super impressed with it and hope to go back. We spent about 4 hours there and could have spent more!!

COSI was a great place to entertain visiting friends and family during the holiday season. We had a great time, we were educated, and strengthened our creative minds. Fun for all ages and builds memories. Top choice for taking visitors.

I took my 2 1/2 year old to visit COSI because they had the Thomas the Train exhibit which got good reviews. I am a teacher and got in free, but I had to pay 20.00 for my daughter which I thought was outrageous. There is the upstairs area which she can play in, but most of the areas she does not understand yet. I also had to pay 6.00 for parking; I’m glad to got in “free”.

I was astonished about how many neat and cool things there were to do at COSI. The new dinosaur exhibit is fantastic

COSI is a great place to go to have a lot of fun while learning. So many things to do. planetarium!!!

We've been enjoying COSI since our teens were little ones and our visits have evolved as my kids have grown up. (I secretly still wish we could go visit KidSpace every time we walk by it.......it was amazing for the kids when they were little). I was worried that my teen would be too old for our recent visit, and to my great pleasure we still had a very enjoyable visit. There is still plenty to keep the teen crowd engaged here. The one thing I am disappointed in is that although we have a membership, there are more and more things you have to pay for in addition. We both ended up paying for a "Do-It-All" bracelet to do some of the things that would be more of interest to her as an older child, which cost an additional $12 each to our exisiting membership cost. I don't even mind so much paying extra for the movies and planetarium shows, but don't feel exhibits, like the current Mythical Creatures exhibit, should have an additional cost (to anyone, really). The temporary Jim Henson exhibit was a highlight of our most recent visit.

My kids (ages 13, 12, and 10) loved the COSI center. It had something for all three very different personalities. It appealed to my book worm, thrill seeker and free spirit. Definitely will plan another trip.

This a a great museum to visit when in Columbus. Lots of activities for the kids and family. Many of the displays change keeping everything fresh and new. A must see!

This is a great place to spend the day with your family. There is sure to be something here to please everyone. This is one of those places where you can touch the exhibits and often even take them apart. It's a fun spot to explore.

We were in Columbus for an event and heard about COSI. Glad we were able to visit. It was awesome! We have been to quite a few science centers but this one topped them all! The kids, adults, and even grandparents enjoyed all the hands on activities!

This has become another tourist trap with NUMEROUS “static” stations where you just read about something. (Like Ripleys Believe It or. Not”
Who wants to pay $25/adult to read signs about a picture all while dealing with kids brought in by a school without even considering how they need to learn respect for adults

There’s some good content here, but it cost almost $100 for a family of 4 (with a 5 and 3 year old). With a young family they get tired after 2 or 3 hours, so you’re never going to get value for money. So, maybe better value for an older family. I also believe that they have seasonal or annual memberships so this might be better value if you are local to the area. We’re not, so I doubt we will go here too often in future.
It’s strange that it is so expensive though - there are references to the many individuals and corporations that have donated and yet this place still charges to the point that it must be out of reach for many. When I think of the London Science Museum where we live and it is superior and free to enter - it all seems quite... unfair - and the antithesis of making education available to all regardless of personal situation.

It isn't everyday you can say you rode a unicycle on a tightwire. This was our first stop upon arrival in case it got busy. Nonetheless, the wait was painfully long. Even with only roughly 10 people in front of us, it took a bit over an hour for us to get to ride. I'm not into heights and did not necessarily plan to go, but did it anyway and it was fine. I think they should maybe have one person harnessing people and another person going over instructions for the next person in line so people don't have to wait so long. This caused us to have to rush through other parts of museum, but still glad we got to take part in such a unique experience. Also, it really isn't very high and you are weighed down so you don't fall. Aside from heights and wait time, the only other deterrent is if you don't like people staring at you, you are the only rider so some didn't go because of that. I just looked at my family and had fun with it.

We were there with our three children, ages 11- 14. None of us are big science people, but all enjoyed the museum. I did not like the web site. It wasn't very user friendly in some ways and I'm really over people using the COVID system of only buying tix online as if we are still in height of pandemic. Interestingly, they lacked that in customer service, made you buy tix online, check in with front desk anyway, where people were wearing masks, yet almost no hand sanitizer machine had any hand sanitizer in it??? I guess safety only matters part of the time?

Other cons included ticketing. I don't get why some entertainment places consider my 14 year old an adult and charge adult prices for kids, parents are still paying to take care of. In contrast, I much appreciated the Children's Museum of Indianapolis doing practical and appropriate pricing of, kids are kids up until 18, and charged kid prices. I mean most of these places you can't drop your kid off at, right? Right, so not an adult. I respect things that make sense and fair practices and pricing.

No where on the site does it make clear that one lot is practically attached to the museum. It gives various lots and considering Columbus is considered high crime, we wanted to park as physically close as possible. I had to dig a lot on different sites to find out that the underground parking is all but attached to the museum. You go up an elevator and you end up on museum grounds. Some people said you could get your parking ticket validated and get parking for free. This is not the case. It still cost $10, so getting it validated with museum person discounted it a few bucks. In addition to all that you pay some Columbus arts fee. A bit too much nickeling and diming.

It was also about 80 degrees and humid, with very little air conditioning, yet another "health" issue they did not concern themselves with. I was mostly concerned with comfort, but picking hypocritical COVID protocols that save them money and that compromise the paying guests is not good practice.

A heads up on the Life section. There is an exhibit very out in the open that some may find interesting, but others may find disturbing or be sensitive to it. If as a parent, you see it, you may want to view and determine appropriateness before kids see.

Also, at the end, on the way out, we let the kids play at the playground in front of COSI. An older couple acted odd, asking my child personal questions. Luckily, my child remembered a lesson, lied about personal info and came to get us right away. We were watching them all from the perimeter. We left shortly after that and watching the people in case any other child might be affected. They left, then we left. Just be mindful and keep a close eye. It might have been harmless, but who knows?

Last of the cons was I don't know that I've ever been to a museum where the temporary exhibit costs extra money. Normally a temporary exhibit gets locals to buy memberships or go more often because there will be something new to see, but no, not at COSI. This too was not clear on site. Luckily, we did not care that much about seeing a recreation of King Tut, but still on our list and should have been included in admission price. Charge extra maybe for a neat experience involving the exhibit, but not the exhibit itself.

Quite a few cons, but the positives were positive enough to earn 4 "stars" anyway. We mostly very much enjoyed the museum. After the very cool, unicycle experience, the kids spent the most time in the Gadgets Area. We all loved the Progress area, especially the super cool throwback diner. The Ocean and Life areas were fun and interesting as well. We aren't big dinosaur fans, but if that is your thing, you'll likely love that exhibit. Finally, the outdoor side science park area was pretty neat as well.

It is totally worth going if you know to expect certain cons/annoyances and if you are nearby, within an hour or so. Keep an eye on the kids, plan to be there almost the whole day, and start with the unicycle as soon as it open (maybe be nearby 10 minutes ahead) if that is a priority to do for you.

I loved the museum!!! What a fantastic place for children and families. There is something of interest for all ages. I enjoyed browsing the Dinosaur exhibit- so informative!!! The gadgets section was fun!!! The children's sections were fantastic!!! You must visit here on your next trip to Columbus!!! Great place to entertain your grandkids!!!

We have a membership here, so we go quite often. It took us several trips to visit all the exhibits, with a small child. There isn't as much hands-on stuff as you'd expect, but there is plenty to see and do, and plenty to learn!

My kids have enjoyed COSI for almost 10 years now. We started going when my oldest was just sitting! He loved the water baby water table and crawling areas then. After that it was onto to trains, building, and exploring the Life exhibit. For a while Space was favorite. Now they are both almost too big for the little kids space, but they love exploring all of the traveling exhibits as well as old favorites. Right now my daughter (7) is the really into the 'cafe' over the by the gadgets exhibit where she can order up her own science experiments...which always ends with her making 'flubber' before we leave. My son (9) is huge fan of the Gadgets area as well as Ocean area. They are also more into see IMAX movies now.

Daily admission is a little pricey, so we keep our membership current with the option to bring a guest. We were also please this summer to get in to the Pittsburgh Children's Museum with our membership.

Skip the cafe for the kids and pack them lunch! They'll let bring it in and have plenty of spaces to eat it.

Interesting & interactive exhibits. Great for families with younger kids. Filling up the space as needed to reach 100 characters

This museum has a lot of exhibits geared towards kids. We didn't have kids. We're probably the only adults without them.

What an incredibly cool place! Part museum, part history, part play area, part science...all fun and fun for all ages ! Don't go when it's crowded - and you'll need about 2-3 hours to get everything in! Teachers get discounts, and is handicap accessible. Go have fun!

As a preteen, I visited COSI back in the early 1980s and always talked about taking my kids there. Still, despite living only 100 miles away and having treated my children to museums all over the southeastern US, we never seemed to make it there... until yesterday. Sadly, I can say that it was, hands down, a huge disappointment.
My impression of the museum is something like this: you buy a fancy electronic keyboard toy for a young child, the kind that plays like a piano but also has buttons for rhythms, lights, and even other instruments. Instead of all the "extras" enhancing the musical appeal of the basic keyboard, they become a distraction. In the end, the child doesn't make music or explore; she simply pounds and pushes and flips pointlessly, creating nothing but jarring noise with lots of senseless flashing lights. So that was COSI. A kernel of scientific information, laden with so much "wow" interactivity that the entire educational value was drowned out by the screaming kids who pounded and pushed frantically before rushing on to abuse the next shiny display. Even my kids (who are NOT the hardcore, diligent museum devotees that I'm sure many of these COSI parents claim about their children) commented on how little actual learning took place...or even was made available. One display, for instance, encouraged kids to work out the correct sequence to step on circles on a colored mat. If they got the sequence correct, a lighted display flashed and played "do re mi." A few tried to work it out like a memory game with trial and error, but gave up. Most just jumped and stomped on the lighted tiles then ran off. Only my teen son realized it was supposed to be the firing sequence for an 8 cylinder engine. Did anything on the display say this? Was there any logic for why this exercise was even included? Nope. And what the heck did the musical scales have to do with it? I'm still wondering.
Overall, a huge disappointment that left us deaf, uninspired and reaching for the nearest container of hand sanitizer. Despite having purchased a membership we won't be back.

We took 2 teen girls and they loved it! W They had so much. We stayed over 5 hours and still didn't see everything. We also took in a planetarium show and even watched rats play basketball! Yes, you read that correctly....rats playing basketball! I had visited COSI before on several occasions, but this was the first time I was lucky enough to take my family. We can't wait to go back.

The Center of Science and Industry in Columbus, Ohio, commonly referred to as COSI, is a science and research museum that operates one of the largest outreach programs of any science museum in the United States. Opened to the public in 1964, COSI moved to its current 320,000-square-foot facility at 333 West Broad Street in 1999. Designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki and situated along a bend in the Scioto River in the Franklinton neighborhood, COSI features more than 300 interactive exhibits throughout several themed exhibition areas, including Ocean, Energy Explorers, Space, Progress, Gadgets, Life and the American Museum of Natural History Dinosaur Gallery. The Ocean exhibit features a docked submarine laboratory where hands-on exhibits explore the realities of ocean research, submersibles, SCUBA, water pressure and remote-operated vehicles. The Space exhibit features a replica space station pod to tour, a recreation of astronaut John Glenn's Friendship 7 spacecraft from the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission. The Progress exhibit traces the hopes and fears of a small town called Progress in 1898, just as electricity, horseless carriages and canned food become available, then allows visitors to turn the corner and enter the same small town in 1962, where a new set of hopes and fears have arisen. For children up through first grade, there is an interactive "Little Kidspace" area. Another feature is the National Geographic Giant Screen Theater, the largest digital screen in Ohio.

Took our son & granddaughter here for an afternoon. This place is very well done and quite interesting to see. It does have convenient parking in an underground garage. Don't drive in on the street right up against the building like we did and get stuck the entrance is out off the public street. It's poorly marked and hard to find.

A lot of hands on exhibits that kids can operate. The dinosaur exhibit was good but it's just skeletons not an animatronic display like you might see at Disney. So don't expect that. Skip the planetarium that was very poorly done. It's not a mechanical night display with a lot of clarity but a digital one that is a very fuzzy display plus the show was aimed at 3 or 4 year olds and anyone older will be bored. Just skip that.

Visited kids space with twin 3 1/2 year olds. They love it. The Thomas train, water play, all of it. This time their favorite was the art studio, mixing colors.
The got hungry so went to the Atomic Cafe. The twins enjoyed pizza and carrots.
Price was a little expensive. That's just my opinion.
We are members so will go again. Think I'll pack a lunch.

This was a somewhat unplanned event and was highly recommended by a Columbus Zoo volunteer. Extremely happy that I listen to her recommendation. With 2 teenagers and one soon to be, COSI was exactly the place to keep them entertained while having fun learning stuff. Not an easy thing to convince teenagers that it is possible without including a video game or social media. If you are in the Columbus area, COSI is the place to be for young and old (I even learned a few things or two)😄

updates from my visit last week
- parking is in an underground garage, no street parking available. It is now $6 to park, no matter how long you stay.
-there is a kiosk to order in the cafe-note that you can only order certain items on it.
-the planetarium is now included with general admission!
-the outdoor fountains turn off at 5pm. So if your child is planning to run through before you leave, exit before 5.
-the large shiny "tree" that stood outside of the entrance has been moved further down into the park area outside of the entrance. My daughter and I were happy to see it there.

We went with 4 kids, 5 year old girl, 6 year old boy & 16 year old girl & boy. There was something for everyone! The American Music Experience & Life: A Cosmic Story were a little boring for the little ones but everyone else loved them. With so much to do for the littles, we wanted to give the teens a chance to enjoy something for themselves. I think the “do it all” wristband was well worth the money.

We’ve been to a few different Children’s Museums around the country and this place is at the top of the list. Our kids loved it. Had to drag them away.

We went and it is way too crowded and so many infants which was making it hard to move around, there were random people pushing strollers in walk ways, many of the kids were running right into us, the only good thing I think there was, was the planetarium because it came with the regular admission, and the King Tut exhibit was pretty cool as well but there were a lot of kids running around touching everything there.

I'll preface this by saying I grew up in Chicago with the Museum of Science & Industry.... that being said, I was underwhelmed by COSI. The exhibits were ok, many of them interactive. We went to the theater and the shows were good - nice length, about 45 minutes, great for kids. The best thing about COSI was the members of the staff that were located throughout the building that would basically sit on the floor with some cool science stuff and wait for kids to come and sit with them to learn. This went over with my kids much better than the exhibits where they had to self-guide the activities (they are ages 5 and 7). The worst part of COSI was the food... holy cow, PACK A LUNCH. Worst food I have ever had anywhere and stupidly expensive. I tasted my sons "sun butter and jelly" sandwich and I was embarrassed that I made him eat most of it. It was awful! I wouldn't have wanted to eat it either.

We've had a membership for several years and it is one of our favorite places to visit with our daughter and her friends/family. Lots to see and do! Prices rather high in the restaurant, but you can pack some snacks instead to tide you over until you leave for the day. Love the changing exhibits.

The conference rented the building for a closing ceremony party. The exhibits were engaging and fun. I loved trying to land the space shuttle. I would love to have had more time to explore everything in the building. Highly recommend.

Great place for a family trip I loved the Shark and Dinosaur gallery's. My 6 year old had a lot of fun with all the different Gadgets.

My family and I recently visited COSI, hoping for an exciting and educational experience. Unfortunately, our day at the center was marred by numerous disappointments. After eagerly anticipating the Titanic exhibit, we were excited to explore the rest of the center. However, our excitement quickly turned into frustration as we discovered that many of the interactive games, features, and exhibits were either closed or broken.

It was disheartening to see such a lack of maintenance and attention to detail throughout the facility. It felt like I had wasted my money on an overpriced ticket for an experience that fell far below my expectations. The closure or malfunction of these interactive elements significantly diminished the overall enjoyment of our visit.

I cannot in good conscience recommend COSI to anyone based on my experience. Until they address these issues and ensure that all attractions are properly maintained and operational, I would advise others to look elsewhere for entertainment and educational experiences.

COSI is a great children's museum and place to learn. We live 40 miles from COSI, and we are yearly members. It says a lot about the place that it is worth it for us to buy a family membership when we live 40 miles away. We visit at least five times a year. There are always special exhibits and great opportunities to explore the favorites like Gadgets and Oceans. It is totally worth it to spend the few extra dollars to see an educational movie on the IMAX screen, too.

However long you stay, it won't be enough time. Your kids won't be able to get enough of it.

I loved Cosi since I was a kid and it is sooo Awful now. My oldest is 10 years old and they haven’t changed or maintenanced anything since he was 3. Most of the experiences or interactive things are broken, missing parts or just offline. It’s such a waste of money. The special exhibit cost extra to enter upon the ticket price even if you do have a membership. Today we came for the Wild Katz and it was awful and everything was broken and the Pixar exhibit was an extra $15 a person and $10 for members. Thats insane and most people said it was not worth the money and they wish they hadn’t done it. The best part of this place is the toddler area but it also hasn’t been keep up in 10 years. It’s so sad, if they can’t keep up they should close.

The dinosaur exhibit was stunning. The high entry fee of $25 each surprised us though. Most of the other exhibits were ho-hum.

Cosi is a fun place for the entire family. We have 6 kids. 4 year old to 26. Our kids have grown up going here. It is an all day event! Very expensive but it really gets your kids involved and wanting to learn about science! We got memberships to make it cheaper. Bring a change of clothing for younger kids. They get wet in the water works section. Thursday’s are feeding days for the reptiles. They have a cafeteria as well. Very limited food choices. Overall a good time with the family!

Well worth spending the day here exploring the different interactive displays.
This is definitely a fun for all ages to enjoy.

COSI is a place if learning. Over the years each time I visit it seems as though more and more things are broken or out of order. It's a shame, really.

Let's face it: there isn't much to do in Columbus Ohio... You are probably visiting family or maybe on a work trip or perhaps new to the area (run while you can if you have to live here). I lived there for 27 year and there just isn't much to do. But Cosi is super cool! I would say it's a great place to take children, not sure if I'd want to go there without my son... We were visiting family and had a lovely time. Only thing I can say to improve this place is they need more Yesteryear. They only had 2 different periods and I could have hung out there all day if they had more. We LOVED it! I highly recommend COSI.

This is a great interactive museum for all ages. Lots to do and see for everyone. I was impressed with all of the different activities they offered.

We spend the extra dollars for the “do-it-all” ticket....it was worth it! We watched the two shows at the Planaterium. Well explained and good graphics on the domed roof. The rest of our day at COSI was also enjoyable and fullfilling. Especially enjoyed the Fitness exhibit, the Progress exhibit the Dinosaur and Ocean exhibits. Plenty of activities for all age groups. Only negative; several displays were not functioning....

Remember to present your parking ticket when you pay admission to receive a flat rate of $6.00 for parking.

Even on a busy holiday we had no line at the ticket counter and the new garage had plenty of parking. Since I hadn’t been here in years I was pleasantly surprised. It was a little crowded at the different exhibits but we got to do and see everything our 9 year old wanted. The longest wait we had was for a mediocre pizza.

We have not been able to explore everything they had on a Friday night, but it is a good place to visit with kids. Take advantage of Family nights which is offered on the last Friday of each month.

My teenagers both love interactive exhibits. COSI has a lot. We can spend time there over and over. One of my favorite places to visit is the Oceans exhibit. As members of the local (Cincinnati) Museum Center, we got discount admission, which was a bonus!

COSI is great for families with children under about 16 or for people who don't know much about science. If you are a huge science nerd like me, you might find it a little underwhelming after a few visits. I still would reccomend going at least once, though.

Lines too horrible.. it will take up atleast an hour to get your tickets. This should find a solution on how to save time for the visitors.
Their map is horrible.. difficult to understand. not kid friendly at all.

We went ona Saturday and it was so crowded. I think this is geared more for children under 10..my grandson who is 10 was a little bored..and since it was so crowded with so many younger children we couldn’t even get to many of the areas. We did go in to see a movie..it was ok...I just didn’t feel the cost was worth it for us.

I would recommend spending an entire full day here, if not 2. There is so much to do and see. There were only a few interactive things that were out of commission or didn’t work well. We spent a good 4 hours and didn’t get through everything upstairs. They have food and alcohol inside. We don’t have children but had just as much fun as the kids (maybe more!)

We visited as a family late July, 2019, on a weekday. Easy parking in underneath garage. General admission gets you into most of the attractions. There are scheduled live 'science' shows geared towards elementary age and younger children. Lots of hands on activities for both play and discovery. Depending on the crowd size and time of day, can get overwhelming with the field trips and day care camps, etc...
Extra fees apply to certain movies, planetarium, and any traveling exhibits. We paid extra for the mythical beats exhibit and it was very well done. Adults and kids both enjoyed their time!

Just visited on Spring break with my 1st grader and COSI did not disappoint. We spent five fun filled hours here, seeing mythical creatures, live chemistry explosion experiments and we truly enjoyed walking around the museum seeing all that it had to offer.

Thank you COSI for the $1 locker rental...for those of us mom's that no longer have strollers but need somewhere safe to keep our coats and stuff during our visit. 😉

I visited this museum with free admission. I would say it is a good place for families, especially for small kids. For people living in Ohio, it can be a good place to touch something in science. However, compared to those similar museums in big cities, it is not that special. In particular, I did not feel being impressed as a scientist. The topics are out of focus and of little depth.

If you haven't been to this museum before then you are missing out! What a treasure this place is! My only wish is that we lived closer so that we could experience this more! There is so much to do, we could have easily stayed the entire day at this place. The museum is set up into two parts: the science/technology part and the natural history part. We started with the science part and eventually worked our way over to the natural history. We went on a Saturday and it was very busy, however it did not stop us from having fun. Some of the awesome highlights include:
*sitting inside a small submarine
*working a remote controlled submarine robot
*creating your own sea creatures on an interactive graphic design computer
*shooting water fountains at a Poseidon sea adventure
*creating a water tunnel out of PVC piping
*sitting inside a space shuttle
*visiting gigantic dinosaurs
*dressing up as construction workers and getting to build things with foam blocks

And there is seriously so much more! This place rocks! One suggestion to is bring your own lunch (I wish that we had!) because the cafe line was very long at lunchtime and the lunch choices were expensive. If you have kids interested in science, technology, and natural history then this is the place to visit if you are in Columbus.
We are so excited for our next trip to Columbus to visit COSI!

Oh COSI, you have been at the heart of many Adventures. This place is definitely catered to children 4-12, but has some cool stuff for adults and toddlers too.

There is a kids room, which essentially acts as a babysitter if you need to drop off a toddler to explore with an older sibling. It's very nice and has plenty of safety checks to ensure your child only goes with you. They have a playground and little learning rooms. Behind this area is also a water room. Pop a waterproof apron on and go to town making a wet mess.

They always have a rotating exhibit that you can do for extra, and they've always been worth it. I've seen Muppets, an ancient ruins puzzle, mythical creatures, dinosaurs, etc they've always been fun. There's 3 floors so make sure you explore. You can definitely spend an entire day here easily. They have a water area, mechanics area (that also has a little science course for older kids), space area, historic town, and they were working on fixing up a Sesame Street area!

They also have Art after Dark for adults 21+ only! If you find a theme you enjoy, it's totally worth it! They regularly do Star Wars, and Harry Potter events. The Harry Potter one was a lot of fun! The group project was a little chaotic but people helped each other out as we could as we figured things out.

Food and drink can be a little steeper here, but it's not terrible! They even have a healthy food spot in the cafe in the second floor for those that have dietary needs/restrictions, and a while vegetarian list which is really good! The passes seem to pay for themselves after 3 visits, so if you plan on going a few times, they're totally worth it! We have a 2 year old and he enjoyed quite a bit of things when we were there, and I think it will only get better as he grows up!

COSI is a great place across the generations. Good on rainy days and the hot humid days of summer. Visited with my daughter and granddaughter.

Although definitely geared towards children, as adults, my husband and I enjoyed it along with our adult children. It happened to be the day many museums in Columbus, including COSI were completely free of charge. It was well worth it to come here. Our children live in Columbus and this visit happened to be our first to COSI. It was extremely crowded being the day was free so we arrived here first thinking it would be the most crowded, and it was. It was difficult to view the exhibits in the detail we would have liked due to the crowds, but the staff were very organized, efficient, and friendly. I especially enjoyed the travelling limited time exhibit on Poisons and would have loved to spend much more time here, but on account of the crowds, did not. I learned a lot, though, in the time we did spend there. The dinosaur exhibit was interest also as well as the Progress displays. Many hands on activities, again, mostly geared towards children, but our time spent here was well spent. I have to mention also that the day was free, but some activities did require additional fees. Unfortunately, we did not visit the planetarium due to the crowds and it was free on our visit.

Lots of hands on exhibits. Well organized and spacious. Great for small kids. Visited with my adult son & had a good time. The only drawback is that the cafe closed at 3pm - a full 2 hours before the rest of COSI

This Science Museum is an experience that you will remember for a long time! The hands-on tradition of COSI makes learning fun for all ages!

I think I went in with high expectations given the great reviews. Like others I thought the dinosaur exhibit was exceptional. But for the rest idk. Probably those with kids would like it better. the health/life section needed some updating. The planetarium show on ET life was boring. The Ocean exhibit featuring Poseidon (in a science museum?) was weird and very awkward in covid times.

Took my nieces this time
Not so good.
Lots of things were broken or not working. Seemed really run down since the last time we were here.
We arrived at 10 am - opening time, and the majority of the hand sanitizers that we used all morning were completely empty. At least 2/3 were empty at 10 am.
Really felt there was absolutely nothing being done to make the place clean during covid. It felt so unsanitized and dirty at opening. And all day. Expected more from them. Absolutely NOTHING was being done to sanitize the place. So we kept going in to bathrooms to wash our hands and the bathrooms were nasty. Again - we were there at opening.
Waited in line 40 minutes for the motion simulator ( because we prepaid for it) - not worth the money. Don't do it.
There were kids groups (Ymca etc) running WILD, completely unsupervised and going into the exits butting in line of others kids that were patiently waiting for things. This is the first time I was there that there were not any employees anywhere.
Guess it's the way it is now.
That will be our last visit. It was that bad.

My family and I have recently become COSI members, and we have already been three times. There is so much to see and do that I don't think we'll ever get bored. Every time we go, we do something different. The daily admission fee is a little steep, but when you visit you'll see why. If you're local, I highly recommend becoming members as it will pay for itself in no time and you'll definitely want to come back. Lots of interactive exhibits for the whole family. Highly recommended!

So mobile COSI came to my daughter's school and she got a certificate for a free admission which saved me $15. We upgraded and saw "Backyard Wilderness" in 3-D. The movie was cute but did not wow me the way I was expecting. The food court had a large selection and the prices were pretty reasonable. My daughter is 12 and really enjoyed herself. Some of the exhibits are starting to show some wear. I highly recommend a visit if you are in the area. Good for all ages!

great place to visit
lots of interactive activities that lets you have fun as you learn
love the traveling exhibits that they have
fun for all ages

I love taking my kids to science museums and I had been really excited to see COSI. When you look at various published rankings, it is always really high up there in terms of science museums in the US. It is often the very highest east of the Mississippi. My gold standard for science museums is the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, which was unbelievably amazing. In the Parents magazine ranking, COSI was ahead of it?! It's not even close. IMO, not even the same ballpark. So, my expectations had been influenced by the rankings and the hype of it.

We visited with our 2- and 8- year old.

So, the good. There is an actual mummy and I thought their presentation around the mummy was good. They showed how they can use science to recreate the features of the woman and had interesting information. I also thought they had a neat take on dinosaurs- they really emphasized motion and how they would understand how to understand how dinosaurs might move. It's different than just admiring bones and I thought that was good.

The bad. I'm not quite sure how to put my finger on it but it had the feel of a play museum at points. The signage and everything made it feel little kiddy (and indeed the kids seem to skew younger). It is my understanding that Ohio schools are back this week though so that would account for the younger group and younger feel.

I really didn't get the whole energy area. It didn't seem engaging or informative.

In some ways, I really liked what they were trying to do. It is a bold move to try to bring the Silk Road to the kids and to get them interested in it. In the end though, I'm not sure it worked. It was then juxtaposed with a water room (which was a major part of the museum) that was completely little kiddy and something like you would expect to see in an amusement park or something. I am perhaps not being fair because often I like different kinds of exhibits, geared at different kids and their interests, but this one seemed schizophrenic rather than varied. I'm not sure what parts would engage different-aged kids.

In the end neither of my kids was engaged nearly as much as they have been at other science museums.

There are a lot of science museums where I want to go back and this isn't one. It's pretty near grandparents and it would be relatively easy to fit in and I just don't see ourselves making the trip where we would for other science museums.

What a great place in the Columbus area. Kids had a blast and so did I. Could have spent all day here. Movie was good too and worth it. We will be coming back again for sure. Plan on at least 4 hours if not more.

Lots of fun exhibits, especially loved the dinosaurs, the progress exhibit, and the oceans exhibit. Parking is only $6 if you get your ticket validated at the desk. The only downside is the food court. Service was super slow at the grill counter, the chicken tenders were not very good. We were there on a Monday morning and it was nearly empty, which was awesome!

Took our 5 grandchildren ranging from 3 to 18 with family. They had a wonderful time well worth the money to see. So many hand on things to do even 3 year old loved it. Great science center to learn about science. Enjoyed dinosaurs and gadgets and the unicycle for older kids. It was a nice day to be inside and convenient to our hotel and downtown Columbus. A must see in Columbus Will go again.

Fantastic science museum. Even our older teens got into it and loved the experience. The only negative was the planetarium. No museum staff were overseeing it and multiple times groups entered the room loudly, interrupting the experience.

My friend and I drive to Columbus to see the Titanic exhibit. While that is ending in early September 2024, there is an abundance of activities for children and adults to explore. Definitely leave yourself enough time to fully explore the entire museum- a few hours at least!

COSI is one of our favorite spots to take out of town family. They have many of the beloved science center favorites and many unique opportunities. My kids absolutely love the Progress exhibit, Ocean, and WOSU. Progress takes you on a walk through history with some beloved artifacts including a soda shop, news station, and phone booth. Ocean takes you through a sparkling cavern for some water play! And WOSU has the beloved PBS characters and an interactive television prompter. It's really an enjoyable time for all. Prepare to spend several hours or get a membership and come back to enjoy it all!

This place is great for all ages. So many things to do!! The Oceans exhibit is FANTASTIC !!!! See it while it is here !!!!

COSI is a really cool pace to visit. The exhibits are really cool for people of all ages, not just kids. We came after hours for the Columbus Brew Festival and I HIGHLY recommend this. We had so much fun. It was pretty busy, but I recommend the VIP tickets. For the first hour, the lines were reasonable and we got to see all of the exhibits that we wanted to. After they let the GA tickets in it got much more crowded and the lines for drinks got a lot longer. Either way, we really enjoyed ourselves and will definitely be going back.

We love how some displays change. It makes it new and exciting but we still have the tried and true displays worth visiting again.

It’s been years since we visited COSI, but decided to revisit while spending time with our OSU student. First of all, COSI, you are way overpriced. For the types of displays and attractions, you are way too expensive. Secondly, this is geared towards younger children. It was way inappropriate for my 18 and 14 year old children. My 10 year old was honestly too mature for most of the activities. Most of what COSI had to offer was outdated and not relevant for today. Sensory overload and not a lot to “learn”. At $25 for adults and $20 for 12+, unless you have very young children, I’d skip COSI and find another ‘museum’ - super disappointing.

One of the most dynamic museums I have visited! did not get bored any moment. Ideal museum for kids and adults

COSI is definitely a place you have to visit, we were so impressed with how much there is to do and we could have easily spent a few days there. I loved how well laid out the center is so that you can easily go from exhibit to exhibit without getting lost in a maze. We loved the Dinosaur Gallery with awesome replicas, real and cast fossils. We entered Lost Egypt with its stunning artifacts including a real mummy and sarcophagus! The Oceans area is visually stunning, one side was like being on board an interactive submarine and the other side was a totally hands on Neptune themed water play area. It has to be seen to believed with all the watery, cavernous detail that kids and adults will love. A really cool area was Progress which depicted a life like reconstruction of a typical street corner during the turn of the 20th century. Then you turn the corner and the exact same street corner is updated to the 1950s. It was so interesting to experience how transportation, communication and technology have changed over the past century. Gadgets is a terrific hands on area with tonnes of experiments and simple machines. There are experiment labs that are first come first serve which book up quickly, so I recommend checking that out earlier in the visit. There is also Planetarium on the upper level showing spectacular films inside the 60 foot dome. It is a great place to take a mid visit break and check out any of the eye-catching, cinematic gems. There are some great outdoor areas to see too like the courtyard with any larger kid-friendly experiments and a beautiful, new playground just outside the main entrance. The amenities like the Atomic Cafe had tasty, healthy food options for all ages that were very reasonably priced and the huge gift shop had fun and educational mementos. Needless to say COSI does not disappoint and would definitely consider the annual membership as it is a great visit anytime of the year, rain or shine. Thanks COSI

COSI has won all kinds of awards for being a family-friendly, hands-on kind of science museum. Having been a visitor all my life, I wax nostalgic for the "old" COSI which was a smaller space, therefore CRAMMED with fun and amazing educational displays everywhere you looked. The new space felt vast and empty to me when it first opened. I still feel like the long hallways are boring, but they keep getting better - with interesting displays on the walls and mobile hands-on activities staffed by volunteers at periodic intervals. Their programming is ever-changing; the iMAX theater is a favorite attraction; and the planetarium is a special feature that not many other science museums offer. So much to do, and the Family Access pass means that even low-income families can come and learn and have fun together.

Wonderful science center with interactive and changing exhibits. Very hands on. Great 3D movies on science and nature. Parking can be a challenge but don’t let it dissuade you. Worth a trip, and a repeat trip!

I tried to go here last time in Columbus, but it was closed for COVID. My daughter came to town with her husband and my wife took them here. I couldn’t go because it was last minute. Gotta go here. The Planetarium is the best. It is outstanding. The simulation is good also.

seen through the eyes of our grandchildren as much as through our own eyes, this is a great urban museum and a super place to go on a snowy day

Being new to Ohio and having a little one we were excited to get her out and explore Columbus. We decided to visit COSI and had the best time.
There is so much to see and do and our little one (16 months) had so much fun exploring everything. She loved all of the hands on exhibits, the kids area, and the dinosaurs! (Not sure if the dinosaurs are year round)
Definitely worth it and we will be going back!

I have been taking my grandkids here since they were 2 years old. We attended Saturday enrichment classes and even had one of their birthday parties here. Everytime we have gone they have learned a great deal and had a wonderful time. The high school helpers are great and relate well to the kids. The cafe has healthy kid fare and the kids enjoy eating and taking a break there. This is a great spot for a rainy Saturday or any other day when kids need to "de-phone, and de- ipad."

We came on a Tuesday in June with two families (8 people) and the place was not too busy - there was no queue for any thing that caused us a delay except the unicycle high wire thing. With some discount coupons the cost was reasonable - at full price you need to make sure you get your hours in particularly when you consider that a number of the attractions are at an extra price. However overall it was very good, there is a huge amount of material on display. The children also enjoyed the small staffed displays where the staff interacted with them as a family group. We have visited similar attractions in other states and the UK too and this certainly compares favourably. Perhaps some of the displays were more 'wow' than content so kids want to make noise or lights rather than learn but I guess its not school! Access by car was easy and the parking reasonable.

This is a great place for scientists of all ages. I volunteer there regularly. Go to space or to the Gobi desert and you’ll have a great time learning and experiencing.

We have been members of this wonderful children's museum the past three years...and we're anxious for it to reopen in June. (Closed due to Covid-19--bah, humbug!!!--but I can see why. Everything is so hands on; they had to close. When it's open, make it a priority. It's #1! Not really sure on the last time we were there..It's been a while .guessing on the month...

My two grandchildren enjoyed it very much, a lot of hands on. Everyone working there very friendly and helpful. So nice they have benches every where The restaurant was good also very nice staff.

We had a half day while traveling. The time was well spent at COSI. the kids (6 of them, ages 3 to 11) loved the experience. Tons of hands on stuff, that's what they love. We went on an off day (kids homeschooled) so it wasn't busy. It is a little pricey, but we had a local membership in a museum in GR MI from which we were able to use the reciprocal benefits to reduce out cost.