Play & Learn at Kid-Friendly Liberty Science Center

This post was sponsored by Liberty Science Center through a Momtrends blogger campaign, however all thoughts and opinions are my own (cuz... I'm no sell out!!)!

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Little by little we're making our way through my list of the best day trips & weekend getaways from NYC, as well as the best kid-friendly spots within the 5 boroughs, and this past Saturday brought us to a new one which is now one of my all-time favorites: Liberty Science Center!! In a nutshell, the entire facility and all of the exhibitions were immaculate, there were endless hands-on activities for everyone from toddlers through adults, and it's relatively easily accessible for NYC dwellers despite it being "all the way over" in New Jersey LOL!! Watch my video highlights here and keep reading below for more details about the center in general as well as some brand new exhibits!

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​DOC MCSTUFFINS EXHIBIT:
Open from October 6, 2018 - January 27, 2019, this exhibit is based on Disney Jr.'s award winning children's TV series, Doc McStuffins. Children can feed newborns in the nursery, complete check-ups in the ER, care for animals in the Pet Vet, tune-up toys, and more! My kids loved every nook and cranny of this exhibit, and my girls were specially fascinated with the pretend hand washing stations, haha!! 

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SHERLOCK HOLMES EXHIBIT:
Walking through this interactive adventure, you could really find yourself carried away to another time and place. Each center is meticulously decorated with forensic clues to read and examine - see first hand how blood splatter analysis works, how foot prints differ going forward and backward​, and much more!! Do note that this is a premium exhibit, meaning it's not included in general admission. You can pay an extra $6 or so to go the planetarium OR a premium exhibit, or about $10 extra to do both. Don't expect to follow along and actually solve the crime if you have little ankle biters in tow like we did (though it's still enjoyable to walk through and take it all in), but if you have older kids or adults only, spend an hour in here and have an exciting crime-solving adventure!

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PLANETARIUM:
I could not believe my eyes when walking into this room, and seeing on their website that it's the "Biggest Planetarium in the Western Hemisphere", yep, I believe it!! It's massive!!!!! When sitting down, it's overwhelming and absolutely breathtaking!! When seated you pretty much had a 180 degree view from left to right, and the screen and images even wrap up and behind you a bit. We saw the "One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure" Sesame Street Show and it was really adorable - we learned some of the basic constellations and even traveled to China and the Moon!! Currently playing, they also have "Black Holes" and "Wonders of the Night Sky". It's not included in the standard admission fee, it's an add-on just like the "premium" Sherlock Holmes exhibit mentioned above.

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OTHER NOTABLE ACTIVITIES & EXHIBITS:

• It's quite a sight to behold - a huge jungle gym hanging 35 feet in the air!!! Our 5 year old had a blast navigating through the Infinity Climber (though our younger ones cried when they found out they were too short to go in, I'm not 100% sure but it looked like the measurement stick was set at about 42" or so), you might want to let younger children know ahead of time they won't be able to go on it. (pictured below, bottom right)
• I Explore is the little toddler room, for kids ages 5 and under. If (when??) we move to New Jersey, I envision myself buying the annual family membership and bringing my kids here at least once a week (several times a week if we decide not to send the twins to preschool). They can climb, sift around in the rice sensory bin, paint with water, build, explore; it's so fun!! (pictured below, top left & right, and bottom center)
• Block Party is another fun one with younger kids - they can build massive structures, or roads, or whatever their little minds can imagine, with these huge blue foam blocks! We enjoyed making a little "igloo" (pictured below, bottom left).
• Be sure to check out their list of other exhibitions and activities here - there are just too many to go into and we didn't even get close to seeing them all during our trip there last weekend!!

Liberty Science Center is just a 40 minute drive from Bay Ridge Brooklyn (about 1 hour 15 minutes by bus / Path / NJ Light Rail), so totally doable if you plan to spend half a day there or so - great for a cold or rainy Saturday or Sunday!! They're open 9am - 4pm on Tuesdays - Fridays and 9am - 5:30pm on weekends (closed Mondays). Parking is $7. Admission is $23.75 per adult ($19.75 for ages 2 - 12), plus $6 for a combo pass (1 planetarium show OR 1 premium exhibit) or plus $10 for a Premium Pass (1 planetarium show AND 1 premium exhibit).

But here's where you can get a great deal... the FAMILY MEMBERSHIP!!! At just $175, basically the same price as 2 visits with a family of 4! It includes unlimited admission for 2 adults and 4 kids, 6 single-use passes (which can be exchanged for theater show tickets), member-only events (including member mornings and nights), and discounted theater/planetarium shows, premium exhibits, science camp, gift shop & cafe! Membership also grants you free admission to over 340 science & technology centers around the world as part of the ASTC Travel Passport Program (they must be at least 90 miles from your residence or science center where you are a member).

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Thanks again to Momtrends and Liberty Science Center for hosting all of us bloggers and our families - we had a blast (above pix from our private party that included breakfast, learning about Bernoulli's Principle of Flight via 9 rolls of toilet paper, and making ice cream with liquid nitrogen - SO FUN!!)