The Best Family Science Museum in LA: A Guide to Discovery Cube Los Angeles

Planning a family trip to Los Angeles? Discover why Discovery Cube LA is a must-visit science museum packed with hands-on exhibits, STEM fun, and kid-friendly learning adventures.

This post is sponsored by Discovery Cube LA. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

When you think of visiting Los Angeles with your family, it’s easy to think of theme parks, beaches and high-level entertainment. But where do you go when you need a slower pace? Discovery Cube LA is one of the best things to do in LA with kids! Located 21 miles outside of LA is an interactive, hands-on science center with a variety of exhibits designed to inspire and educate.

According to the official Discovery Cube website, it says: “Here at the Discovery Cube, our goal is supporting the fulfillment of the current and future needs of STEM professionals by educating and inspiring current generations of young minds… Science has room for everyone, and we must invest in allowing children to explore their passions within STEM so that they have access to more opportunities in the future.”

As you will see when you visit Discovery Cube LA, they are living out their mission! In this post, I’ve included information about this awesome science center, as well our experience with our visit. Use this as your guide to Discovery Cube LA!

Discovery Cube LA Information

*NOTE* The information, thoughts and opinions in this post are about Discovery Cube LA. They have another location in Orange County with different hours, pricing and exhibits. If you are planning on visiting Discovery Cube OC, please refer to their website.

Tickets

Tickets are available to purchase online or when you arrive. You can visit their website to buy tickets ahead of time and they are good for one year from the date of purchase.

Discovery Cube LA Ticket Pricing (as of 5/5/2025)

• Children (ages 2 and under): FREE
• Children (ages 3-14): $17
• Adults (ages 15+): $20
• Seniors (ages 62+): $18

Address & Hours

The address for Discovery Cube LA is 11800 Foothill Blvd, Sylmar, CA 91342. It is 21 miles outside of downtown LA. Travel time is dependent on traffic and time of day.

Discovery Cube LA is open Tuesday-Sunday from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm. However, it is always best to check their official website for any changes to their hours for the specific day you want to visit.

Parking

Parking is free. The lot is across from the science center, which is accessed by entering through Dronfield Ave from Osborne St. (We just followed the directions on our GPS.)

Stroller Friendly

Discovery Cube LA is stroller friendly. We mostly used it for carrying jackets, water bottles and snacks. There were a couple of areas that were more crowded so we left our stroller next to it rather than bringing it in.

Why Visit Discovery Cube LA?

Discovery Cube LA is a hands-on science and learning center that is perfect for families with kids. We decided to add Discovery Cube LA to our trip because it allowed us to balance out the more entertainment-heavy attractions in the area. Not only that, but it provided a way for my kids to explore and learn in a fun and interactive way.

What age group is Discovery Cube LA geared towards?

At the time of our visit, my kids were 13, 11, 7 and 4. There was something for everyone, however, my oldest two were ready to go before the younger ones.

How long should we expect to spend at Discovery Cube LA?

2-3 hours. We visited on a weekday in the middle of the day and it wasn’t very crowded, but we also went during the school year.

Exhibits at Discovery Cube LA

There are a number of hands-on exhibits at Discovery Cube LA. We were able to try out most of them during our time there, with a few of them more than once. Below you can get a brief description of each exhibit:

• The Raceway – Learn about friction, drag, acceleration and speed when you build your own racing car and try it out on the track.
• Cube Studios: Broadcast Booth – An interactive news studio where kids get to tell stories about the environment and then watch their broadcast on a nearby TV.
• Planetary Research Station – Use a screen to light up different parts of the rotating globe in the center of the room.
• Helicopter Tours – Discover LA from a new perspective when you “fly” over in a helicopter.
• Discovery Market – An interactive shopping game where kids learn about healthy and eco-friendly shopping choices. Complete the challenge to get your picture on the “Super Shoppers” wall.
• Race to Zero Waste – Sort common household waste items as quickly as possible as they move along a conveyor belt.
• Lift Yourself – Pull yourself up with your own muscles and learn how physics plays a role. (Parents can try this out too!)
• Inspector Training Course – Pretend to be a home inspector with this fun and interactive training course. Follow the instructions on the tablet and learn about energy saving devices and eco-friendly practices.
• Tornado – Step into a fog tornado or simply watch the funnel swirl up and around.
• Santa Ana Winds – Feel how strong the Santa Ana Winds are by stepping into a wind chamber!
• Climbing Wall – Complete different challenges as you climb to the top of a (short) climbing wall.
• Cloud Rings – Located near the gift shop, this is a fun fog exhibit where you create cloud rings.
• Barbie: You Can Be Anything (Traveling exhibit) – On the second floor of the science center, there is a huge Barbie themed exhibit exploring different careers. (My 4 and 7 year old especially loved this one.)

Our Experience at Discovery Cube LA

Visiting Discovery Cube LA allowed our family to escape the crowds of the more popular and well-known attractions in the Los Angeles area. We love visiting places that inspire and educate wherever we go and the Discovery Cube definitely provided that.

It was nice to be able to go somewhere indoors that wasn’t crowded and was interesting. During the time we visited, it was a little cooler and actually rained the day we went which worked out well for us.

Here’s what each of my kids said about their favorite exhibits from Discovery Cube LA:

• 13-year old: “I liked the news broadcasting station exhibit because it was unexpected, fun and a little silly. The Santa Ana Winds simulator was crazy too and gave me a better idea of what really strong winds feel like.”
• 11-year old: “I like how there was a whole bunch of interactive activities. One I liked was the inspector training where you had to see if a house was fit to survive an earthquake. It was fun to test things out, like the tornado, and see what happened when you changed the different settings.”
• 7-year old: “My favorite activities were the tornado, the cleaning up one (trash sorting), the wind thing (Santa Ana Winds) and the grocery store. The Barbie area had a place to make pretend soups which I liked because it feels like I am cooking and I like cooking.”
• 4-year old: “I liked the soups (Barbie chef exhibit) and the tornado.”

I hope this guide to Discovery Cube LA is helpful as you plan your visit!

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