Downing Planetarium

I did not know about this place until recently and it was soo cool for the kids and myself. The experiments they have for you to learn and be creative and the production of "tada" science revelations was pretty cool. We spent a couple hours here and then saw the dome experience with a professor and it was soo cool. After this I had my little attend their engineering camp, it was soo worth it.

I came here for a field trip many moons ago in elementary school and haven't returned since. My sister took my daughter here about a year ago and said she did well and now that she's alittle older and is into planets and stars I wanted to take her. Their tickets are limited and they sell out fast. You have to reserve on their website and you pay the day of the show. They present different shows which is all posted on their website. My husband, toddler and I attended a weekend showing and parking was free. Tickets are very affordable and it's a great learning opportunity. Initially my daughter was excited and sat still for a few minutes. Then started to get scared and wanted to leave. We stepped out a bit to calm her down. The lady who was at the ticket booth approached us to see if everything was okay. We told her that she was a bit scared and she had offered us a refund. We said asked what time was the actual showing and if we could give it another try she said that was fine. Went into the gift shop and brought out two little soft toys (a star and an astronaut) and gave it to our daughter. And told her to squeeze it if she was scared and was just talking to her. It was the sweetest gesture. The show was about to begin so we went back in and my daughter ended up sitting in for the experience. She fell asleep towards the end since it was close to her nap time but she said she "have fun". Overall it's a great inexpensive experience for kids and adults. Seats were comfortable the show was entertaining and educational. The staff were very friendly.

This is a gem in the middle of Fresno/Clovis areas. Very cool for kids and adults. We can always learn something!