Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium

When I found out there was a Daft Punk themed laser show, I had to check it out! The event was very well organized and the show was nice. The size of the planetarium is just perfect in my opinion. Also, I loved that the science center is attached to the planetarium. There is so much to do and see while you wait until the show is open!

Let your inner child have some fun and learn something new - check out the @uazflandrau science center and planetarium! At just $12 for general admission (student and military discount offered) - it's the perfect way to escape the heat and feed your brain!

We went to see the Sir Elton John laser show last night and it was such a great experience. We had a fun and memorable experience. I highly recommend coming here for an educational or entertainment experience!

What a transformation! It had been years since my prior visit, and the investment made and resulting upgrades are phenomenal! The planetarium theater itself is stunning and the amazing seats are so comfy. But note that the attraction has been renamed "Science Center and Planetarium" because there's also the Wild World of Bugs, Undersea Discovery, a fascinating shark exhibit and an asteroid cave! Various spaces are also available for rental for private events, too, including BIRTHDAY PARTIES! Pro tip: there is limited FREE STREET PARKING on the south curb of Hawthorne St, immediately behind the Center. Let staff know you're parked there to get a dashboard display ticket!

We came here to celebrate my son's 17th birthday specifically to watch the black hole show in the theater. We had so much fun exploring the lower level where they have the sea animals and aquarium. We had no idea the lower level had an aquarium so it was a good surprise. The place is very clean and easy to get around. The staff is friendly and willing to answer any questions. The educators at the Aquarium were super nice and they let us touch the star fish and other sea animals as long as your hands are washed and cleaned. We will definitely come back soon!

I was hesitant to go to Flandrau after reading some negative google reviews about it being overpriced. I've lived in Tucson for a long time and had never been. I have to agree with those reviews, I found it to be very overpriced for the size and quality. I spent $40 for my 12 year old and I to do the exhibits and planetarium show. The exhibits were very small and the new underwater exhibit is neat, but it's basically some fish tanks and the lamest touch tank I've ever seen. It took less than an hour to do the exhibits. We did the Tucson night sky show in the planetarium and it was all about the constellations, which you can find for free on night sky apps. One of the students narrates it and points to things with a laser. I would not go back.

Visiting Flandrau for the Science at Sunset series is an interesting way to see all the planetarium has to offer, from lectures and research updates to exhibits and hands-on activities. Looking forward to more community-outreach events there in the year ahead.

I visited for the first time last Saturday with my niece (6) and nephew (12 & on the autism spectrum). We started with the planetarium lazer show called Perfect Little Planet (admission - kids $7 & adults $9). The kids weren't too interested but there was another family's kids who loved it and were interactive with the projector instructor. The experience is like watching a movie in a theatre except the screen is the dome-shaped ceiling and your seats are leaned back extra far. I thought it was so cool. I think I liked it more than my niece & nephew.After the show, we moved along to explore the science center exhibit (additional admission - kids $7 & adults $9). Some exhibits include: bugs, sharks, bees, fossils, solar system and soon UNDERSEA DISCOVERY IN 2023! They offer interactive activities and cool information throughout to read or in video form. Hands down the most interactive part was the bug exhibit with living Madagascar roaches & allowing kids to hold a real bug. Not me. Get me away from bugs. My niece and nephew loved it tho. My least favorite was the bottom level. There were brain challenges, a computer game and fossils but it was DEAD silence. The employee down there seemed bored out of his mind. They should at least have some music or I would expect an educational track. Lastly there was a tiny gift shop area near the front entrance as you leave. Of course I allowed the kids to pick out something, or rather they suckered me into getting them a toy. I didn't mind too much thankfully cuz we had fun. I will definitely be back!

Funny store: I took a tinder date here to see Laser Queen. I didn't read the description of laser queen and neither did my tinder match. We both kind of assumed it was a general laser show, maybe with some EDM or something. It was not. It is a show that illustrates an hours worth of songs by Queen. The realization sets in as staff encourages the crowd do to the clap and stomp from We Will Rock You and the next song is also by queen. We've been Queen'd. Overall the show was okay, it was really interesting to see lasers being used to make designs like birds and flowers. It wasn't like EDM shows or concerts where the red like a ton of lasers on either side rising up or down. It was more like a pattern or two of shapes going to the beat of the song. If you're a fan of Queen definitely check this out, my mom would've loved it. If any of the laser people read this; I would put we are the champion at the end as a closing song and don't flash the queen logo between the last two or three songs, it makes the audience feel like the show is ending. Anyways! Onto the museum. It's actually pretty small. If you have an EBT / food stamps card you can get into the museum AND get into a planetarium show for $3. The museum has a section on space, showing a large collection of meteorites both upstairs and down. That and the space imaging from the surface of planets seems to be the shining star here, I'm told by a local somewhere in the city Tucson actually makes some of the lenses for NASA's telescopes. Downstairs is a nice collection of rocks and fossils, I hadn't seen a crab fossil before or trilobite fossils with antennas attached like that. Lots of trilobite fossils in many sizes. More meteorites. Pretty sweet! It does seem like the March section is missing blood stone and another month is missing moon stone. The last two exhibits upstairs are a big one with what seems like Madagascar cockroaches. A cute children's mock bug food place with some made up resin dishes and then a display case full of actual bug food. There's also a shark exhibit with multiple jaws from different shark species and their pictures which is really cool. Also models of different shark tail fins sticking out. This is a cute little spot for kids with some interactive exhibits about gravity on other planets and space and such. Students also get a discount along with some others, check their website for planetarium showtimes as they usually only put on three shows a day due to demand and such!

The building is smaller than the science center we have near us, but it is packed with some fun exhibits & tons of hands on activities. My kids are a pre-teen & a teenager, but they both enjoyed it just as much as they would have if they were younger. My husband & I also enjoyed what the center had to offer, plus it was neat we were all able to hold one of the beetles they allowed you to touch. The bug & shark exhibits were our favorite, the bottom floor had a bunch of puzzles, fossils & minerals. The next time we are in the area & they have a new featured exhibit we would stop by again.