I love to take the kids on outings, but until this last week I had only been to the Pacific Science Center on field trips with my kids schools. I had a gang of kids from 2 to 14 with me and we thought it would be a great place to go since there are things to entertain all age groups at the Pacific Science Center.  We waited until the weekend of the Bite Of Seattle, as we thought it would be a great opportunity to enjoy the festival and the Pacific Science Center.

Transportation

My youngest kids have been asking me to take a train ride for some time, so I thought we would use this opportunity to take the Light Rail down to the Pacific Science Center. I am really glad that we did this to take the kids on a train ride, and not for more convenient transportation – as it was anything but convenient.  We headed out to the Tukwila Station and there was NO parking available in any non-towable spot near the Light Rail. We ended up having to drive up to the Sea Tac station and park back in a neighborhood and walk a little ways to the station.  There were six of us (4 kids and 2 adults, two of the kids were free as they are under 5). I paid just over $15 for all day passes for the whole gang.  The furthest North the Light Rail goes is Westlake, so I thought that we would be able to use our all day passes to hop on the Monorail once there. I was wrong. It would have cost us another $25 to take the monorail. We opted to head to the Metro busses and ride in the ride free zone.  Problem is that the Pacific Science Center is another few blocks from the last stop in the ride free area so more walking. I don’t mind, but my 2 year old fusses sometimes

Your best bet for transportation if you live outside the city is probably either to drive and pay for parking or to take a bus directly there. Although an adventure, the Lightrail is probably not the most cost effective solution.

We packed some food and splurged at the Bite Of Seattle too!

Food:

You can bring your own picnic to save, or eat in the Seattle Center House at some of the fast food restaurants there.  IF you want to make a whole day of it stop down at the Pike Place Market first and grab a Humbow for a couple of bucks, or a bag of mini donuts (love those)!

Cost of  Tickets To The Pacific Science Center

Full price tickets to the Pacific Science Center are $14 (16 to 64 yrs), $12 (over 64), $9 (6-15 yrs) and $7 (3 to 5yrs).  2 and under are free.  This is for exhibit only entrance. Imax, planatarium shows and laser shows cost more. You can find a full listing of all of their fees here.

Coupons for the Pacific Science Center:

- The Seattle Entertainment Book has BOGO Free coupons in it (right now you can get 2 2011 books for $10 so you would have (2) 2-for-1 coupons to use).

CityPass online or at the first attraction you visit. It’s good for nine days and includes admission to Woodland Park Zoo, the Space Needle, Pacific Science Center, Seattle Aquarium, the Museum of Flight, and Argosy Cruises.

- 2011 Seattle Tour Saver Book – Buy One Get One Free coupon

1. Get the Go Seattle Card. It’s similar to the City Pass with free admission to Pacific Science Center and other Seattle attractions.
2. Stop by the visitors centers in Tacoma, Snohomish, or Seattle. There are coupons and coupon books that offer discounts to Pacific Science Center.

If you have a Microsoft PRIME Card you get $3.50 offer per ticket as well as 20% off annual membership.

Fun At The Pacific Science Center

They are open from 10 am to 6 pm daily. We got there aroud 2pm and it was plenty of time for a group of six to make it through all the exhibits (we left by 5 pm). You will need longer if you do the IMAX theater or planetarium show, etc.

Dinosaurs: A Journey Through Time
Travel back in time to the Mesozoic Era, where you’ll meet seven moving, roaring, robotic dinosaurs in a lifelike environment. You can also stand in the footprint of a giant duckbill dinosaur.

Tropical Butterfly House
Enjoy year-round sunshine in the Tropical Butterfly House! Temperatures are in the low 80s, humidity is 60 to 70 percent, and full-spectrum lighting keeps the plants and butterflies healthy.

Insect Village
Giant robotic insects, interactive exhibits and live animal displays give you a close-up look at the world of insects and other arthropods.

Puget Sound Model and Saltwater Tide Pool
Explore the life and science of northwest Washington’s large and ecologically diverse estuary, Puget Sound.

Kids Works
See yourself on TV as the Guest Meteorologist in the K5 First Alert Weather Center. Experiment with water at the stream table.

Animal Exhibits
See live creatures of all kinds, from the domestic to the exotic–reptiles, amphibians, and mammals, including a colony of East African naked mole-rats.

Body Works
Find out how your body works in Body Works. Test your reaction time. See how much energy you produce on the Calorie Bicycles. Try out the computer games in the Nutrition Cafe.

Adventures in 3Dimensions
Have you ever wondered how 3D movies are made? Or how some artists create incredibly realistic 3D images with only the use of paint and canvas?

Science Playground
How does an electric motor work? What does a gyroscope do? How fast can you throw a baseball? Find the answers in the Science Playground.

There’s also Goosebumps: The Science of Fear where you’ll be faced with your craziest fears and still have some fun with interactive areas and short film presentations.

We ended our day at the Seattle Center fountain (one of my kids likes the camera more then the rest ).  Let the kids cool off before starting our trek back to the light rail.

All in all we had a great time, from 2 to almost 40 years old .  I do recommend planning it with another activity in the downtown area (if you don’t live in that area).  There is usually something happening at the Seattle Center, so its typically easy to find plenty to do. If you are able to try going on a first Thursday of the month and you could visit SAM or another local museum for free (the Coast Guard Museum on the waterfront, and the Klondike Gold Rush Museum in Pioneer Square are always free).