USA TODAY 10Best
Center of Science and Industry (COSI) named America's Best Science Museum
Best Science Museum (2021)
From dinosaurs to nanotechnology, science and natural history come alive at these museums across the continent.
The top 10 winners in the category Best Science Museum are as follows:
- Saint Louis Science Center - St. Louis
- Fort Worth Museum of Science and History - Fort Worth, Texas
- Perot Museum of Nature and Science - Dallas
- Bishop Museum - Honolulu
- Denver Museum of Nature & Science - Denver
- Michigan Science Center - Detroit
- The Franklin Institute - Philadelphia
- Tellus Science Museum - Cartersville, Georgia
- Liberty Science Center - Jersey City, New Jersey
- Center of Science and Industry (COSI) - Columbus, Ohio
Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Science Center
No. 10:
The Saint Louis Science Center offers a free place to learn and play through more than 700 interactive experiences across 10 galleries. The museum features an indoor-outdoor agricultural pavilion, four-story OMNIMAX Theater and the McDonnell Planetarium.
Photo courtesy of Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
No. 9:
The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History features 166,000 square feet of gallery space and welcomes some half a million guests each year. Exhibits cover a range of science topics, from animals of Texas to dinosaurs to space exploration. The museum is temporarily closed.
Photo courtesy of Kaitlyn Kilpatrick / Perot Museum of Nature and Science
No. 8:
Designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate Thom Mayne, this stunning 180,000-square-foot science museum on the outer edge of the Arts District boasts five floors of interactive exhibits focusing on everything from earth and space to geology, paleontology and engineering. Highlights include a children's museum with a dinosaur dig, an earthquake simulator and a gallery of gems and minerals featuring a 5-foot geode.
Photo courtesy of Bishop Museum
No. 7:
Since its founding in 1889 as a repository for Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop's family artifacts, this museum has ascended to become the state's premiere institution for documenting the area's natural history. In addition to a planetarium, the museum’s exhibits also cover botany, entomology, ichthyology and zoology. Don’t miss the Richard T Mamiya Science Adventure Center — a 16,500-square-foot facility of hands-on, immersive exhibits focusing on the environment of the Hawaiian archipelago.
Photo courtesy of Denver Museum of Nature & Science
No. 6:
This natural science museum in Denver features an IMAX theater, planetarium and plenty of interactive exhibits on everything from prehistoric dinosaurs and Egyptian mummies to virtual reality and genetics. The temporary exhibitions shine — right now visitors can learn more about Sue, the fearsome T.rex fossil.
Photo courtesy of Michigan Science Center
No. 5:
The Michigan Science Center promotes creative and dynamic STEM learning through a series of interactive exhibits. This Detroit cultural district institution features live stage shows, an IMAX Dome, 4D theater, planetarium and 8,700 square feet of exhibit space with more than 200 hands-on activities and exhibits.
Photo courtesy of The Franklin Institute
No. 4:
The Franklin Institute is a hands-on science museum that seeks to create a passion for science and tech in everyone. It holds the distinction of being Pennsylvania’s most visited museum, featuring 12 interactive exhibits that explore science — from sports to space — plus world-class special exhibitions. In the museum’s rotunda, a 20-foot-tall marble statue pays homage to the institute’s namesake, scientist and Founding Father.
Photo courtesy of Tellus Science Museum
No. 3:
This 120,000-square-foot museum in Georgia comprises four main galleries dedicated to minerals, fossils, science in motion and backyard science. Visitors can also explore space in the 120-seat digital planetarium or gaze at the stars through a 20-inch telescope. Other highlights include an 80-foot Apatosaurus and a replica Wright flyer. Visits are currently by advanced timed tickets only.
Photo courtesy of Liberty Science Center
No. 2:
The Liberty Science Center is a 300,000-square-foot learning center in Liberty State Park, where visitors of all ages can experience the fun side of science through 12 exhibition halls, a 3D theater, the Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium (the largest planetarium in the entire Western Hemisphere), a tornado-force wind simulator and a live animal collection with 110 species. Kid favorites include Wild About Animals, where guests learn about how animals catch food without becoming food themselves, the multistory Infinity Climber and the Touch Tunnel, where guests must rely on their sense of touch to navigate the pitch black space.
Photo courtesy of Robb McCormick Photography
No. 1:
COSI offers a wide array of permanent exhibits and hosts a few traveling ones, too. If space isn't of interest, check out the American Museum of Natural History Dinosaur Gallery and Ohio’s largest Planetarium, or maybe take a tour of the ancient stories of the sea hosted by Poseidon himself. Lift a 2,437-pound car with the help of a lever in the outdoor Big Science park. The museum plans to re-open on June 3.
A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to pick the initial nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote.
Congratulations to all these winning science museums!
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Eric Grossman
Eric Grossman is a travel and food/drink writer... Read More
Eric Grossman is a travel and food/drink writer who has visited more than 60 countries. Always up for an adventure, Eric is constantly searching for new and inspiring experiences, with a keen interest in luxury travel and urban exploration. Memorable experiences have run the gamut from discussing the future of food with Ferran Adrià to sharing a stage with Coldplay.
Eric Grossman
Eric Grossman is a travel and food/drink writer who has visited more than 60 countries. Always up for an adventure, Eric is constantly searching for new and inspiring experiences, with a keen interest in luxury travel and urban exploration. Memorable experiences have run the gamut from discussing the future of food with Ferran Adrià to sharing a stage with Coldplay.
Gerrish Lopez
Gerrish Lopez is a food and travel... Read More
Gerrish Lopez is a food and travel writer/photographer whose adventures have taken her from tiny islands (Isle of Man, Lanai) to mega-cities like Mexico City and Hong Kong. A former vegetarian, Gerrish has grown to appreciate carnivorous fare through sampling the best meats in the world, including smoked pork jowl in Thailand and whole hog barbecue in South Carolina. Gerrish is always looking for products and services to make her travels easier and more efficient.
Gerrish Lopez
Gerrish Lopez is a food and travel writer/photographer whose adventures have taken her from tiny islands (Isle of Man, Lanai) to mega-cities like Mexico City and Hong Kong. A former vegetarian, Gerrish has grown to appreciate carnivorous fare through sampling the best meats in the world, including smoked pork jowl in Thailand and whole hog barbecue in South Carolina. Gerrish is always looking for products and services to make her travels easier and more efficient.
Jacky Runice
Born in Bucktown when bulletproof was a home... Read More
Born in Bucktown when bulletproof was a home safety choice and not a coffee order, Jacky Runice has been knocking around Chicago as a professional print, online and broadcast journalist and editor specializing in separating the riff from the raff in culture, entertainment, food, travel and pure unadulterated fun. Jacky is a member of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA). In her best Chicagoese, Jacky asks, "Who has the time or money to blow on hotels, attractions, restaurants, exhibits and activities that blow?"
Jacky Runice
Born in Bucktown when bulletproof was a home safety choice and not a coffee order, Jacky Runice has been knocking around Chicago as a professional print, online and broadcast journalist and editor specializing in separating the riff from the raff in culture, entertainment, food, travel and pure unadulterated fun. Jacky is a member of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA). In her best Chicagoese, Jacky asks, "Who has the time or money to blow on hotels, attractions, restaurants, exhibits and activities that blow?"
Marla Cimini
Marla is a writer with a passion for travel, music... Read More
Marla is a writer with a passion for travel, music and culinary adventures (and combining those whenever possible)! As an avid globetrotter, she encourages respecting and learning about other cultures while traveling. She has visited Hawaii multiple times, and has explored destinations worldwide, including the Mediterranean region, South America, Asia and more. Marla is a contributor to Fodor’s Hawaii guidebooks (Oahu and Kauai 2020) and her articles have appeared in a number of international publications. She calls New Jersey (Philadelphia area) home. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter and read her travel tips and adventures on her website.
Marla Cimini
Marla is a writer with a passion for travel, music and culinary adventures (and combining those whenever possible)! As an avid globetrotter, she encourages respecting and learning about other cultures while traveling. She has visited Hawaii multiple times, and has explored destinations worldwide, including the Mediterranean region, South America, Asia and more. Marla is a contributor to Fodor’s Hawaii guidebooks (Oahu and Kauai 2020) and her articles have appeared in a number of international publications. She calls New Jersey (Philadelphia area) home. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter and read her travel tips and adventures on her website.
