Discovery World
Discovery World
4.5
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Discovery World is an extraordinary experience devoted to sharing the wonders of science and igniting a love of endless exploration. We are the spark of joy in a child’s eyes when they make a connection with a living creature. We are the sudden and satisfying “Aha” when you discover something you didn’t even know you were looking for. We are the beginning of your lifelong learning adventure.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
555 reviews
Excellent
292
Very good
170
Average
52
Poor
27
Terrible
14
Cindy J
Grand Rapids, MI99 contributions
Apr 2023 • Family
We visited Discovery World a couple of hours before closing, and there weren't many people at all, especially considering the stormy weather, which I attributed to time of day.
This museum is definitely geared toward very young kids, which surprised us as many we have been to have something for all ages. Many of the exhibits were broken, and the facility is out of date. The aquarium is the best feature but much smaller than we expected.
Parking in the secured lot is different. You swipe your credit card on the way in which marks your time of arrival and swipe again when you leave, which then charges you. I was confused at first because garages do not work like this where we are from.
Overall, it was not worth the $60 admission fee for us.
This museum is definitely geared toward very young kids, which surprised us as many we have been to have something for all ages. Many of the exhibits were broken, and the facility is out of date. The aquarium is the best feature but much smaller than we expected.
Parking in the secured lot is different. You swipe your credit card on the way in which marks your time of arrival and swipe again when you leave, which then charges you. I was confused at first because garages do not work like this where we are from.
Overall, it was not worth the $60 admission fee for us.
Written April 6, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Todd C
Neenah, WI176 contributions
Apr 2022 • Family
We have been here before and had a day to do something so decided to come back again. Same as a couple years ago. The kids love running around and playing with everything. Unfortunately they must not be investing with upkeep. A lot things are broken. If you are gonna keep charging for admission and it’s not cheap. $36 for one adult and 9 year old. Maybe you should invest in upkeep. Make the items work again. The water area that teaches how rain water and city water work had a lot of areas that were not working at all. Just starting to feel run down. We won’t come back until we hear they have decided to do some work on it.
Written April 24, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sandeyfeet
Madison, WI120 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
I took my 5 year old granddaughter for a visit. I counted the minutes until I could leave. Please realize this isn’t a “fun” museum- this is strictly science and “Wisconsin science”, specifically. Think- sewage system, construction trucks made here, etc. if you’re limiting yourself to science from here it’s, well, limited.
The aquarium is nice but our child goes regularly to the Shedd in Chicago so DW is lackluster in comparison. She liked the old ship. There were broken items in various places such the bottle races.
This isn’t the kind of museum where you ooo and ahhh over cool things (maybe the rain, thunder exhibit) - it’s the sort of place a school may take a child to learn not to have fun.
Parking was easy.
The aquarium is nice but our child goes regularly to the Shedd in Chicago so DW is lackluster in comparison. She liked the old ship. There were broken items in various places such the bottle races.
This isn’t the kind of museum where you ooo and ahhh over cool things (maybe the rain, thunder exhibit) - it’s the sort of place a school may take a child to learn not to have fun.
Parking was easy.
Written October 27, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Firefanne
Chicago, IL164 contributions
Feb 2023
We were in Milwaukee for the long weekend, and walked from our hotel downtown to the Betty Brinn children's museum and then to Discovery World (we stopped for lunch in the cafe in the art museum in between, which was a lovely spot for lunch and the only place to get real food on the winter Saturday we were in this area). It was a full but easy, fun, and good day.
Discovery World is a cool small science museum. My 5 year olds favorite part was the aquarium area. There's a cool glass tunnel where fish swim over you, glass floor that they swim under you, an area you can touch sting rays and sturgeon. The great lakes area seemed exciting for the kids to run around, the ship upstairs is cool to play on.
The snack shop was little and okay for snacks, but don't plan to eat a meal here. It's easy to bring your own food.
Discovery World is a cool small science museum. My 5 year olds favorite part was the aquarium area. There's a cool glass tunnel where fish swim over you, glass floor that they swim under you, an area you can touch sting rays and sturgeon. The great lakes area seemed exciting for the kids to run around, the ship upstairs is cool to play on.
The snack shop was little and okay for snacks, but don't plan to eat a meal here. It's easy to bring your own food.
Written March 6, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ELKW
United States11,866 contributions
Oct 2023 • Family
it is closed on both Mon and Tue, so weird, and it closed at 4pm on other days, the admission fee is overpriced, and the parking fee is very expensive, the parking fee in the nearby museum is much cheaper. There is a touch tank, but even for adult, you need to immerse the whole arm into the tank to touch the stingray, so for kids, it's difficult for them to touch unless they swim near the surface. Not much to see in the aquarium, there is simulation for flying a plane, but the one for driving a car needs to be very tall to try it, I don't know whey young kids can fly the plane but not drive the car, there is min. requirement to try out the car driving. There are several parts you can explore. it also has VR experience.
Written October 28, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jesus4life72385
Dry Ridge, KY40 contributions
Jun 2023
This place is amazing!! Our 6 year old is a very hands on learner and this place has it all! Other science museums we've been to have a lot of hands on learning but also a lot of reading. Discovery World is all hands on. There are signs to explain things but you can learn as you're doing the activity. My husband and I loved this place just as much as our daughter. There was so much to see and do. We loved all of the science stuff but also loved the aquarium part and learning about the Great Lakes. Our daughter cried when we left even though we had seen everything. That's how much she loved this place. I cannot recommend this place enough!! If you're in Milwaukee with kids, GO HERE!!
Written July 8, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Todd C
Neenah, WI176 contributions
Mar 2020 • Family
What a fun time for the kids especially on his birthday. The weather made it even better. The view of Lake Michigan is amazing. Walking to all the different areas and seeing all the fun things for kids and adults to do made this place a great place to spend a couple hours. They sure do know how to keep the kids going. There is so much to do. If you are in Milwaukee and have kids this is the place to go. Keep them busy for hours on end.
Written March 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stein048
Salem, WI49 contributions
Apr 2019 • Family
We stayed here at Discovery overnight for a Girl Scout activity. It was a nice experience. Staff was friendly, and it was nice to explore the exhibits without the usual crowd. Interactive exhibits. Not sure it would be as fun for younger kids, but 7+ seem to enjoy it. Would definitely return again for a regular visit.
Written February 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Paradise590539
3 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
I have mixed reviews about this place. I took my 2 boys while we were visiting from out of town. I was not impressed with the parking situation. There was a garage but I drive a truck so it was not going to fit in the parking garage. But I’m from the south so maybe this is normal.
My boys seemed to enjoy the exhibits especially the flight simulator and the virtual reality.
The employees at the front receptionist/cashiers were not friendly at all. The didn’t smile or greet us or make any suggestions about where to enter. We almost missed the aquarium area because they didn’t mention it and the signage wasn’t that great.
The views outside of the center was amazing. It seemed like a really neat area with the harbor and the museums nearby. Probably wouldn’t ever go back but it was somewhere to spend a couple of hours.
My boys seemed to enjoy the exhibits especially the flight simulator and the virtual reality.
The employees at the front receptionist/cashiers were not friendly at all. The didn’t smile or greet us or make any suggestions about where to enter. We almost missed the aquarium area because they didn’t mention it and the signage wasn’t that great.
The views outside of the center was amazing. It seemed like a really neat area with the harbor and the museums nearby. Probably wouldn’t ever go back but it was somewhere to spend a couple of hours.
Written July 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Betty
2,808 contributions
Dec 2023 • Family
We had a nice time here. There are lots of interactive displays for younger kids to enjoy but quite a few were broken. The aquarium was nice, not as big as we expected. The kids enjoyed touching the stingrays and sturgeons. It is a smaller museum and enjoyed more by kids than adults.
Written January 13, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Are carry-ins allowed?
KChristman
Milwaukee, WI6 contributions
Carry-ins are indeed allowed for the general public when visiting the museum. We ask that food and beverage consumption stay limited to our Promenade area, where there are cafe tables for your convenience. Food and beverages are not allowed in the exhibit areas.
Discovery World also offers food for purchase at DK Express by Bartolotta’s, where you can enjoy a wide variety of artisanal sandwiches, fresh salads, rotating hot items, ‘grab ‘n go’ snacks and more… all while you experience the outstanding service and hospitality you’ve come to expect from Bartolotta’s.
Carry-ins are not allowed during catered events.
LobsterLover6
Gold Canyon, AZ62 contributions
Would two adults enjoy a visit here or is this more focused on children?
F1Rumors
Chicago, IL81 contributions
It is an interesting visit for adults too...
ncopley92
New Lenox, IL46 contributions
I have a 2 year old and a 5 year old.. would they enjoy it if we drove up there? We get in free with our science and industry membership. Thanks!
Susan J
Menomonee Falls, WI233 contributions
Actually, if you are in that area of Milwaukee, the Betty Brinn Museum might be a better choice for a 2 & 5 year old. I'd save Discovery World until they're a few years older.
bergmbfam
Janesville, WI
Is there parking at the museum? If not what's recommended for parking?
KChristman
Milwaukee, WI6 contributions
Discovery World’s underground heated parking lot can hold 200 vehicles. Handicap parking spots are available and conveniently located near the elevator. Please see the 'Visit' section on Discovery World's website for most current pricing.
Additional parking can be found at various lots & metered street spots located on Milwaukee’s lakefront. For more information about alternate parking options, visit the ParkMilwaukee website.
Kathleen R
6 contributions
what is the admission cost for a 72 yr old person?
Discovery World Volunteer Department
Milwaukee, WI
Discovery World's admission pricing for Seniors (60+) is now $16
jarncePortage
Portage34 contributions
What are the closest hotels to Discovery World?
KChristman
Milwaukee, WI6 contributions
The are a large variety of hotels throughout Downtown Milwaukee. As of May 2019, the 5 hotels closest to Discovery World are as follows (in order of distance from museum):
-The Westin Milwaukee
-The Pfister Hotel
-Kimpton Journeyman Hotel
-Hilton Garden Inn Milwaukee Downtown
-Milwaukee Marriott Downtown
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Claim your listingDiscovery World - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)
Frequently Asked Questions about Discovery World
- Discovery World is open:
- Sun - Sat 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
- Hotels near Discovery World:
- (0.30 mi) The Westin Milwaukee
- (0.51 mi) The Pfister Hotel
- (0.55 mi) Milwaukee Marriott Downtown
- (0.60 mi) Kimpton Journeyman Hotel
- (0.60 mi) Hilton Garden Inn Milwaukee Downtown
- Restaurants near Discovery World:
- (0.06 mi) Harbor House
- (0.07 mi) Milwaukee Art Museum Coffee Shop
- (0.30 mi) Stella Van Buren
- (0.19 mi) Cafe Calatrava
- (0.26 mi) Rare Steakhouse