Rather disappointing, compared to other science museums in the country. I breezed through the three floors in less than an hour and had plenty of time to see the exhibits. Not that I read the information at each display, mind you.
Highlights for me were the dinosaur exhibits and the OmniTheatre.
A wide variety of dinosaurs are well-posed and informative. I thought the coolest exhibit was walking through the "Lost World" showing how dinosaurs, birds and turtles lived among fossilized trees in a forest. But kids preferred cranking jaws of a T. Rex open and closed, and watching lab assistants piece together bones in the Paleontology Lab.
Other exhibits included the Human Body, World Culture and Weather. The Human Body displayed Circulatory System and Connective Tissue models which were trying to be kid friendly, but wouldn't have captured my interest as a child.
The World Culture exhibit had a life-sized Hmong Hut, stuffed animals, African masks, Asian clothing and textiles from around the world. (What's the science connection?) The Weather display had a wave machine, and some experiment stations set up to create different types of weather.
The Omnitheatre was showing Jane Goodall's Wild Chimpanzees filmed in Gombe National Park in Tanzania. We easily secured our tickets and thoroughly enjoyed the chance to see the chimps up close. Frodo, an aggressive alpha male, is shown throwing rocks and acting out. Even Jane seems to fear him, and rightly so! (A week after I saw the film, I read in Outside Magazine that Frodo recently murdered a 14 month old toddler in the Gombe Forest. He ripped her from her mother's back while hiking in the forest, and smashed her against a tree repeatedly until she became disemboweled. HORRIBLE.)
The film spends only a minute or so on the violent behaviors of Frodo such as when he went on a rampage and murdered an entire troop of Columbus Monkeys single-handedly. I covered my own 18 month old daughter's eyes during that part, but for the rest of the film she laughed at the "mon-keys!" watching with big eyes as the chimps climbed, swung and played around. Wild Chimps runs October 2002 to May 2003.
Pathway to the Stars was also playing in the new 3D Laser Theatre. Visitors wear 3D glasses to view the astronomy program. Other 3D shows feature oceans, flight, astronomy, ecosystems and the brain. We didn't get a chance to see this, but have seen something similar in Chicago and it was wonderful. Every object leaps from the screen realistically. Limited show times vary by day. Call 651-221-9444.
Museum hours are 9:30am to 5pm, except Thursday through Saturday they're open till 9pm. Off street parking is available in the lower level of the museum, located in downtown St. Paul not far from the Children's Museum, Minnesota History Center and state capitol.