It surprised me how much all of the kids seemed to enjoy digging for "fossils" (but then again, kids have always liked grubbing around in the dirt) and that we almost couldn't tear my nieces away from some snap-together electrical circuit building kits.
The admission price also gave us access to the National Cowgirl Museum next door, a beautiful but sparsely populated museum dedicated to the independent women of the frontier.
Touring the Museum
We started with the small outdoor area where kids were digging for "dinosaur bones" in the dirt and a simulated stream. The heat was stifling, so their parents waited at tables in the shade.
Fort Worth Children's Museum
Next we went into an area aimed at younger children called the Children's Museum.
The coolest thing here was a cartoon-like giraffe model that must have had some kind of sensor up near the top. When someone stood underneath the giraffe's head, a playful recorded voice would talk to them and then tell them exactly how tall they were.
The kids also enjoyed going into the courtyard to play with the water cannons and other water-related games.
Leonado da Vinci Exhibit
We next went through a non-permanent exhibit about Leonardo da Vinci. The introductory film was short and disappointing. It mostly just vaguely extolled da Vinci as the quintessential Renaissance Man, whereas I had hoped my nieces would gain an appreciation for his many talents.
But the interactive mock-ups of his inventions (as recreated from his sketchbooks) were interesting to both kids and adults alike. These heavy wooden models were mostly functional, though thankfully that didn't apply to the heavy war machines. :-)
I thought the best part of this section was the interactive arches exhibit.
In one area, kids built a catenary arch (think of the St. Louis Gateway Arch) from small plastic blocks to show how strong and flexible this design is, and then next to it they could build an arched bridge from rubber blocks and walk across it.
Innovation Studios
The museum has four Innovation Studios each aimed at giving children hands-on experiences with arts, crafts, and science experiments. My nieces went into the first one and never made it out again as they got absorbed in building electrical circuits from snap-together kits according to the manuals.
Planetarium
We watched a show in the Planetarium about black holes. While this film was educational, it was probably the least interesting part of the visit because it was somewhat passive, and lacked the interactive nature of many of the other exhibits. We didn't attend any of the IMAX screenings.
Fountain Plaza
In a small area between the two museums, some kids were playing in a jetting fountain with high-pressure water spouting up from holes in the stone. These two kids were having an enormously good time.
The Final Word
The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History is well worth taking kids to if they have any interest at all in science. The interactive exhibits are well thought-out and do a good job of holding their attention.
Adults will probably find some aspects of the museum enjoyable and educational as well.
The National Cowgirl Museum is worth walking through since the price of admission is included. There aren't many exhibits and a good chunk of them are focused on movie cowgirls, but it's a beautiful building with very tasteful pieces. (Taking pictures is prohibited.)
There are a couple of art museums in this complex as well but we didn't have time to visit them.
Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
1600 Gendy St.
Fort Worth, TX 76107
817-255-9300/888-255-9300
Hours: 10 am to 5 pm daily
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