Active military discounts
Yes
Don Harrington Discovery Center in Amarillo
Categories
Location on the map
Amarillo, Potter County, Texas, US
Highlights
Live performances
Yes
Accessibility
Wheelchair-accessible car park
Yes
Wheelchair-accessible entrance
Yes
Wheelchair-accessible lift
Yes
Wheelchair-accessible toilet
Yes
Amenities
Good for kids
Yes
Toilets
Yes
Wi-Fi
Yes
Restaurant
No
Crowd
Family friendly
Yes
Phone: +1 806-355-9547
Site: http://www.dhdc.org/
Site: http://www.dhdc.org/
Opening hours
- Monday:Closed
- Tuesday:9:30AM–4:30PM
- Wednesday:9:30AM–4:30PM
- Thursday:9:30AM–4:30PM
- Friday:9:30AM–4:30PM
- Saturday:9:30AM–4:30PM
- Sunday:12–4:30PM
Comments (112)
It IS an amazing place to take your kids; adults need to be responsible for their kids to not ruin it for everyone else! The new electricity show with the Tesla Coil was memorizing! I couldnt get my boys off the magnet ball-drop wall. The only thing they didnt really enjoy was the kaleidoscope show in the movie dome. It is pricey but they LOVE to come here!
When my kids and I went everything did not work. There is only one floor its not fun when things are broken or not working. It isnt work $14.00. Id rather go to the Science Spectrum in Lubbock tx. Its about $8.00 and everything works and we have 4 floors and plus an Omnimax theater.
Small, easy to locate museum. Great for toddlers to elementary aged kids. A lot to see and do hands on. Takes about 2 hours to go through. Worth the money for admission, pack a lunch or keep your receipt for same day admission
I you are visiting Amarillo, or have lived in Amarillo for 20 years... if you are 2 years old, or 92 years old, or somewhere between, this place is a must visit. Bring your whole family. This place has so much to do! There is something to learn for everyone. Hands on interactive exhibits. Indoor and outdoor exhibits. Climbing, music, space, weather, news station simulator, building stations, construction, dinosaurs, gravity, perpetual motion, and so much more that didnt even have time to check out.And in the price of admission, it included a show in the theater... the one we went to was all about the gross stuff the human body does, which was funny, gross, and informative all at the same time.The staff was at the front desk any time I needed them for anything and were very friendly.I am definitely coming back next time I visit the area.
Fun experience for our 4 year old! Lots of hands on activities. She loved the giant ant farm and the stage area! Cant wait to come back as she gets older!!
We LOVED the Discovery Center! From young kids to young-at-heart we all enjoyed and were engaged the entire time we were there! We can’t wait to go back!
Great place for kids to be active if its cold out even if its not they have many things to do and to look at, the exhibits are on point.
Love it, reminds me of the science spectrum, only older, but with some cool stuff they dont have. My son had more fun here.
Love taking my kids here! its always so clean. the toddler room is the funnest for the little ones!
Kids enjoyed it, though it wasnt big. Membership (or in our case ASTC membership) gets you into the museum and the show. Hands on science center with free parking. The large soccer billiards table was neat.
I enjoy taking my son here I think its one of the good few places left in amarillo for kids,but its overpriced. Ive been across the US and this discovery center is one on the higher side for what it is,in other areas the discovery centers are twice the size and free to the public. I think they should either lower the price or expand it.
My kids love visiting the DHDC! They have special events are certain days for different age groups like the combustion day for 4th of July where they had different experiments for kids to learn by doing. We also visited for a coffee and cuties event where my kids painted and made crafts with other kids. It seems like there is always something going on at DHDC and it is always a place where kids can have fun and learn at the same time. We enjoyed watching a show in the Space Theater. They show educational/documentary type videos you might see on discovery channel, but it is very entertaining watching on that dome ceiling screen.There is also an indoor playground and outdoor science park with playground equipment too
Great place to bring your kids of all ages! A wonderful learning adventure! Always undergoing some improvements and new experiences so it never gets old. I came here in elementary school as a kid and it was so much fun! Now I get to take my six year old son and watch him learn and experience everything they have!
We had a blast. Will definitely come back when we travel this way.
My 5 and 7 year old loved it! Great for boys and girls
No one else has mentioned it but there is a really cool helium statue out front it was very interesting built in 1968 it has four time capsules in it..... pretty cool to see...
Staff is amazing! Lots of fun stuff for kids and adults!
Great place to take a field trip with the kiddos. They have 4 different areas to explore & discover. We spent a couple of hours there and had a great learning experience.
Good science exploration center for kids. 10 year old liked it too .enjoyed couple of hours here. Exhibits are hands on and instigate curiosity .4 star only because i compare it with Oklahoma city science center which had many more exhibits.
For DHDC being such a kid and family focused place, I personally do not appreciate a whiskey and wine invitation, especially addressed to my 10 year old. I understand it’s probably just a mailing list and you have no idea how old “Melody” is; however, aren’t most of your customers children based?This really bothers me.
Playtime is always fun here!! Mybb and the kids always enjoy it very much!!
Awesome, for kids, family for all...save at least 3 hours for this place.- time flies here!!!
All 5 kids are having a blast here. Very friendly staff, lots to do, clean and well maintained. Great way to spend a day with kids.
A great little science museum, friendly staff, interesting exhibits, we love coming here on rainy or cold days. My son has a blast and I dont have to wonder what we are going to do today! And may I add, the new construction exhibit is out of this world awesome!
Love this center. Been here several times with the kids. The 3 rating is for lack of maintenance on the exhibits. About a third of the hands on exhibits were not functioning or missing items.
We were very excited to take our 8 year daughter on a hands-on science expedition. We thought this facility would be great because the website advertised a bunch of fun activities. We paid $52 for 3 adults and 1child. Very pricey, but hoped the exhibits would make up for it. We were WRONG! Over half of the exhibits did not work and the facility was not clean or even smelled clean. The show in the auditorium was Christmas themed but also very dissapointing. Even our daughter said this was a total rip-off.
Overpriced, small and an overall disappointment. I’ve visited a lot of science centers around the country and this by far was a one of the worst for the cost. When I asked about a teacher discount I was first asked where i taught and when ready to show my ID she informed me the discount was only reserved for teachers in “certain” school districts. I wonder if they discriminate the same way with certain senior citizens or certain branches of the military???? They have a lot of space but not too many exhibits. Nothing stood out as really impressive or worth going back for. The holiday theater show was not even a realistic or anything children could relate to. A few live animals. It kept my child entertained for under an hour at most. Even then, she mostly played with legos. We may be going back but not inside, we will rather play at the free playground across the street.
Said open till 4:30. show up doors are locked, no ones answering the phone. no note on door or website.
Could be a really great place. We brought our 8 year old twin nephews here Saturday and over half of the exhibits were broken or did not work properly. For a $46 entry fee I was very disappointed. Nice clean place, but the exhibits need a lot of attention.
It is amazing. If you have an Oak Dale child (a child that goes to Oak Dale) That child gives the whole family your taking to the discovery center a free membership. All you have to do is bring an Oak Dale child and they will tell them their name. What school they go to and what grade their in. And the family is in! And this place has very friendly atmosphere and kids love to play here. Wow!
Wife took our grandkids most of the exhibits where broken didn’t work, no staff to be around kids running all over the place no supervision bigger kids running over little kids probably will not return. Sad Amarillo doesn’t have a lot of places to take kids too and it seems and they all are overseen like this shame
We love going here!! It is always a good time. the kids play for hours, and the adults always learn something. Even the kids to young to understand the exhibits have fun. Everything is interactive, and exhibits change regularly. Need more places like this!!!
We recently moved to Amarillo, TX and our friends who are local in the area suggested we get the one year membership and so far, its already worth it. Its our third time here today. Our family of four would cost us $46 / visit whilst a Family membership (up to 6 members!) is $90... So as I have said... Well worth it! I have read that every season, exhibits change so we are looking forward to summer, fall and winter to see and experience them.
We spend a lot of time in science museums and such as we travel. I really wish more was put in to ours! While it is clean and the staff is friendly, it just isnt what it used to be. Theres more to read than to actually DO and every time we go many things arent working. We went at opening this weekend and found this to be the case once again. The wind machine card reader didnt work, several activities in the half that was open were broken, and even the theatre screen wasnt working properly .I would also suggest offering half-priced days on days that half of the building is closed to change out exhibits. They do warn you at the counter but honestly nobody wants to make a group of kids leave right when they get there .We took family that was in town with us since they hadnt been in years. We warned that they would be disappointed but they were optimistic. It didnt take long for them to change their mind. Definitely not worth the money any more.
I have always enjoyed taking my grandchildren to the Discovery Center. Through the years and different age spans, it was a trick to get them to leave the center. With these experiences in mind, when my brother-in-law brought his great nephew to visit, the Discovery Center was one of the places we had to go to. This trip was thoroughly a disappointment. The west side of the center activities seemed pointless and not intriguing. The exhibits that might have been interesting were not working. There were no employees around to answer any questions concerning the purpose or directions to each activity. We proceeded to the Pirate exhibit thinking that the activities in that area would make up for our initial disappointment. This turned out to be even more disappointing. The children with us called it a museum because all you really got to do is read and look. The panning for gold was a total hit but they were ready to go 30 minutes into our visit. The treasure hunt hands on was also not available to use. Children learn through doing and experiencing. Past times when we visited, this is what was available--a hands on and experiencing adventure. I know that new exhibits are natural and necessary to keep people curious and interested but tried and true activities do not need to be taken away. Our experience this last Tuesday, 6-10-14, was not enjoyable in any way. We left the Discovery Center and went to the Panhandle Plains Historical Museum and watched the kids have a blast. They offered viewing only exhibits but they also offer the chance for children to try, see, hear, and feel history. I am extremely disappointed in our experience at the Discovery Center. I may be the only person to feel this way but I had to express my disappointment since previous to this visit I would have nothing but praise for the activities and learning experiences you have offered to our children.
Good for kids over 3. There are a few things for babies to do, would like to see some more visual or color and pattern displays that would be attractive to babies. There is a safe baby play area which is nice! Have not seen many places with a safe space for crawlers to 18 months.
Fun stop on our trip to Amarillo. Few exhibits aren’t working, but there was plenty more to experience. Truly enjoyed the art work on display!
If you want to take your children out for some fun activities this is the place. It is a great location with access to an outdoor play area as well. They do children activities throughout the day. And if you get their family membership you can get free or reduced coast access to to many other science places across the US.
I used to come here all the time and it has really gone down hill. The restrooms had poop all over the door and stalls, my daughter thought it was chocolate and almost ate it.. Seriously? The outside area is also DISGUSTINGLY FILTHY. With all the money you make youre telling me you cant hire someone to clean up the trash? Im sick of this place! Over priced! And dirty!
Not very sanitary. Every time my child visits this place she always ends up with Strep Throat or just sick with RSV or the Common Cold. It is not a good place to visit regularly for I have found myself going there a lot less now that my child is 5. We started taking her when she was an infant almost weekly sometimes daily, and as the years went on it of course became super lame, and there was so many germs that are clearly inescapable. So now I do not plan on buying another year membership. I also want to mention how sad the New Years Eve event was. Only a handful of kids got a balloon if not more than one (greediness). There were at least 100 or more kids left in the back ground just to watch only a few kids enjoy the event. It was heart breaking to see how many children were disappointed that year. It was also no good to have to pay such an awful turn out.
Good place to enjoy your family. But let down when we were told the movie theater was suppose to be a sea experience and we got a boring broke down show of a telescope. When we asked why it got changed they were rude and told us because they didn’t wanna play the sea experience.
Back when I worked here we took care of our exhibits...20% of whats on the floor is in bad or non working condition. Step it up. I expect better from yall.
Great time, fun for the whole family, enjoyed the planetarium show as well. Would definately recommend if you are traveling through Amarillo!!
We had a great time, although it seemed a bit empty, it was very nice. The dome needs an update soon which means people probably need to visit & help raise money for upgrades. All in all it was a very educational experience!
MY sister-in-law and I visited the science museum with our children and although they were many things that we enjoyed there, we will not be back. In the dinosaur exhibit, when it was discussing poop, it had a sign &#@! happens. In a place that is supposed to promote knowledge, discovery and curiosity I was appalled that they had this sign. Vulgarity is sign that you do not have sufficent vocabulary to be able to express yourself. My seven year old (who reads everything) doesnt need to think that cussing is cute funny or an acceptable way to communicate. I know it may seem too harsh to give a rating based on one sign but this isnt something that was put up haphazardly, every single exhibit was thought about and planned for children to present them with knowledge in a way that would not be easily forgotten.
Was recently updated and me and my family LOVE it there!! Dinos are amazing they just need to ha e the noise on for the full experience!
It is a very good located place. Always very clean. I do not recommend going there with out a membership, as it is a little pricey. The summer camps are garbage.
This is one of the things to do with your kids in amarillo. Its has many things for your kids to be entertained the only bad side is that they keep it up for a couple of months which means you keep going back to see the same thing you did last time. But if the kids like it!
Bring the whole family and check out the brand new exhibits! Totally worth the trip and time! Youll be guaranteed to have a blast!
Took my boys to have some hands on science fun....boy was I wrong. Pieces of each hands on part was missing, things had no explanation of what the exhibit was about, and lots of things were broken. There was no starting point to anything. It was being thrown in a room with a bunch of broken, missing things and trying to create science from nothing. My family didnt enjoy it.
Perfect place to take your children. So much fun.
Fun place for my 8 and 6 year olds.
They added lots of good centers. My kids love playing here.
We had a great experience! Our 7 yr old grandaughter didnt want to leave after 4 hours! We adults were just as fascinated.
Great place to learn & play. The upgraded space theater is outstanding. The hands-on exhibits are great. The staff is super friendly & helpful.
Kids has a wonderful time. Very clean. Good customer service.
Easy parking. Had a bit of trouble finding my destination once inside.
Neat place. The hot air balloon thing wasnt working. I have to admit the falcon and owl room was creepy.
The 4.0 festive activities were amazing. I had a great time enjoying the day with my family. Wish to see more things like this.
Many of the experiences were non functioning either due to missing parts, no power, or supplies locked up. What did work entertained my children.
Great place to take your family. They have wonderful exhibits and keep kids of all ages entertained.
Perfect place to take our six-year-old. Very educational for her agegroup. She loved it!
This place is not worth the money. Half of the experiments are physically broken and/or worn out, an almost EVERYTHING here that is computer assisted HAD crashed or is broken.
A really great place to visit with kids. Its definitely a must visit
My kids always have a lot of fun here exploring.
This place is awesome and the kids would probably spend a week here if they could.
Everyone was extremely nice. And loved to help everyone.
80%of the “ exhibits “ are non functional .Very disappointing and we are members?Will reconsider.
Always fun and exciting. We love to spend family time at DHDC!
Yall close to early. Thats my only complaint
Very fun and interactive place for all ages
Its super neat, just a little growded.
Great place for kids to learn about science and discover new things.
Great place to take the kids. We love it.
Such a fun educational outing, will definitely go again
Great for ages 13 and under
Lego and transportation.
Kids love this place! Let the roam...
Great place for a day of family fun
Always have a great time here and its educational
Fun, low key and not terribly expensive.
Awesome!!!! Like everytime we come!!!
Very friendly staff and great family atmosphere.
Always filled with annoying kids on field trips.
Always walk the lake
Kids had a great time....
One of the fun things to do in Amarillo
Excellent place, I love it
The kids loved it!
Lots of fun
Awesome place for the kiddos!
What a place to take your kids!
Awesome as always
The star or galaxy show the movie on the ceiling
AMAZING!
Good to learn
You learn a lot
Fun
Kids enjoy
Well sanitized
Im doing a project on this!!!not bad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Awesomeness
Total reviews rating 4.4
112 Reviews for Don Harrington Discovery Center 2023:
Review №1
2022-05-22This place is amazing!! My kids love it so much. The equipment is very well loved on everyday, are there going to be thing that dont work sometimes sure but there is so much for the kids to do it usually is not so much of an issue. Plus, when you go the next time it is usually fixed again. The season pass is well worth it as it is hard to really do everything on the first visit and it is constantly changing they are always add new fun things to explore!!!
Review №2
2022-04-16Everything is broken, turned off, or missing parts, but still charging full price of course. Really fun for little kids, but SERIOUSLY needs to care and attention. It’s no fun when half the stuff doesn’t do anything. All the pictures I posted and MANY I didn’t post were broken or missing parts
Review №3
2021-07-16It was perfect for families! Lots of hands on fun. We spent 2 hours and could have spent more time...we closed them down. Two sides of inside activities and an outside activity grounds. It is right by the time capsule and a great outside park with water stations. Great time.
Review №4
2022-04-03My family and I love coming here, we have such a great time. The membership is worth getting.
Review №5
2022-06-11Tons of family fun! We spent 2 hours there to break up a long road trip. The animal lady was REALLY awesome and shared some fun info while she was feeding the critters. Highly recommend a stop. There is also a large pond to explore as well as a playground and splash water park right there.
Review №6
2021-07-31I brought my 1, 3, 5, and 7 year olds and they all had a great time doing all different things. We spent a couple hours and could have done more.We watched the reef show in the dome movie place. It was about 30 minutes and held their attention well. (Though wasnt quite high-def 😄)They enjoyed using the construction equipment and making pretend news broadcasts as well as lots of other things.Great stop for little kids! We will go again if we are ever passing through Amarillo.
Review №7
2021-05-11We absolutely LOVE the discovery center! We go at least once per year and the kids always enjoy it. The best part is, so do rhe adults! Ive been going since I was a tiny kid and it has always had so many fun and engaging things to do. I really enjoy hearing my kids discuss the new things they learned while we were there, not even realizing they were learning! They just think its FUN!! Highly recommend!!!
Review №8
2022-03-31After a disappointing experience here a few months ago (almost was broke.) I visited the place again, only to be amazed on how they did a complete 180 on the maintenance and items available. From the working dregg, to the new exhibits. Good job!
Review №9
2022-07-01While the price may seem a little high for some, it is a great way to let the kids have fun while staying cool. The learning is also a huge bonus. And the staff is amazingly friendly.
Review №10
2022-05-26Awesome place to take kids of all ages! There is so much to learn and some amazing activities! They also change exhibits regularly, so theres always something new!