It’s been a few years since we visited the Liberty Science Center. I took my girls quite a few times to see different exhibits as they opened (Dora was still their favorite!) and right around when my boys were the perfect age to make a maiden voyage, things shut down. But now it’s the perfect time for a Liberty Science Center summer day trip!

We visited last weekend and were lucky enough to catch Sue the T. Rex Experience and Hot Wheels Race to Win exhibits. It was one of the days that it was over 90 degrees so a nice cool museum was perfect.

Both of the boys (5 & 6) loved every minute of it. We were there from about 10am-1pm. Here’s a summary of the trip to give you some tips for planning a fun summer day trip:

On the way in, we stopped around the corner just outside Liberty State Park where these is a free lot and a path that you can quickly walk down for an amazing view of the Statue of Liberty and New York City. They have never seen the Statue of Liberty that close and were amazed. This also gave them some time to run around a bit after being in the car. We also had a snack and drink. We did this from about 9:30-10 before if got really hot.

Then we parked and went into the Liberty Science Center.  Some of the exhibits (like Sue) you can’t exit and re enter. They also count how many people enter exhibits and there’s sometimes a line. I am not sure how long this will go on for but while it’s the rule…. I highly recommend using the bathroom when you first enter. Because if you have to leave an exhibit for a bathroom trip you might not be able to re-enter without waiting.

We ran right up to see Sue the T. Rex Experience. It was really cool. If your kids are dinosaur fans this is a must. It’s different than visiting the dinosaurs at Museum of Natural History. It’s not nearly as big of an exhibit but it’s more hands on. There are lots of things to touch, listen to, etc. My boys are not at all the type to “stop and listen” to info in a museum but the fact that different bones on Sue “lit up” as info was being given on the dinosaur really caught their attention.

If you have ever been to the Field Museum in Chicago, you might already know Sue. Sue: The T. Rex Experience was organized by the Field Museum and it’s pretty exciting that it’s currently here in New Jersey.

The Sue experience is not part of the general admission ticket. You do have add it on to your ticket for $8. I believe it’s cheaper to do ahead of time online than to do it at the museum.

Liberty Science Center summer day trip

There are some really cute at home activities that go along with Sue the T Rex exhibit. These are fun to do ahead of time to get the kids excited for the visit: At Home Activities

After Sue they boys wanted to climb Infinity Climber. This is something I usually avoid when we visit…. mainly because it’s usually packed with kids and I always pictured my kids panicking and me having to climb and around a crowd to get them out. But now…they only let a couple kids at once! This does cause a line to form BUT they time each group. They get 4 minutes which in my opinion is the perfect amount of time for them to experience the Infinity Climber. When my boys went in it was just the 2 of them + 1 other child. Tommy was plenty tall enough but Miles just made the cut. So check the height requirement before you wait in the line.

Next we went to Hot Wheels: Race to Win. This exhibit was awesome. There were tons of Hot Wheels cars and all different tracks to try out. Even Teddy loved this part. I took him out of the stroller and he played with the cars too. There were also really cool things like a full size race car that you had to change a tire quickly like you were in the pit crew.

This exhibit is great for all ages: Teddy had fun at 1 with all the cars, Tommy & Miles could have stayed there to play for hours if I let them, and if you have older kids, there’s also a lot of learning/ STEM incorporated. For example there’s a spot with 4 tracks that you have to try and time releasing your cars to get them to collide (harder to do than it sounds!).

Next we went to see Our Hudson Home and Wild About Animals. My kids love animals so these have always been spots we spend a while walking around in.

After that we went home. There were lots of other things to see and do that we didn’t fit in on this trip. I would love to take them back for a planetarium show and to check out some of the other exhibits we missed. We are planning to take a trip back with the big sisters this summer.

Two final things to note!

1. We had a stroller and it was very easy to navigate with a stroller. The only spot that they suggested you leave it outside was in the Hot Wheels exhibit and there was stroller parking.
2. There is no a spot to eat right now. The Cafe is closed.

Enjoy your summer day trip to Liberty Science Center!