discovery station at hagerstown

Our group of kids (ages 1, 3, 4 and 7) plus parents and grandparents visited St. Patrick's Day weekend. To our surprise, entrance was free because of the holiday! We did make a donation, as we spent an enjoyable two hours here. The kids were delighted with the toys and puppet theater on the first floor, and loved sitting in the plane, the play grocery store, doll house, cow slide, and St. Patrick's Day cookies and bingo game. The adults enjoyed baseball and Titanic exhibits, and especially enjoyed talking to the delightful man who built the large Titanic model. All-in-all, it was a great afternoon. The staff was quite friendly and helpful. This is not a high-tech glossy place, but comfortable and interesting.

I was staying with friends in the area and we were looking for something to do on a Saturday afternoon. From the website, it sounded like it had a little bit of everything. What I was immediately struck by was how enthusiastic and helpful the staff was. We were there for an hour viewing the exhibits and could have stayed longer, but the place was closing. The Titanic exhibit with a scale model of the ship was fascinating, as was the exhibit about Fairchild aircraft. There was an exhibit about Japanese customs as well as one on the history of minor league baseball in the area along with a 1941 Life Magazine article about Ted Williams, which baseball fans would love. At the end of our visit, we had a long chat with a recent college grad who is managing the museum, if I'm remembering correctly. Everyone was low-key and very friendly and helpful, as I said.

The hubs and i have a family membership with our almost 4yr son plus 2 additional ones for my parents (grandparent memberships).(for this rvw use DS in place of discovery station)Currently I am in town (pgh) because a close friends husband is dying, plus my parents live here.Because of the guidelines of the discovery station membership, our membership covers her 4 kids in the Pgh museums (the children's museum and the Carnegie Science Center). The museum here accepts the kids because its the DS guidelines, otherwise they would not be covered. How awesome is it to do something nice for a family at such a difficult time? Countless rvws here and Facebook mention on how great DS is, but i wanted to highlight this particular aspect of how wonderful a membership to DS is.Let me also tell you that the hubs and i take our son to a ton of other museums for simple day trips and while on vacation in other states and are covered by our DS membership. Its like free itinerary! On day trips we pack a lunch and use our DS membership and our family day out is practically free!

We live just north of DC and were looking for a good indoor activity on a cold day with our 3 kids (7,5 and 3 years old). Discovery Station was well worth the trip. It really has something for everyone - great history for the adults, and lots of fun for the kids. The dinosaur paleontology sand table was a huge hit for all three kids, as was the space adventure area. All three kids enjoyed the aircraft exhibit. There were tons of kid friendly activities - coloring, toys, play areas - enough to distract younger kids for hours. There is also some cool local history from the Hagerstown area. Best surprise was active duty military get in free with their whole family! Have never been to any kids museum that honored military families in this way. The staff were friendly, helpful, and really seemed to want us to have a great experience. The museum really was eclectic, but in a good way - has something for everyone. Would highly recommend the trip. Thanks to all the staff!!!

We were looking for something indoors to do with the kids (1.5 and 4.5) and had run out of local options. I stumbled across Discovery Station on trip advisor and it looked like it was worth checking out. It totally was! We went on a Saturday and it was not very crowded, but we weren't the only ones there either. They had a pretty wide range of things to see and do. What was nice, was the fact that they had activities designed for different ages, so there was just as much stuff to interest my 1.5 year old as her older brother. Some of the highlights included getting to sit in the Cessna airplane, the model railroad room, the music room, and the farm room. The crown jewel was the children's area. It had a wooden train table, indoor slide, building blocks, a sand table with dinosaurs to dig, lot's of books and puzzles. All in all a very pleasant surprise. Also nice, the fact that the place was really clean. The staff were friendly, especially the young lady who checked-us in. There was an older woman who was a little too into telling my son to use his indoor voice. I get the need for crowd control, but at the time, we were pretty much the only ones there. Settle down grandma or turn down that hearing aid. We'll definitely be back for a return trip.

Great place. Great fun for all. Parking is tricky due to one way streets but persevere and you can find a place behind the entrance. Staff are very nice. Price is very reasonable. 2 floors of things to do; takes a good 2 hours to see everything. Overall a great experience.

The Target Maryland Exhibit was informative and interesting, and Susan Fox went out of her way to tailor her presentation to the different ages of our Girl Scouts. The girls and the Troop Leaders were all very impressed with Susan's knowledge, and her ability to make such a serious topic educational and fun. Also, Susan rearranged her schedule at the last minute so she would be present during our tour, which was not during the museum's normal operating hours. The DEA Tour was the big draw for our group, but the entire museum was very much enjoyed by all who attended. It was great that while one group was going through the Target Maryland Exhibit the other girls could explore all the hands-on exhibits! We were originally scheduled for three hours and we were there for almost FOUR!! The Discovery Station Staff were fantastic as well. Brittany and Steve made us feel so very welcome, and were great about accommodating such a large group - we had 40 people with us! I highly recommend visiting this jewel in Hagerstown!

We live locally but had never visited the Discovery Station until we had out-of-town guests from Maine. We liked the Japanese and Titanic exhibits especially because there was a lot of new information. We are going back soon.

No matter your age or interests, you will always learn something new and find things to enjoy. There's an exhibit for anything and everything, from baseball, to Japanese culture, to space and aircraft, to the mighty Titanic or the dinosaurs from our legends. You could spend every day here, and still find something new each time!

Susan Fox is an exceptional tour guide and a wealth of knowledge on all aspects of the drug culture. Great experience for my Great grand daughter Hayley who was with me. She wants to do her community service hours here as a tour guide.

We wanted a fun experience for our 7 year old daughter's surprise birthday party. Our girls always love going to the Discovery Station as it is fun and educational. Brittany and her team are so easy to work with, and they made it a truly incredible experience! The party room was the perfect size for the nearly 30 people that came. The exhibits are awesome as well. Parking was a little bit difficult, but they do have a small lot designated for the museum. The kids loved it, and we would definitely recommend it to anyone!

Please do your family a favor and take the free tour with DEA educator Susan Fox through this exhibit. We took our Cub Scout den of 10 year old boys through and she did an amazing job of keeping them interested. The information was given to them at a level they comprehended and her presentation was informative to both the boys and the adults present. She did a wonderful job of answering the boys questions and keeping it age appropriate. The whole exhibit was well done. The boys loved the interactive displays and still talk about what they learned weeks later. Thanks for bringing such a great exhibit to Hagerstown and having an educator that was able to keep their attention!

I have taken my son to Discovery Station on several occasions while visiting my family in the area. Every time we find something new that he really loves and wants to learn more about. Many exhibits showcase the scientific and industrial history of Hagerstown including Moller Pipe Organ Company, Mack Truck, Fairchild Aircraft, and the Western Maryland Railroad. Other exhibits give a fascinating history of the C&O Canal, the Hagerstown Suns baseball team, and an incredible mock-up of the Titanic (along with reproductions of accommodations and societal elements of the time period.You'll also find exhibits on weather, space, light, dinosaurs, world cultures, and their newest acquisition, "Target Maryland Exhibit," which highlights the effects of illegal drugs on the body and society.Many exhibits are designed for kids 7 and older, but there are still a lot of fun things for the younger ones to enjoy. Really, it's never too early to get your kids interested in learning. The staff is really great and are always ready to answer any questions. They are constantly finding new and exciting ways to add to the rich collection housed there, so go often.

ElliotFan!Thank you for your positive review of Discovery Station at Hagerstown, Inc.! We are pleased that you had a wonderful time during your recent visit and we hope to see you again soon!Thank you again!

First, reviews done in 2012 and before do not reflect the full range of this attraction -- much has been upgraded and expanded since then.To find a children's activity and learning center in such a small town as Hagerstown is actually a minor miracle. I have taken grandchildren as old as 7 and as young as 18 months here, and they have all had a wonderful time. There is a huge range of information and topics, designed for all age levels up to adult. The toddler level might look like just a play area, but it is filled with posters for parents, encouraging them on ways they might interact with their children and enhance the explorations they are doing.I think this is a wonderful place for children and their families. And the entry fees are extremely reasonable!