Discovery Museum Reviews Summary

Exhibits and Displays

Pros:

• "Went to see the Rocket exhibit which was very interesting."
• "The science area is particularly interesting with lots of buttons to press!"
• "What truly sets the Discovery Museum apart is its dedication to interactive learning."
• "Features our ship building along the Tyne, coal mining, tank and armaments/munitions works, roman occupation and the Bridges."
• "A superb display of local history items and information about the area and so much to see and interact with too."
• "The exhibition on the ground floor starts with Roman history into present day, with many interesting facts for children and adults."
• "The exhibition on the ground floor is massive, and the science one on the top floor is good too."

Cons:

• "Most things are out of order. It was my first visit for about 10 years and the things that were broke then are still broke now."
• "One of the lifts also seems likes it’s been out of order for an eternity."
• "The only downside was that there were quite a few exhibits out of order."
• "Many of the lifts in the museum were out of order, making it difficult to get around with a pram."
• "Many of the interactive exhibits could use a little TLC."
• "The science maze is full of stuff that no longer works - counted at least five things that needed fixing."
• "A large proportion of the interactives were out of service or falling apart."

Staff and Service

Pros:

• "Staff extremely pleasant and even took time to teach us a bit more about one of the displays."
• "We were met at the door by a young fellow called Gary who asked if we wanted an idea of what was included in our visit. He was lovely and very knowledgeable about the exhibits."
• "Staff are very helpful, and keen on accessibility."
• "An I have to congratulate the staff; so friendly and so helpful."
• "The staff are particularly passionate about their exhibits and are happy to chat."
• "All staff we spoke to were very friendly and their passion for their work / for helping visitors to understand the context of all the exhibits sets an example for some of the other paid locations."
• "Employees are extremely knowledgeable and people oriented."

Cons:

• "The grim faced waitress did take the shine off us and several others, as she threw the food on the table, without a word or eye contact."
• "Literally descended on us and chased us out 20 mins after we entered."
• "Didn't see many staff round the place."
• "Also, there wasn't many employees around to ask for information if needed."
• "Our lovely time was ruined upon one of the volunteers... deciding to follow us... into the military history section and start talking about his military experience in uncomfortable detail."
• "They seem to stop serving hot food early, which is frustrating considering you (expect to) pay more for food inside museums."
• "Most of the interactive items did not work leaving the 5&8 Yr old confused and frustrated."

Facilities and Accessibility

Pros:

• "Free entry and located a short walk from Central station."
• "It is free entry however, which makes the museum much more appealing."
• "There is seating everywhere, so I could be close to them but sitting comfortably at the same time."
• "Clean toilets and a nice spacious cafe."
• "The building is wheelchair with an elevator available to access all floors."
• "Staff were all really helpful and it was so easy to get about even with the push chair."
• "Wheelchair/pram accessible throughout."

Cons:

• "One slight issue was the toilet on the bottom floor were not very clean which was disappointing."
• "Unfortunately there is no cafe here but there are plenty of places to eat near by."
• "The floors were covered in thick mould and algea. All of the dryers were out of order leaving the kids soaked afterwards."
• "Quite difficult to park nearby and if you can get a space they are quite tight."
• "The main lift was out of order and there was no where to park our minibus."
• "Parts of the museum are looking tired and several interactive displays are not working."
• "Parking is limited close by first come first served but there is a multi-storey close by."

Value and Experience

Pros:

• "It's free, so leave a donation as this is what keeps places like this open."
• "It's free but I'd encourage everyone to make a donation."
• "Definitely one to go back to!"
• "Well worth a visit, kids loved it too."
• "A fantastic free (donations welcomed) museum, close to the centre of Newcastle and with something for all ages."
• "Great free place to go with the kids. The kids science section keeps the little ones entertained for ages with loads of interactive bits."
• "For a free museum we were incredibly impressed and wouldn't have begrudged paying to enter."

Cons:

• "The only issue that I had was the audio was far too loud."
• "It's a beautiful museum although it seems a bit 'messy'... A bit of history, a bit of science, a bit of technology, a bit of almost everything."
• "Sadly this place is long overdue a refurb."
• "Not sure what age group they were aiming for. All that aside the potential is amazing as there are some brilliant things to see just needs massive maintenance upgrade and more imaginative curating of the somewhat stale space to engage and enthuse the mind and senses."
• "We took our 11 month old and it wasn't really suitable for him."
• "It was very boring. Saying that it was also very fun... hence the 3 ***"
• "For us what spoilt it was the out of control kid's whose parents didn’t give a fig for anyone else."