Liberty Science Center

About Liberty Science Center

Liberty Science Center is a 300,000-square-foot learning center in Liberty State Park, on the Jersey City bank of the Hudson River near the Statue of Liberty. It opened in 1993. The center's stated mission is to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers and to get learners of all ages excited about the power, promise, and pure fun of science and technology.

The building houses 12 museum exhibition halls, a live animal collection with 110 species, giant aquariums, a 3D theater, live simulcast surgeries, hurricane- and tornado-force wind simulators, K-12 classrooms and labs, teacher-development programs, and the Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium and LSC Giant Dome Theater, which the center describes as the Western Hemisphere's biggest planetarium. More than 750,000 students, teachers, and parents visit each year, with tens of thousands more taking part in off-site and online programs. Liberty Science Center is not accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums; its animal collection sits alongside its physical-science and engineering exhibits rather than functioning as a standalone zoo.

Exhibits and habitats

The center's exhibits mix physical science, engineering, and live animals across its 12 halls. A dinosaur-themed dig lets visitors uncover fossil replicas from seven dinosaur species buried in more than 60 tons of sand, while Thomas & Friends: Explore the Rails gives younger children a play space built around counting, sizing, and basic engineering concepts. An 80-foot, pitch-black crawl-through tunnel is one of the center's longtime signature experiences, built to show how much people rely on sight to navigate. A suspended climbing structure — 26 feet wide, 24 feet deep, and 19 feet tall, wrapped in 19 miles of hand-threaded wire mesh — offers a modern climbing gym with multiple routes, and a separate exhibition for younger children, designed with toy designer Cas Holman, explores balance, motion, and cause and effect.

The center's Hudson River exhibit includes a Touch Tank where visitors can handle horseshoe crabs, sea urchins, whelks, and sea stars, alongside displays on the river as a source of food, travel, and commerce. A renovated Energy Quest exhibition lets guests fill an "energy vessel," see a simulated beam of solar energy, and try hand-crank cars and appliance-powered bikes. The center's original 1992 Hoberman Sphere, designed by artist and engineer Chuck Hoberman, still expands and contracts near the upper mezzanine and has welcomed millions of guests since the original Science Center opened. Other permanent installations include an interactive exhibit using bicycle pumps to produce combinations of colors, sounds, and scents; a giant wall of 952 rotating pixel dials; a detailed model railroad depicting the Lackawanna Railroad in the early 1950s; a gallery on the James Webb Space Telescope; and an exhibit on the scientific effort to bring back mammoths, led by Harvard geneticist and LSC Genius Award recipient George Church, centered on a woolly mammoth replica built hair by hair. A microbes exhibition explores the mostly beneficial role microorganisms play in life on Earth. The main entrance passes through a wormhole-inspired vestibule using imagery, sound, and lighting effects, and in May 2026 the center unveiled a large-scale bronze sculpture by artist Molly Gochman honoring caregivers, designed for hands-on interaction. Temporary and premium exhibitions have included Poison, exploring the substance's role in nature, history, myth, and forensic science.

Animal highlights

Liberty Science Center's live animal collection includes at least 110 species listed on the center's website — a figure the center's exhibit pages also describe as "100+ fascinating animal species." Named residents include wood turtles, naked mole rats and their pups, cotton-top tamarin monkeys, and red-footed tortoises, presented through both a dedicated live-animal exhibit and a Hudson River-focused space highlighting local wild species alongside the touch tank creatures.

Planning your visit

As listed on the center's website, hours run 10 am to 5 pm; check the website for current hours before visiting, since they can vary. General admission and planetarium shows are ticketed separately — a planetarium ticket cannot be purchased without general admission, though it can be added on-site if available. The center strongly recommends buying tickets online in advance, as on-site availability is not guaranteed, and all sales are final with no refunds for unused tickets. There is no time restriction on how long guests can stay once inside. Group tickets of ten or more qualify for discounts, arranged by phone or email; other ticket types, including membership and corporate-member access, are also available. Educators receive $10 off general admission with ID shown at the box office, and active-duty military and veterans receive free general admission with ID. Through the Bank of America Museums on Us program, cardholders with a valid photo ID receive free general admission on the first full weekend of each month.

Parking is available in a 750-spot lot owned by the State of New Jersey and operated by a private company; the center does not receive parking revenue. The fee is $7 per day for cars and vans and $10 per day for buses, which are accommodated with head-in parking for up to 60 vehicles. When the lot is full, guests can park in the nearby NJ Transit Hudson-Bergen Light Rail lot at the Liberty State Park station, a three-minute walk away. A small drop-off area near the entrance, reached from Phillip Street, is reserved for guests with special needs. By transit, visitors can take the PATH to Pavonia/Newport or Exchange Place and transfer to the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, which puts the center five rail stops from the World Trade Center, or ride the light rail directly to the Liberty State Park station. Ferries run every 30 minutes from the World Financial Center to Liberty State Park, followed by roughly a 20-minute walk to the center.

For food, the Cosmic Café serves hot and cold sandwiches, house-made pizza, chicken, salads, and snacks, closing a half hour before the building does, while the Galaxy Grab and Go offers speedy self-service snacks from opening to close. The center is ADA-compliant, with induction loop systems for hearing aids and cochlear implants in areas including the Information Desk, Membership Desk, Box Office, planetarium, 3D theater, and live demonstration areas, plus FM systems and loaner headphones. Closed captioning is available in the 3D theater, and exhibit media with audio and video include on-screen captioning. Mobility features include wheelchairs available at the Welcome Desk, a drop-off circle near the entrance, large elevators to every floor, a level entrance, and accessible restrooms. The center offers a downloadable sensory map and social narrative, free sensory bags with noise-reducing headphones and fidgets at the Information Desk, and scheduled Sensory Days for guests with sensory differences. Changing tables are available on every floor, and a nursing room is located on the second floor. Only trained service animals are permitted; emotional support animals and pets are not accommodated. All visitors pass through a metal detector, lockers are available near the Box Office for a small fee, and a first aid room with trained staff and defibrillators is on-site. Confirm current hours, admission pricing, and any accessibility accommodations on the official website before visiting.