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American Mensa's Top Ten Favorite Science Museums

  • Jun 14, 2013

Arlington, Texas June 13th, 2013 — As families across the nation gear up for summer vacation the challenge of finding fun and engaging activities for everyone can be frustrating.

American Mensa shares its ideas on how to best spend your time this summer. A recent survey of select Mensa members regarding Science Museums in North America revealed the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., to be their favorite. Lisa Van Gemert, Mensa's Gifted Youth Specialist said, "Our nation's science museums are a treasure for families looking for ways to keep bright minds active all year round." Hands-on learning and the variety of exhibits were just a couple of factors members considered when choosing the top 10. There was one common trait that the respondents felt was vital: the interactive aspect of the museum. Comments ranged from “innovative leader in hands-on exhibits,” to “everything is hands-on. My grandkids loved it!” 

The members surveyed were split into two respondent groups of educators and scientists. They chose their top 10 from a list of 30 museums from across the country.  To view the full infographic, visit us.mensa.org/topten. The top-10 list of museums, as selected by Mensa members includes:

  1. National Air and Space Museum (Washington D.C.)
  2. Academy of Natural Science of Drexel University (Philadelphia)
  3. Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago)
  4. California Academy of Sciences (San Francisco)
  5. Bradbury Science Museum (Los Alamos, N.M.)
  6. The Museum of Discovery (Little Rock, Ark)
  7. California Science Center (Los Angeles)
  8. Exploratorium (San Francisco)
  9. Museum of Science (Boston)
  10. COSI Center of Science & Industry (Columbus, Ohio)

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American Mensa is an organization open to anyone who scores in the top 2 percent on an accepted standardized intelligence test. Mensa has more than 50,000 members in the United States and more than 130,000 members globally. For more information about American Mensa, visit americanmensa.org or call (817) 607-0060.