HOW TO ENJOY A DAY AT THE MUSEUM

DISCOVERY SCIENCE CENTER

2500 N. Main St., Santa Ana 92705-6600

(714) 542-CUBE (542-2823)

https://www.go2dsc.org

Open daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (except New Year’s Day, Easter, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas)

Admission:

Adults (18-54) $8

Seniors (55 and older) $6

Youths (3-17) $6

2 and under free

Members free

3-D Laser Theater (all ages) $2

HOW DO WE GET THERE?

By Freeway

* Santa Ana Freeway (Interstate 5) to Santa Ana and take the Main Street offramp. Turn north. The center’s huge cube is immediately visible.

* Garden Grove Freeway (State Route 22) to Orange and take the Main Street offramp. Go south on Main street about 0.6 miles. Center is on the right.

By Bus

* Take OCTA bus route 53, 55, 56 or 205. Also route 453, weekdays only. OCTA information: (714) 636-RIDE (636-7433) and https://www.octa.net/busrts.shtm.

By Train

* Take Amtrak’s San Diegan trains to the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center. From there, take northbound OCTA bus 205 to the science center. (On Sundays and holidays, the 205 runs once an hour, and you must walk two blocks to catch it. Go north from the train station to Santa Ana Boulevard, then east to Santiago Avenue.) Amtrak: (800) 872-7245 and https://www.amtrak.com.

* Weekdays only, take Metrolink trains to the Santa Ana or Orange stations. From Santa Ana, take northbound OCTA bus 205. From Orange, take southbound OCTA bus 453. Metrolink information: (800) 371-5465 or https://www.metrolinktrains.com.

WHERE DO WE PARK?

* Parking costs $2 in the center’s lot, which has space for 170 cars. No RVs or buses allowed.

* On weekends and other high-attendance days, the center’s lot will be valet parking only, thereby expanding capacity to 250 cars. Cost, $5.

* On weekends, visitors may park free at the Orange County Teachers Federal Credit Union, 2115 N. Broadway at Buffalo Avenue. It’s a three-fourths of a mile walk east on Buffalo and north on Main Street to the science center. The center is negotiating for additional overflow parking.

* Buses, once unloaded, will be directed to the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center, 1000 E. Santa Ana Blvd., to park.

WHAT ABOUT BABIES?

* Children 2 and younger are admitted free.

* Strollers are welcome inside the center.

* Lockers are inside the center. Turn right at the main entrance.

* There is elevator access to the second floor.

* Diaper changing stations are in both men’s and women’s restrooms.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?

* Science center officials say the typical visit will last three to four hours.

* The 3-D laser show lasts about 20 minutes.

WILL THERE BE LINES?

* The science center holds 1,000 visitors, the 3-D Laser Theater 130. Officials expect initial demand to be heavy for both, so reservations are required through January. Call (714) 542-CUBE (542-2823).

* Reservation times for science center admission are 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. A credit card number is required. One-fourth of all reservations will be available to members only.

* Reservation times for the laser show are 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Additional shows will be scheduled when demand is heavy.

WHERE DO WE EAT?

* Center’s inside/outside dining area serves food from Taco Bell and Pizza Hut.

* Sit-down and fast-food restaurants are within a half-mile walk north on Main Street, both in the MainPlace shopping mall and across the street. California Pizza Kitchen, Spoons, Arby’s, Polly’s Pies and more.

* Picnic at Santiago Park directly across Main Street. (If driving, head east from Main Street along Memory Lane and look for the park sign on the right.)

WHERE CAN WE SHOP?

* At the center’s Launch Pad Science Store, which will be selling educational toys, books, games, puzzles, science supplies and the like whenever the center is open.

* At nearby malls. See “Making a Day of It,” Page 2.

WILL THE LAUNCH PAD CLOSE AT CRYSTAL COURT?

* No. The Launch Pad, the center’s free science demonstration complex will remain open at least until its lease expires in January 2000. Hours are Mondays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sundays, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Crystal Court is in Costa Mesa on the west side of Bear Street between Sunflower Avenue and South Coast Drive.

HOW DO WE JOIN?

All one-year memberships include basic benefits: free admission to the science center, discounts at the Launch Pad gift store and free admission to more than 200 other science centers worldwide.

* One Plus, $35. Benefits for one adult and one child or other guest. Includes two laser show tickets.

* Family, $70. Benefits for two adults and up to four children, 3-17, from the same household. Or benefits for two grandparents and up to four grandchildren, 3-17. Includes six laser show tickets.

* Family Plus, $115. Benefits for two adults and all children 3-17 in same household. Includes 10 laser show tickets, two “Acousti-guide” tours and four guest passes.

* Varsity, $22. Benefits for one high school or college student with valid identification. Includes two laser show tickets and one guest pass.

* Stargazers, $250. All Family Plus benefits, plus invitations to Behind the Scenes reception, two parking vouchers and recognition in the quarterly newsletter.

To join, send names of adults, address, daytime phone number, names and birth dates of children or grandchildren, specify membership category and include check or credit card number with expiration date.

Mail to: Discovery Science Center, 2500 N. Main St., Santa Ana, CA 92705-6600.

If paying by credit card, you may fax to (714) 542-2828.

HOW DO WE CONTRIBUTE?

Six hundred personalized tiles are being sold for mounting on a wall in the center’s dining room. Buyers paint tiles with their handprint or a science-related design. Your first tile costs $200, second $150, additional tiles $100.