Science, With No Reservations : Smooth Crowd Flow Lets Santa Ana Center Relax Its Admittance Rules

Reservations are no longer needed for Santa Ana’s new Discovery Science Center, which has been drawing healthy crowds without having to turn away visitors or force them to endure long lines, center officials said Monday.

The $24-million facility, which just completed its first month of operation, has been clocking 1,100 to 1,200 visitors a day, none of whom had to wait longer than about 15 minutes to get in, said spokeswoman Pam Shambra. Capacity is 1,500.

“It’s gone smoother than we all expected,” Shambra said, adding that reservations had been required until Tuesday to avoid potential overcrowding caused by the December holidays or by widespread publicity accompanying the center’s opening. Center officials initially said reservations would be required through Jan. 31.

Meanwhile, family memberships, at $75 a year, have shot up about 600, to 2,943, since the opening, Shambra said, and 39,000 schoolchildren--up from 21,000 at opening--are scheduled for field trips.

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A few glitches have cropped up during the first month, Shambra said. Among them: the Shake Shack, which simulates earthquakes, has been down for a few days and is expected to be down through week’s end; too-tall pedestals supporting texts explaining the center’s 100-plus hands-on exhibits are being lowered so children can read them.

But limited exit interviews, which will be conducted again next month, have shown that 95% of about 50 visitors surveyed said the center fulfilled their expectations, Shambra said.

Reservations are still available for anyone who wants guaranteed admission, she added.

“If someone’s coming from Riverside or L.A., for instance, and they want to be sure to get in, they should make a reservation. We get crowded on rainy days . . . and if more than we can handle come to the building, we have to turn them away.”

* Discovery Science Center, 2500 N. Main St., Santa Ana. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. $6-$8. (714) 542-2823.