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The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center

“The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center seeks to inspire lifelong learning by furthering the public understanding and enjoyment of science and technology.”
—Our Mission Statement

The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center features more than 100 interactive science exhibits in eight galleries, as well as major traveling exhibitions. Visitors can create colored shadows, design images with a sand pendulum, examine the vibration of guitar strings and get their hands on a variety of intriguing scientific phenomena. 

The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center is also home to the world’s first IMAX Dome Theater, presenting the biggest films on the planet. Its unique configuration wraps the audience in images and provides the illusion of being suspended in space. In 2008, the Fleet completed phase one of a two-phase project,  refurbishing the theater’s interior, upgrading the sound system and replacing the original screen with a new seamless screen. In February 2012, phase two was completed, adding a state-of-the-art digital projection system to the theater. The Eugene Heikoff and Marilyn Jacobs Heikoff Dome Theater now shows both IMAX films and digital shows on the NanoSeamTM screen, offering audiences an immersive viewing experience available nowhere else in Southern California. Heikoff Dome Theater show topics take audiences from outer space to under water and every place in between, and are generally suitable for all ages. San Diego’s only Giant Dome Theater also plays host to planetarium shows, including the monthly Sky Tonight show, which is led by an astronomer and followed by outdoor telescope viewing, courtesy of the San Diego Astronomy Association.

The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center is open daily at 10:00 a.m. and is open in the evenings during summer and on weekends. We're open on holidays, too--check our site or call (619) 238-1233 for holiday hours. Since our opening in 1973, the Fleet has been the best-attended museum in the city and a Top 10 attraction in San Diego. We are located in beautiful Balboa Park, home to many of the city’s museums, as well as attractive gardens, intriguing architecture and picturesque fountains.

The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center offers:

  • San Diego’s only Giant Dome Theater showing incredible IMAX films and digital shows
  • Eight exhibit galleries with more than 100 interactive exhibits
  • The Tinkering Studio, where you can experiment, invent and create 
  • Kid City, an exhibition just for kids ages five and under
  • Lectures, classes, workshops and more
  • Plus Galileo’s Café and the North Star Science Store

 

The Fleet is a member of the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership, a collaboration of 26 arts, science and culture institutions in Balboa Park. By working together we produce major outcomes that no single organization could achieve alone. Benefits of our Partnership include:

  • Collective cost savings of $800,000 annually
  • Improved organizational performance and creation of new resources (knowledge, innovation, and networks);
  • New financial resources: since 2008 the Partnership has brought $4.2 million in new revenue to Balboa Park;
  • Improved public accessibility and safety through capital improvements and ADA upgrades;
  • Reduction of Balboa Park’s carbon footprint by 5.4 million kWhs and 91,000 therms annually, the equivalent of 110 homes; and
  • Professional development for more than four thousand staff and volunteers to improve professional practice and visitor experience.

To learn more about the many ways our collaboration makes the Park a better place to visit, learn, and have fun, please visit the Partnership's website at www.bpcp.org.

Summer Volunteer Recruitment