Dokuma Park – Science Center Interactive & educational museum for children and adults

Dokuma Park’s Science Center should be on your list of places to visit while in the area if you are looking for hands-on, educational fun for all. Not really knowing what to expect, our family was pleasantly surprised at just how much we enjoyed this interactive science museum, And we didn’t even get to see it all! Read on for more information about what is available and why you should visit!

What does it offer?

Designed as a place where young people can learn about the world of science by actually “doing” it, the Science Center offers six workshops and labs and various interactive exhibits. A mathematics workshop, a robotic coding and software workshop, an astronomy lab, a wood design workshop, a steam lab, and a biology-chemistry workshops are available for students to use in special courses, school field trips, or summer classes.

As of August 2022, the museum exhibits are split into two hour-long tours and can each be explored with a guide three times a day. One side of the museum features the history of science, aviation, and how science has been used in industry. The other half features geology, paleontology, space, and energy.

Each side is open to the general public with a general admission price of only 8TL for adults and 5TL for children and students. So, you will pay a total of 16TL for adults and 10TL for kids to visit both sides. This seems like a small price to pay for the experience you get.  We only toured the geology, paleontology, space, and energy half, but look forward to seeing the other side of the museum since it is all so well-done.

When your tour time begins, you will be led around by a guide who moves at a pretty quick pace and demonstrates at each station. Unfortunately, they only speak Turkish. However, signs in both English and Turkish contain detailed instructions for the hands-on exploration you will want to do. From pushing a button and causing a tornado to form to building a rocket and trying to project it as high as you can, it was all very fascinating and kept our kids (ages 7 to 17) fully engaged. Our only complaint was that we wish we had more time to actually read and explore every station.

At the end of the tour there is a cute cafe with snacks and drinks for hungry kids. There are also clean restrooms and a lovely gift shop with STEM activities and books for children of all ages.

Insider Tips

• It was a scorching hot August day when we visited and the museum was delightfully cool inside. We recommend a visit on one of those sweltering summer days when being outside is miserable.
• Show up about ten minutes early before your tour starts if you visit on the weekend to make sure there is room for you on the tour. However, it does not seem they will let you purchase tickets any earlier than that. We tried to purchase tickets an hour early and they told us to come back closer to the start time.
• When we visited, Science History, Industry and Aviation tours were offered at 10:00am, 12:00pm, and 4:00pm. Geology, Paleontology, Space and Energy tours were at 1:00pm, 3:00pm, and 5:00pm. These times are, of course, subject to change. We recommend calling and asking to be certain.
• There are plenty of hands-on things to do and cool things to look at to keep little kids engaged, but it might also be stressful if you take multiple children without help. The space is big and children will need some guidance from adults. We recommend at least one adult for every two kids under the age of 7.
• The gift shop is full of really cool things. Tucked away back from the main gift shop, the Children’s Gift Shop also has delightful toys, games, and books. But, be warned your young children will want everything in the store.
• You will have to purchase separate tickets for the individual tours, so be sure to get tickets for both if you want them.
• If you are trying to kill time before your tour, be sure to check out all the other Dokuma Park options: the Car Museum, the Anatolian Toy Museum, the Forest Library, the Children’s Train Library, or the Modern Art Gallery.

Getting There