Only Children’s Museum in the State of Florida to be Recognized in Top 10
The Museum of Discovery and Science (MODS), South Florida’s premier children’s museum and science center, has received the Newsweek® Readers’ Choice Award as the #4 Children’s Museum to visit in 2025. MODS was the only children’s museum in the state of Florida to receive the honor of placing in the top 10 museums nationwide.
“MODS is thrilled to receive this Newsweek® Readers’ Choice Award and to be included among such a prestigious list of museums nationwide,” said Joseph P. Cox, president and CEO of the Museum of Discovery and Science & current chair of the Association of Children’s Museums. “For 48 years, our Museum team has dedicated itself to developing STEAM-based activities that encourage natural curiosity, creativity, collaboration and leadership for our 475,000 annual guests. From aviation and environmental sustainability to health and wellness, we are cultivating the next generation of scientific leaders in collaboration with our generous community partners. We are grateful to voters for selecting us as a must-visit family destination for meaningful play.”
The top 10 museums were selected editorially by travel experts and panelists, and Newsweek editors determined the final list. Readers were allowed to vote once per day in a given category. Public voting ran from January 30 – February 27, 2025.
The Top 10 Newsweek® Readers’ Choice Award museums are as follows:
- Impression 5 Science Center | Lansing, Mich.
- Jasmine Moran Children’s Museum | Seminole, Okla.
- The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis | Indianapolis, Ind.
- Museum of Discovery and Science | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
- Children’s Museum of Phoenix | Phoenix, Ariz.
- Museum of Discovery | Little Rock, Ark.
- The Strong National Museum of Play | Rochester, N.Y.
- Please Touch Museum | Philadelphia, Pa.
- Bay Area Discovery Museum | Sausalito, Calif.
- City Museum | St. Louis, Mo.
In the past year, MODS welcomed the first-ever MAGNA-TILES® Studio, a rainbow-hued play space, the result of a partnership with America’s #1 Magnetic Building Sets Brand, filled with more than 10,000 colorful magnetic shapes designed to ignite young imaginations and inspire Meaningful Play. It also recently opened the Discovery Spot, presented by JM Family Enterprises, a 5,000-square-foot exhibit that allows young scientists (ages 0-6) and their families to explore the wonder of Florida’s ecosystems.
MODS, South Florida’s award-winning attraction, features 150,000 square feet of dynamic science exhibits, an outdoor science park, a live animal collection, a rotating schedule of science shows, learning labs, café, store and a grand atrium featuring the Great Gravity Clock, a 52-foot-tall kinetic energy sculpture; the largest clock in Florida. The showpiece of the museum since 1993, this unique timepiece is one of only three in the world.
MODS also houses the AutoNation® IMAX® 3D Theater showcasing IMAX dual 4K laser projectors and a 15/70mm projection system, which revolutionizes the way guests experience films on the six-story-high screen with an immersive 12-channel sound system featuring 114 speakers capable of 52,000 watts of digital sound. The AutoNation® IMAX® 3D Theater is the only place in South Florida where you can experience the power of IMAX® with Laser and is one of only three Certified Giant Screen® theaters in Florida by the Giant Screen Cinema Association.
For more information about MODS’ exhibits, films, programs and special events, please visit mods.org.
