putnam museum of history and natural science

My latest experience at the Putnam was a field trip with my students. Their education department was so eager to make our experience enjoyable. I love the teachers night that the museum does so that teachers can preview the exhibits. I really enjoyed the science exhibit!

Visited the Putnam on a weekday afternoon to see the Diana, A Celebration exhibit a few weeks before it closed. There was an insane line which was not directed where to flow, meaning that people were totally confused as to where to go. After waiting on line for 1 hour with no direction from staff, I received my ticket and went upstairs to get on another line to actually get into the exhibit. It turns out all of the line stoppages were caused because the first turn into the exhibit is unnaturally narrow, which bottle-necked people there. Once you got past that (1 1/2 hours after arrival), there was actually enough space to spread out and enjoy oneself! I can't believe they are not better prepared for large crowds. Definitely some employees were needed to keep the peace on the lines, not to mention the ropes to keep people moving in the right direction!

Everyone had lot of fun. Kids enjoyed the mummies and are still talking about them. Adults had fun watching the kids enjoy themselves.

We took a little road trip up here from springfield, IL to eat at the machine shed. While here, we decided to check this place out. We all had a blast. There were lots of fun things to do and we even brought home some gemstones and fossils. I would definitely visit again!

Terrific place to visit because their exihibits cover so much local history. We orginally attended to view a special event, Princess Diana, and stayed to walk through the whole museum. The IMAX Theater is well worth the visit alone, but there is so much more to see. A lot of students are brought there for field trips and we saw a lot of parents with their children there too.

This museum preserves the regional history of this area and explores the relationship between the different cultures and science and how the past affects everyone. It gives us the ability to see a mummy,travel back in time, solve a crime(CSI the experience),walk through a Mississippi river cave and watch a movie on large Imax screen.

Nice museum for the town of Davenport. The kids really liked the mummies. Neat exhibits for a small town venue.

Really interesting displays and interactive items. Good for all ages. Difficult to find you way around and the map is not very clear, but if you don't mind wandering a bit, it's well worth your time.

I have had the opportunity to visit the museum many times over the past 10 years. The children I have attended with have always enjoyed all the museum has to offer. Every section has a different theme, so there is always something for all different interests. The IMAX theatre always has a great movie to see, too.

My husband and I took our 10 and 8 YO granddaughters and we ALL had a great time! There is really a LOT to see and do. Lots of hands-on for the kids and plenty to interest the adults. My husband was especially glad we went on a Monarch butterfly day, so we got to take home caterpillars to feed and watch them turn into butterflys. Not really for young children, school age and above. We saw lots of older couples there. Also, we got in free thanks to the passes we checked out at the Davenport Public Library! What a treat! They have an IMAX Theater, but we didn't go this visit.

Great time with our granddaughter... LOTS of hands on science for her. Well worth the money and time (she wanted to stay forever). The bathrooms were spotless (always a plus). The super large screen movies (3-D) are great too, but make it two trips - no better make it three. There is just too much to see and do...

Reasonably priced ! Great Service ! A place i would strongly recommend. Always a family favorite ! Fun place for the kids

They change some things up every few months! The Imax is really nice and the movies are great quality. During the summer they offer $1 admission Mondays (doesn't include movie or special exhibits).

Displays were interesting but no signage or directions found from section to section of museum. We were a bit confused as where to go and missed several exhibits.

This museum is a wonderful place to go to learn about the Indian culture of Iowa. Also geology information. The kids love it.They also have a mummy of a 16 yr old prince.