California Science Center and the Shuttle Endevour

The California Science Center (CSC) in Los Angeles was the recipient of the Space Shuttle Endeavour. Entrance is FREE to everything but the IMAX shows. The CSC is located right next to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County in Exposition Park, so parking is the same, $15. See the NHN post with regards to using the Metro to save some money on transportation to Exposition Park.

You do need a ticket to get to the Endeavour, but if you pick the ticket up at the box office it is free. If you plan to go when the Center is busy (and full of kids) then I highly recommend ordering a ticket online instead. The tickets are still free but there is a whole $2 processing fee. $2 to see a space shuttle? Worth it. Plus the money goes towards the future expansion space for the Shuttle (see EndeavourLA for donating to the project. You can even sponsor a Shuttle Tile.)

 Besides the Endeavour, there are many interesting things to discover within the CSC.The new Ecosystems exhibit is pretty cool, with eight different "Zones" to discover, including the Extreme Zone, the Island Zone, and the LA Zone. :D They have some really interesting Air and Space Exhibits, including the ones seen below, which includes the actual Gemini 11 and Mercury  capsules.