We've been members of the Academy now for 3 years and this membership is probably the useful and utilized membership that we've ever had. My children are 3, 5, and 7 and there's always been something interesting and wonderful for all of them starting from when my youngest was still an infant. There's an infant/toddler room that many folks don't even notice but it's a good place to be able to take off your shoes (mandatory, so bring socks if you're not wearing any that day), and let your kids crawl/walk/explore with puzzles, role-playing, read -- there's a treehouse, a miniature boat, and a bathroom adjacent for diaper-changing. For the older kids there's the rainforest and the living roof. The African animal exhibit and the aquarium (with hands-on tide pools) are winners with all ages and plenty of seating and room so that even the most crowded days don't feel too claustrophobic. Okay, then there's also the food, which is reasonably-priced, extremely diverse, and much better than most attraction cafeterias that we've been to (e.g., Scharffenberger chocolate pudding! Vietnamese pho! And wine/beer...plus the good standbys like mac-n-cheese, quesadillas). Finally, there are also 2 outdoor areas where you can usually find a table (heat lamps also are there for the cooler days) and your kids can run around the grassy lawn without you having to corral them, quiet them down, etc. This is definitely one of my favorite go-to spots to take the kiddos whether it's rain or shine.

Just returned from mid-week trip to Reno with a stop at Soda Springs. Thought that there would be little to no line for tubing (older kids - there are height limits so doublecheck your kids beforehand) but it took 20 minutes for a 30 second tube ride! The toddlers' section was great and very age-appropriate for the 4 and under crowd, but you have to buy a separate ticket to get into that area AND better bring another pair of hands if you have kids who want to go to different areas. My kids are 2, 4, and 6 and the two older ones wanted to go tubing; youngest was too short to do tubing and so my partner and I had to split up the whole day. The kids had a great time BUT I think that until the kids are all old enough to be in the same area of the park, it's probably not worth the money and we'll be doing some sledding/tubing outside of a pay-for-play area. Also, keep in mind that adults/chaperones must have a lift ticket for the tubing area or the more rigid staffpersons at Soda Springs won't even let you accompany your kids up to the start of the tubing area - you end up bored & waiting at the bottom like some of the parents/guardians that I saw.