I love this place. It had been a while since my wife and I visited the Arizona Science Center, but we had to go when the Body Worlds and The Brain exhibit came to Phoenix. Fascinating and amazingly preserved human bodies. This is the first time my wife has encouraged me to look at naked women. Honestly, if you have a chance to visit before the exhibit leaves town, go. Soon. Now would be good. This special engagement will be gone after May 31, 2011.
There are a number of regular exhibits that are geared toward kids, many of them hands-on. Several school bus loads of kids were there when we visited. We did not spend much time near those areas. You might try the late afternoon/evening, especially if you have your own young ones. We returned again at a special event for adults only. The "kid" zones can be entertaining for adults too. Though, to a lesser degree.
The Dorrance Planetarium was oh, so cool. Literally. After rubbing shoulders with the mobs of people it was nice to just sit and "chill" in this well conditioned room. I highly recommend the "Black Holes" presentation. Unless....like my wife, you experience MoTiOn SiCkNeSs. In which case it's a nice cool place to shut your eyes for a spell. Though we did not see the Roller Coaster presentation I would expect that to have a similar effect.
The special exhibits are what draws us back to the Arizona Science Center. From the Titanic to Body Worlds, the diversity of scientific topics and the creative ways they are presented continues to fascinate.