On Saturday, January 31, Mickey and I took the girls to the new planetarium show that started at 10:15am called “Oasis in Space”, so we decided to do that first. We were the first to arrive at the planetarium and were told that the best seats are in the back center, so those are the ones we got for the show. Mickey and I found the show to be interesting. The only aspect that both of us had a hesitation about was that the creation of the planets, etc. was told as a scientific event rather than being created by God. (God was omitted, in other words.) The show itself was interesting and gave details about each planet with some beautiful graphics. However, this was not something that either of the girls really enjoyed. They are five and two years old and this simply did not hold their attention. They both enjoyed seeing the stars and planets, but the dialogue was a little boring for them. In retrospect, we could have skipped the planetarium with the girls. I will say that it was informative and educational. I think that older children and adults would appreciate it more.
After the planetarium show, we ventured over to the area known as Collins Family Big Back Yard. In this area we got to see biospheres with magnifying glasses which was really neat. There were also areas to learn more about reflections, magnetism, sound waves, vibrations, weather, electrical circuits and more. This was such a fun interactive area for families. Macey’s (age 5) favorite area was the “inside” of a tree where she could change the “weather” which would be projected onto the ceiling and the sounds played on the sound system. Mariana (age two) most enjoyed the magnet area.
After the big back yard area, we got to go into another area to pan for gems and then dig for fossils. This was SUCH a hit with the girls. In the first area, they got to pan for gems. Water flows through wooden troughs filled with sand where small gems are hidden. Both girls really enjoyed panning for gems and thought it was very cool that they got to keep as many as they wanted. We have several little pieces of gems for each of them. Just beyond the panning area is an area to dig for fossils. Again, this was a huge hit with the girls. Paint brushes are provided and the girls got to dig through chips (I’m assuming these are made of recycled rubber, but I’m not certain) that look like sand. Each girl got to locate and keep one small fossil each. They each found a shark’s tooth which they found to be very cool. After finding the one fossil each that they wanted to keep, they went to the “big dig” area where they got to uncover “dinosaur” bones. There were several older kids in the big dig area at the same time as our girls, but there was room for everyone at that point. It wasn’t crowded and everyone seemed to have a blast! Our girls certainly enjoyed it.
After the panning and digging, our girls had worked up an appetite, so we decided to give the Museum’s cafe a try. The menu selections are a bit limited, but have a pretty good variety nonetheless. Kids meal packs are offered and include a drink plus gummy fruit snacks. The prices are a tad on the high side, but given the convenience of having lunch on-site, it wasn’t terrible. I ordered a tuna salad sandwich on a kaiser roll. I was very pleased with my selection. The kaiser roll was fresh and soft. The tuna salad tasted very much homemade. I enjoyed my lunch as did Mickey and the girls. Mickey got a cheeseburger which he said was pretty good. (He is a cheeseburger-a-holic, so it takes a LOT to get him to really rave over a cheeseburger) $29 was a touch steep for us for lunch, but everything tasted good and we were happy to have the option to eat there rather than leaving before we were done seeing everything within the Museum.
After lunch we went to the Fossil Gallery. This was a very interesting area for all of us. The girls, especially Macey, were captivated by learning about the dinosaurs. Macey was amazed to see the T-Rex as well as the mammoth. The underwater section was really amazing as well.
Next we went through Science in Motion where we got to see various forms of transportation including a helicopter, airplane cockpit, cars, motorized bikes and more. The girls also got to get their picture taken in a space suit.
Finally, we toured The Weinman Mineral Gallery which is a HUGE exhibit of various minerals from around the world. One thing I found particularly interesting was the periodic table with items within glass enclosures to represent most of the elements. We also loved seeing the huge geodes and the amethysts in particular. There is one area sort of tucked in a hall along the back where phosphorescence was explained and we all really enjoyed that short feature. Another great exhibit!
We really enjoyed our visit to the Tellus Northwest Georgia Science Museum. It was a fascinating, educational and fun place for our whole family to go to learn and enjoy ourselves. I would recommend it for other families or for individuals without a moment’s hesitation. This is not just a place for children, but fortunately it IS a place where they are welcome and there are things for them too. I give Tellus a solid A+!!