First Look: Mid-America Science Museum's Renovations
Are you curious about Mid-America Science Museum's $7.8 million renovation? You'll have to wait until the grand re-opening on March 7 to see the new features in person. But, Little Rock Family got a sneak peek last week that we've been dying to share with you!
The entire museum has been overhauled, with only a few original attractions remaining (the Tesla coil and cave maze, for instance). The new activities--several of which are unique to Mid-America Science Museum--were designed and developed in collaboration with Global Studios, a part of San Francisco's Exploratorium museum.
You'll notice changes as soon as you walk in the front door--in fact, kids can get moving immediately: A spacious new entryway contains the Marvelous Motion exhibit full of hands-on interactives. Downstairs, families will find the museum’s popular cave maze, along with an expanded exhibit all about the Natural State’s underground. The Arkansas Underfoot exhibit explores 13 types of rocks and minerals and where to find them in our state. Kids can also sort microfossils under a microscope, spend time inside the giant tree reading nook, and discover “yucky” science like bacteria and decomposition.
In the main gallery, you can step into the Digital Dome Theater for a telescopic journey through space and the simulated universe. You’ll also find The Workshops and tons of interactive fun: Make a stop-motion animated film; keep a beat on the electronic drums; power a hairdryer by turning a wheel and more.
Two major pieces are sure to be kiddie hotspots: the modern jungle gym called the Gyroid Climber and the two-story water tower. Kids can splash around in the water feature, tossing colorful balls into streams that jet them high into the air--up to the second story, in fact. Cannons on the upper level allow kids to propel the balls even higher and into a funnel that drops them back down into the fountain’s central feature--a water vortex.
The museum’s upgrades extend to the outdoors, as well. Highlighting the serene wooded location, the Science Skywalk juts into the forest canopy 30 feet above the ground. Visitors safely view the trees from a bird’s-eye-view and explore small exhibits in the tree house. Adventurous youngsters can even climb around a cargo net suspended in the center of the walkway!
The museum will also offer all-new summer camps and field trips. Field trips are available for all ages, including an introductory science program for ages 3-6. For grades K-6, educators can choose between multiple themes: engineering, gravity and energy, electricity and magnetism, Arkansas geology, and the physics of flight. Plus, grades 5 and up can participate in sheep heart or brain dissections. School groups can also take in 25-minute screenings in the Digital Dome Theater and watch an all-new Tesla Theatre Show featuring the museum's conical Tesla coil. To make a group reservation, call (501) 767-3461 x13.
The museum’s grand reopening is March 7. Until then, you can follow museum's progress and updates on their Facebook page and at their website MidAmericaMuseum.org.