Visiting The Adventure Science Center

I've been waiting until the 2008 renovation ended to write this article.

But guess what?

It's still in progress! 

The Sudekem Planetarium and Space Wing will reopen early this summer.

The remaining museum exhibits are still open.

The Adventure Science Center hours are as follows:

Monday-Saturday:
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sunday:
12:30 pm - 5:30 pm

Weekday morning are the least crowded, especially if you can get there before big yellow school buses roll in for field trips. 

What To Bring:

Pack your own lunch to eat in the sunny cafeteria.  Its windows have the best view of the Batman building in Nashville!

Bring a front carrier or sling for the baby.  The multi-story exhibits are not stroller-friendly.  (An elevator is available.)

What do kids do at the Adventure Science Center ?

BodyQuest Gallery:

• A walk-through exhibit of the human body, with interactive stations for each system. 
• Be warned:  the digestive system consists of throwing balls into a chomping mouth and then following the food's path...um...all the way out a noise-producing slide. 
• Mom's pick:  kids can don lab coats and operate on a full-size patient.

Adventure Climbing Tower

• Rises several stories to a glass apex, with a noisy series of physics demonstrations on each level.
• Be warned:  almost impossible to supervise children in this loud and confusing multi-leveled structure.  Hard to follow children to the very top.
• Mom's Pick:  the parachutes at the bottom level and the bee structure at the very top hallway.  Take the elevator!

Sci-Tots Small Children Zone:

• A room full of building materials suitable for preschoolers.
• Be warned:  children over 6 are not allowed.
• Mom's Pick:  let the kids go wild with Duplo knowing that you don't have to clean up afterward.

The ground floor museum has additional physics demonstrations (rolling balls down chutes), a flight simulator ride, and an animatronic dinosaur exhibit which will scare your toddlers and not impress the older ones.

Do you recommend the Adventure Science Center?

As a mom, I have mixed feelings about Adventure Science Center.  On one hand, kids love the bright and engaging design.  It's a GREAT place to take kids on a rainy day!

On the other hand, it takes several visits to get past the flash and into the science. The deafening arcade atmosphere and Nick-Jr. style exhibits can distract from the underlying basics. 

My advice:  Go, but go often.  Choose a different focus for each visit.  Teach your kids about a concept BEFORE you go, then see it in action while you are there.

 And then just have fun!

A family membership pays for itself in a few visits and gives you free admission to science museums across the country. 

Looking for more fun things to do with kids near the Adventure Science Museum?

Here's a complete list of kid-friendly activities from the downtown Bicentennial Mall all the way down 8th Avenue to Brentwood!