Our plans for the day we got off the cruise ship changed three or four times. What we thought was our final plan was to rent a car and drive to Shannon Falls, British Columbia’s third highest waterfall. But when we arrived at the rental car place and the line wrapped around the block and we were told it would be 3 hours before we would get our car, we punted on that plan. My brother and sister-in-law had been planning to stay in the city and take my niece to Science World so we decided to join them.
While their full name (Science World at TELUS World of Science) is mildly confusing and majorly redundant, their focus is clear. This museum is all about science. With hands-on educational exhibits, it is a fun learning environment for kids from toddlers to early teens.
The museum was easy to get to. From Canada Place we had to change trains once but the Main Street-Science World SkyTrain station is right across the street from the museum. Tickets in summer 2019 were $27.15 CAD for adults and $18.10 CAD for children ages 3-12 (so roughly $70 USD for a family of 4).
Located on False Creek, the surrounding area is gorgeous. The views of the city and mountains are stunning. The museum building itself is impressive too. It features a giant Epcot-esque dome that was originally built for the Expo 86 World Fair.
Before we even entered the museum, the kids were fascinated by the three story tall Rube Goldberg machine. They spent about 15 minutes just watching the balls work their way through the complex series of pulleys, levers, spirals, and slides.
We went inside only long enough to buy our tickets and then the kids all immediately ran to the outdoor exhibits. There were some great exhibits out there and the kids spent about half an hour playing and exploring – and then returned for more later in the day. This area, known as the Ken Spencer Science Park, focuses on sustainability. The different exhibits use hands-on activities to educate visitors about the 6 themes of sustainability: energy, food, housing, transportation, waste, and water.
The exhibit directly inside from Ken Spencer Science Park also focuses on sustainability but is geared towards older kids. Entitled Our World: BMO Sustainability Gallery, the exhibit explores electricity, water consumption, and waste. Some of the highlights of the exhibit include water cannons, a kinetic wheel, a wind turbine, and (of course) a video driving game.
From here we moved to the main circular area in the dome of the museum. There were lots of exhibits on the upper level but we didn’t make it past the one exhibit on the lower level called Puzzles and Illusions. The lower level of this section of the museum is mainly the dining area, restrooms, and a stage for demonstrations with just this one exhibit, but clearly this one exhibit was all my kids needed. They spent about 45 minutes in here (and would have stayed longer if it hadn’t been lunch time), staring at mind-bending illusions and trying their hands at the many puzzles laid out on tables.
We had to pry the kids away from the illusions and puzzles in order to go to lunch. After lunch and some time at the awesome playground at Creekside Park, we headed back to Science World. The boys were drawn back to the same exhibit but after about 30 minutes we persuaded them to check out the upstairs.
There were so many fun activities right within the circular atrium upstairs that we never made it into any of the full exhibit rooms. But the kids had a blast with all the hands-on exhibits right there in the atrium. They tested their strength, climbed a rotating rock wall, tested their reflexes, went downhill skiing, and raced in wheelchairs. But by far the group favorite was the Mindball Game. Wearing electrode headbands, players send brain signals to the table to move the ball towards their opponent. The player who is more focused and relaxed wins. The boys all loved playing this together.
We spent about 4 hours in Science World and it had something for everyone in our group from 4 years old to 11. To fully explore the exhibits would probably have taken another 2 hours so you can easily spend a full day here. And with both indoor and outdoor exhibits, it is good for rainy or sunny days. I will admit that I still have major pangs of regret over not getting to drive up the Sea to Sky Highway to see Shannon Falls and/or Whistler, but the kids thoroughly enjoyed Science World. And in all honestly, after a week of nature tours in Alaska it was probably a better activity for the kids anyway and it was certainly easier logistically. We’ll just have to figure out a way to get back out here again so we can see everything we missed!
