Still More Science Fun: Whitaker Center, Harrisburg, PA

On a recent family trip to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Kim, E, and G explored "up the road" to Harrisburg.  Again armed with our ASTC Passport science museum membership, we found the Whitaker Center.  A broad-based center with arts programming as well, we focused our visit on the Harsco Science Center and had a great time.

This museum is yet another beautiful science center with 3 floors of exhibits, most of which are highly interactive.  As an educator, Kim would recommend the bulk of the center for ages 7-13 for field trip planning purposes, but E, then 5, and G, then almost 2, had a blast interacting with the displays and learned content as well.  If you are familiar with Pennsylvania, you'll appreciate the connections to the state.  For instance, Move It!, an engineering and transportation area, simulates manufacturing processes and is a great link to a trip to a nearby factory tour.  The kids' favorite activities included making and test racing cars, with E trying to beat his previous times; and Forces of Nature's hurricane chamber.  Both kids also thoroughly enjoyed the "children's museum" section of the museum, KidsPlace.  This gated section was wonderful for free play with friends we met along the way and featured a fabulous ambulance center, grocery store/market, and construction site.  In this area, you'll also find the best water table we've yet to see--and as water table connoisseurs, you should take our word on it.  The table features fountains as well as movable pipes for constructing your own fountains, embedded baby seats, multiple levels, the capability to build dams, and nearby hand dryers.  If you, too, are a little too into water tables, the Forces of Nature area also includes a water/sand table capable of simulating erosion that's similar to the one recently in the rotating exhibit area at the Virginia Museum of Natural History.

If you go, there is pay garage parking very nearby in the Walnut Center Garage.  We found parking a bit pricey (about $10 for our 2-to-3 hour visit), but the garage was very convenient to the museum--like we-didn't-have-to-go-outside-to-walk-in convenient.  The museum staff and volunteers were also very welcoming and helpful, and there were no large crowds when we visited.

Speaking of Indulging Our Interests: Pennsylvania National Fire Museum

E wants to be a firefighter.  He adores stopping at fire stations and driving by fire stations--we even sometimes plan drives around our home city of Roanoke, Virginia, to incorporate multiple fire stations.  When we realized the Pennsylvania National Fire Museum in Harrisburg, PA, was just a short drive from Gettysburg, PA, we planned a visit.

A charming, well-kept specialty museum, the Pennsylvania National Fire Museum possesses an impressive collection of fire apparatuses, including steamers dating to the 1700s and 1800s.  The museum clearly shows the history of fire fighting in America, including the roles of horses and dogs. Displays include fire fighting-related toys and a functioning alarm headquarters, circa 1900.  On the day of our visit, specialists were working on the headquarters, and they allowed us to pull a fire alarm box, using one of the alarms boxes to trigger various communications at headquarters.    There's also a charming collection of firefighter "parade hats" from days long gone.

Upon arrival, our visit was immediately welcomed, and we received the attention we needed as we toured--but we were not "suffocated" by museum staff.  The host was knowledgeable and answered our questions, and there's a small gift shop that sells souvenirs.  If you go, note the easy, fee-free surface parking nearby, and you are just a very short drive from Whitaker Center.

Beautiful Spiders: An Evening with OVO

Sunday evening, K received a surprise email from the Science Museum of Western Virginia and Center in the Square.  The email offered invited guests--who I'd later learn were principally museum members and volunteers--the opportunity to attend a reception, at no cost excepting parking, celebrating Cirque du Soleil's OVO touring show and its arrival in town on Tuesday.  The insect theme worked for the science museum's connection, and the celebration was held on the Center's lovely rooftop.  What a wonderful way to end a workday!

Needless to say, G and K proudly RSVPed.  This was a low-cost, low-commitment way to introduce G to Cirque, something K felt she'd probably be fascinated by...but might be scared by if the timing was off.  She enjoys dancing and art, but it would be debatable whether or not she'd be awake and interested for a full Cirque show.  G got to attend the "fancy" party, enjoying cookies, crackers and cheese, as well as polite conversation with a new friend.

Then, G adored the main attraction, a brief performance by OVO's contortionist spiders.  She was transfixed and immediately approached them as soon as the photo op opened.  She even wanted to show the performers her pictures.

She took home flyers about the show including pictures of the "spiders' friends."  This settles it--a performance next year is likely in the cards for us.

While there, we saw flyers for a membership promotion from this our home science museum.  The ASTC Passport "add on" is free for the month of September when you purchase a membership with the Science Museum of Western Virginia.  Local parents willing to travel to nearby museums included in passport (translation: reciprocal membership, AKA free) museums like the Museum of Life + Science in Durham and Marbles Children's Museum in Raleigh, this is a great deal.  You do not have to live in Roanoke to join Roanoke's museum, but keep in mind ASTC reciprocity "kicks in" 90 miles from your "home" museum.  ASTC museums include many science centers, some children's museums, and some other nifty places, like the North Carolina Museum of Transportation.  Other places we've been on ASTC Passport?  Danville Science Center, Virginia Museum of Natural History, Virginia Living History, Science Museum of Virginia, and Whitaker Center.  For folks who travel with kids, this is a DEAL for most.  Look at the ASTC list for places that you might be near across the next year!