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Science Museum Review

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Science Museum

Address: Exhibition Rd., South Kensington, London, SW7 2DD
Phone: 0870/870-4868
www.sciencemuseum.org.uk

Category: Museums/Galleries
Location: Kensington, Chelsea and Knightsbridge

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Fodor's Review:

This, the third of the great South Kensington museums, stands behind the Natural History Museum in a far plainer building. It has loads of hands-on exhibits, with entire schools of children apparently decanted inside to interact with them; but it is, after all, painlessly educational. Don't dismiss the Science Museum as just for kids, though. Highlights include the Launch Pad gallery, which demonstrates basic scientific principles (try the plasma ball, where your hands attract "lightning"); Puffing Billy, the oldest steam locomotive in the world; and the actual Apollo 10 capsule. The six floors are devoted to subjects as diverse as the history of flight, space exploration, steam power, medicine, and a sublime exhibition on science in the 18th century. And if the crowds become too much to bear, head down to the basement, where the charmingly low-key Secret Life of the Home exhibit charts the influence of technology on everyday life. Overshadowed by a three-story blue-glass wall, the Wellcome Wing is a recent annex to the rear of the museum, devoted to contemporary science and technology. It contains a 450-seat IMAX cinema, and the SimEx ride—an advanced motion simulator that combines seat vibration with other technical gizmos to create such crowd-pleasing effects as flying past an explosion in space. (It's worth the £4 price, but not necessarily the excessive wait at busy times—so if the lines are long, head up to the third floor instead, where they have a whole room full of simulators. The best is a £3 ride that makes you feel like you're on a roller coaster inside a video game.) If you're a family of at least five, you might be able to get a place on one of the popular new Science Night sleepovers by booking well in advance. Aimed at kids 8-11 years old, these nighttime science workshops offer the chance to camp out in one of the galleries, and include a free IMAX show the next morning. Check the Web site for details.

Cost: Free, charge for the cinema shows and special exhibitions
Open: Daily 10-6
Tube: South Kensington

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