Housed in a striking white building topped by its landmark aluminium dome, you can’t miss the Orlando Science Center. With a deserved reputation as Orlando’s shrine to science, here you’ll get to explore four storeys covering everything from computers and space to the workings of the human body and the surrounding natural world of Florida.
Its immediately recognisable dome is where you’ll find the Crosby Observatory containing the largest refractor telescope available to the public anywhere in the state. You can come along and take part in a viewing session yourself. Gaze upon the surface of the sun or see the arrangement of the planets and stars in the sky at night. Before you visit make sure you plan ahead and look at the observatory’s SunWatch and SkyWatch schedules, as these events depend on the weather.
Head to the Dr. Phillips CineDome where you can sit down and enjoy an educational film, with topics covering coral reefs, Mount Everest, and even debris from space, all shown on a massive 743-square-metre screen. You can watch a CineDome show with your Full Experience entry.
There are small auditoriums around the centre where you can stop off to see its Science Live! Exhibits. These live experiment presentations are all based on a theme that changes every month, such as experiments with liquid nitrogen held around Christmas to create a frosty effect.
In the Our Planet, Our Universe section you can get on board a replica Mars Rover and find rock samples from the planet. Or go to DinoDigs where you can uncover dinosaur fossils in a special excavation site.
You can even explore recreated environments in the NatureWorks section, such as Sinkhole Lake and Cypress Swamp. The exhibit hall is ever popular with kids who love to be able to get close to the creatures that call the wilds of central Florida their home, including snakes, turtles and insects. With two feeding times per day most days, you can even see larger creatures like stingrays and alligators up close.
You could spend at least half a day exploring the Orlando Science Center, so plan ahead. All the exhibits are indoors, so it’s a great place to head to during wet or humid weather, but be aware that many families come here too during the peak summer season.
