City Break: Glasgow Science Centre
Children-Friendly Museum, IMAX Cinema and Tower on the River Clyde
Bored of dull historical information? Kids can explore scientific principles and ethical dilemmas through interactive attractions and exhibits in Scotland's biggest city.
Glasgow Science Centre – a children-friendly museum
Many museums don’t hold all that much appeal for children. Dry exhibits behind glass cases and dull historical information mounted on the walls can easily turn kids off fascinating subjects. Mercifully, the Glasgow Science Centre in Glasgow, Scotland gets it all right – and is the perfect place to head to if on a city break with youngsters in tow.
Glasgow Tower and IMAX Cinema
Part of the reason that the Glasgow Science Centre works is that it is located alongside two other major attractions on the revamped banks of the River Clyde. A large IMAX cinema is inside the centre itself (showing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in 3D at the time of writing, while the Glasgow Tower is right next to it. Visitors can be shot up to the top of this sleekly-designed piece of architecture – over 100m tall – to get excellent views of Scotland’s biggest city.
Science Mall
The highlight, though, is the Science Mall, which is spread over three floors of interactive attractions. It only takes a short visit to work out how engrossed the children are in the various exhibits that they can push, prod, jump on and take part in. Well, if they can get their parents off them first, anyway. It can get quite busy at the weekends, so the best time to visit is during the week, when most of the interactive exhibits can be got at and played with straight away.
Scientific principles and ethical dilemmas
The range of scientific principles and ethical dilemmas that can be explored is wide. In the former category, children can learn different bridge-building techniques and see a homunculus – a model of a human body, but sized in proportion to which parts of the body send most messages to the brain.
In the latter category, visitors can decide whether it’s right to sack someone who works at a medical clinic for stealing drugs that may save his sister’s life, or whether scientists should tamper with the brain to increase intelligence.
Entry times and prices
The Glasgow Science Centre is open every day from 10am to 6pm. To go one attraction, the price is £6.95 (approx US$14) for adults and £4.95 (approx US$10) for children and concessions. To combine any two of the Science Mall, IMAX Cinema and Glasgow Tower, the price is £9.95 for adults and £7.95 for children/ concessions.
Getting there
Put the three together, and it’s a great day out for the kids (and big kids who will enjoy the interactive exhibits just as much). The Glasgow Science Centre is at 50 Pacific Quay, about a mile west of Glasgow Central Station along the River Clyde. The best buses to take to get there are routes 89 and 90.
