A Visit to Science City in Kansas City

Science City is a hands-on science museum situated in the old Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri. Built in 1914, Union Station was envisioned as the grand railway entrance to Kansas City and a gateway to the west. Rail traffic climbed for Union Station in 1917, during World War I, and reached its record in 1945, during World War II. Rail traffic declined from 1950 to 1970, and in 1972, Union Station was designated as a historic site and placed in the National Register of Historic Places. Today, Union Station still serves as the second busiest railroading center in America (Chicago holds the first place designation), with as many as 180 trains passing by it daily.

Science City takes the attitude that "we are ALL scientists and Science City is a place to DO science. The focus is on your action and your choices...your discoveries....Science City is a special place where you turn curiosity into knowledge."

Visitors may stop at the Media Center at Science City to learn how newspapers and news broadcasts are created. You may play with the musical instruments in Music Park or with the water maze in Maze Park. Visit the Astronaut Training Center to learn about the sort of food that astronauts eat as well as a chance to operate the remote-controlled Martian rovers, you can also try your hand at some of the skills astronauts need to learn.

One of my favourite spots to visit at Science City was the Mr. E Hotel (that's Mystery Hotel! Ha Ha!). Here you can learn about optical illusions and enjoy the artwork of the famous illusion artist and mathematician M. C. Escher. Peek from the Train Spotter's Roost to learn more about identifying the trains that pass through Kansas City. You can also solve a cow-napping at the Science City Crime Lab by learning how to use forensic evidence in a criminal investigation.

Learn about meteorology at the Severe Storm Center, and ride Pop Wheelie's Bike across the suspended cable. Don't worry, the counterweights underneath the bike will keep you from falling! You can experiment with the wind tunnel at the S.O.A.R. Laboratories and learn about health in the Body Tours and the Hale N. Hearty Clinic. Discover the chemistry involved in food at the Test Kitchen

Learn about physics and how the body works in sports at the City Golf Course and the Sports Training Area. The Nature Areas "offer the chance to identify birds, observe the diversity of the animal kingdom, harvest a crop in a combine, and explore the cave habitat of the bat." The Public Works and Light Alley were another favourite area of mine. You can play with the pneumatic systems and crawl through the "sewer system".

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