Poor value, interesting but not entertaining
Written: Jan 02 '04 (Updated Jan 05 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Not many other chances to get close to a Saturn V.
Cons: Long lines, inefficient and uninterested staff, poor value, younger children will get bored easily
The Bottom Line: Poor value, long lines, not enough hands-on experiences, poor customer service
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| caristnijo's Full Review: Johnson Space Center |
Perhaps we had been spoiled by being in the North Carolina Life Sciences Museum (Durham, NC) just a few weeks earlier - they really know how to make a museum an exciting and interesting experience for all ages with endless hands-on exhibits and great value for money. The Johnson Space Center (JSC) by comparison lacked interaction and the breadth of exhibits.
We had a day to explore but found the center difficult to navigate. The map provided with the tickets was not easy to follow and made it difficult to distinguish between hands-on exhibits versus theatre shows versus attractions that required additional payment. The design (and consequently the map) seemed to assume everyone would attend every theatre show first and then wander around each associated exhibit. We spent some time in an area called Starship Gallery - we found the exhibits almost by accident through a side entrance that let us skip the theatre show. The Starship Gallery had some of what we were expecting to see - demonstrations of equivalent weights on different planets (complete with mirrors that made you look lighter or heavier), mission consoles where you and a friend can share remote video links to explore a pre-recorded mission, and a couple of remote controlled Mars rovers to drive around a small 'Martian' landscape.
Apparently there were other similar areas (Astronaut Gallery and Space Station for example) but we gave up on the crowds before we found them. You might have more luck if you spent a while walking round the whole facility to find out for yourself what is where to save some of the frustration we experienced - note that we didn't find the web site much help either (www.spacecenter.org). There is an information desk just inside the center (on your right as you enter) - we didn't have much luck with the person we asked for help though.
We found the Kemah Boardwalk, just a few miles away, more fun and better value than the JSC. The JSC seemed to be trying every Disney trick to extract money from visitors (parking fee, high entry fee, additional payment for some exhibits, $5 for a measly PB&J sandwich etc.) without the Disney attention to efficiency and waiting times. There was a line to park the car, the line for tickets moved slowly (we got to the front to find the ticket agent manually separating receipts using a pair of scissors), there was a line for the security checks to get in the building, and then long lines for food, theater shows, tram rides etc. The JSC also had many features (such as a giant 'Pepsi' play-scape and 'Borden' fossil dig) that had little or nothing to do with space exploration. (There seems to be a big focus on extracting money from sponsors too!)
I think older children who already have a keen interest in space will find some gems that would make a visit worthwhile, but do not expect this place to spark your child's imagination and make them want to be an astronaut. Our kids (10, 8 & 6) found the play-scape the most interesting place to be and we left after 5 hours (that included over an hour on a tram looking at the outsides of some uninteresting buildings, a building containing abandoned NASA experiments, and a somewhat dilapidated Saturn V rocket).
Recommended:
No
Best Suited For: Students
Best Time to Travel Here: Sep - Nov
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Epinions.com ID:
caristnijo
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Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 0 members
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