In a nutshell
More than 100 interactive exhibits covering all sorts of scientific phenomena and theories are laid out over two open-plan floors. Visitors can make a tornado, follow different foods through the “colon cafe” to find out what they do to your gut bacteria; try rowing, jumping, running and balancing to understand the science of sport; record and distort your voice; confuse your mind in the Alice in Wonderland-like Little Big Room, where people appear to shrink and grow; and play with all sorts of weights, pulleys, circuits and gears.
The planetarium hosts live shows and films – heavy on cute characters, rather low on facts. There are also regular live shows inside and outside the centre – this summer they are all on the theme of sound: we watched music make flames dance on a Ruben’s tube, and made sounds from unfamiliar objects, including a Chinese singing dragon bowl. There’s more than enough to keep adults amused, too – check out the mind-control test.
Fun fact
Kids … if you want to drive your parents or teacher crazy, hold a metal pole between finger and thumb of one hand and use the fingers of the other hand to rub up and down it to create an awful high-pitched sound. The nearest adult will beg you to stop.
Best thing about it
It proves that when presented creatively, science is an endless source of fascination for children.
What about lunch?
A bit of a letdown. Little choice, and what was there wasn’t very appetising. Sandwiches (from £3.45); jacket potatoes (£4.95 kids; £5.95 adults), pasties (£3.95), cakes (£2.45) and pre-packed chocolate bars. The kids’ lunch box was a white bread sandwich, Pom-Bear crisps and piece of fruit. If I went again I’d take my own picnic to eat outside.
Exit through the gift shop?
It’s next to the ticket desk and has a good selection of books, pocket-money-priced gifts and child-friendly experiments, but we swerved it to avoid having to add to our already substantial collection of science sets.
Getting there
It’s about three miles from Winchester, so if you were feeling ambitious you could walk it from the city centre in 45 minutes. If you’re travelling by car via the M3, you don’t have to go through the city. The number 64 bus from Winchester stops about 300 metres from the centre.
Value for money
Excellent. We spent four hours there and could have stayed longer. Entry costs £12 (adult), £8.40 (child), or £10/£7 when booked online in advance. Planetarium shows cost extra.
Opening times
Open daily, 10am-4pm weekdays, 10am-5pm weekends and bank holidays.
The verdict
9/10.
