Winchester Science Cente and Planetarium - Review

Myself and Tor visited our family in Berkshire over the weekend and they organised a surprise visit to the Winchester Science Centre.

There were three adults, one Tor (aged 6) and an teenager in our party.

We arrived to find it well signposted and with ample parking. The sun was shining and we were all excited to visit.



As we walked up towards the centre we could see the planetarium clearly which added to the excitement of what we were going to find inside.

As we entered the excitement built as we immediately saw families having an enjoyable time.

Admission Prices are reasonable (even more reasonable when treated by Nanny and Grandad!) and I feel you definately get your money worth.

What Nanny did not tell Tor was that there were some special visitors to the centre that day and Tor's face was a picture when he realised that Darth Vader and his troopers were walking around talking to the visitors and having their photos taken. I couldn't believe how tall Darth Vader was!

After the shock and excitement of meeting these amazing characters from Star Wars we all went and explored all of the amazing hands on 'experiments/apparatus'. There was two floors full of activities that were suitable for all ages. In fact you could see the look of eagerness in the parents eyes to get in there and have a go themself. Both Tor and 'A' (teenager) were engrossed and zigzagged around the centre to try out everything.

The favourite for all of us was controlling a ping pong sized ball with your mind. I think, myself and A spent a good 5 minutes battling our brains before A won hands down!

Myself and Tor went downstairs to a small staged area where we watched a talk for children on the forces of nature. Tor was eager to help out on stage! It was informative and fun and easy for all ages to follow and join in with.

One thing that really impressed me was that as well as the cafe there was both an inside and outside eating area where it welcomed you to eat your own picnic. This really does make it an affordable day.

I have to say there was nothing about the visit that I could criticize, even the toilets were clean!

Myself and Tor rounded the day off with watching a short film in the planetarium. This is an extra but small charge. They show different small films at specific times through the day. We saw The Life Of Trees. The film was fantastic and definitely perfect for Tors age.

Watching a film in the planetarium was an amazing experience. I would recommend it to everyone. There were points where we felt we were flying. If you get the chance to go to one then do it!

We all left the centre buzzing and chatting about what we had done. It was fantastic and we would all go again when we get the chance.