Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Museum’s science exhibits are a state-of-the-art show
It takes more than Apollo-era technology to capture the minds of Generation Swipe.
So it makes sense that the old Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science out in Coconut Grove shut down its laser show to move to its massive new digs on the waterfront of downtown Miami.
Its 250,000 square feet amid four connected buildings still embraces the basics of science, but does it bigger and better, infusing technology around every corner.
The kids might not be impressed to know the planetarium has a 16-million-color 8K visual system with six Christie Mirage 304K projectors on a 67-foot diameter dome screen, but when they see an asteroid hit the Earth through their 3-D glasses and hear the crash through the 16-speaker surround
sound, there will be a theater full of wide-open mouths. The adults will like it, too.
But an impressive planetarium is just the basics. The rest of the science center is like playing on a giant iPhone.
The kids need to be dragged away from screens that run the lengths of hallways where they can tap, pinch and swipe their way through exhibits that shoehorn in the benefits of things like environmental stewardship or battling disease epidemics.
The No. 1 digital attraction, though, is the giant light-up floor that is the centerpiece of the MeLab, a souped up version of the old science center’s exhibit about the human body and healthy living.
Kids are drawn to the digital dance floor that ripples out electronic waves with each footfall, as science center staff emcee a variety of activities that will definitely wear out the younger set. When everyone on the dance floor tries to stamp out 10,000 calories in 60 seconds, it’s like everyone is part the world’s largest game of Dance Dance Revolution.
The MeLab also has five interactive zones set up like a scavenger hunt tied to a personalized digital mascot named Beta that becomes more customizable as each zone is completed.
While it’s fun for all ages, it’s also a great place to sit back and recharge on comfortable couches and enjoy the show, that is until you get dragged onto the dance floor, too.
Adults would be wise to make this the last stop of the day lest they miss out on all the other great offerings at the science center.
Those include the threestory aquarium that on its own could stand as a mustsee attraction in South Florida. From the top floor down it comprises: The Vista, the Dive and the Deep. All three present the aquatic wildlife of South Florida from the Everglades to depths of the Atlantic in the Gulf Stream. Intermixed with the engaging wildlife are more hands-on exhibits. Some of the more popular are the water hydrology playset and a virtual reality shark head. All three floors are mesmerizing, but nothing compares to the bottom floor’s 31-foot oculus lens that lets you gaze up as the silhouettes of hammerhead sharks and tuna swim overhead.
Those interested in flight will enjoy the Feathers to the Stars. No, it’s not about Hollywood-era bird costumes, but a tightly packed mishmash of all things not tethered to the ground, from animals in flight to the future of Mars exploration with an engaging SpaceX simulation. The centerpiece of fun is the paper airplane launcher, although there is also an interactive wind tunnel, virtual Apollo mission launcher and Mars spacecraft landing. Be wary of things over your shoulder as everything from owls and falcons to military aircraft hang from the ceiling.
The campus is also home to several traveling exhibits. On view through April 15 is “Brain: The Inside Story,” with interactive brain teasers, 3-pound preserved brain and an artificial human that demonstrates how the brain reacts to the sense of touch. Taking up two floors is an exhibit titled, “Monster Fish: In Search of the Last River Giants” through Spring 2018.
Also on site are remnants of the old Frost Science Center, some on display as wall decorations, some intermixed with the new exhibits. And there’s even a laser show complete with Pink Floyd on Friday nights.
The new location revels in its place on the map, offering up stunning views of the downtown Miami skyline and Biscayne Bay from the open-air top floors. Located adjacent to the new Pérez Art Museum Miami, the buildings themselves have become an architectural highlight of the waterfront along with the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and American Airlines Arena along Biscayne Boulevard.
It’s a well-executed addition that embraces the history of the old science center that had welcomed visitors since 1960 into a new era.
Lasers are the past. Touch screens are the future. Frost Science has a good handle on both.