On my list of accessible family fun within an hour of Alpharetta, Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville ranks high. I know, if you live in the Atlanta area Cartersville may as well be Tennessee. Trust me, this is worth the trip. We discovered Tellus over the Winter Break from school.
The first time we walked into the main gallery Danielle yelled, “An Apatosaurus!” I had to check the sign. Sure enough, she was right. Now we’ve been there so often that Danielle walks in and calls out “Hi, Patty!” (She’s named the skeleton.)
The draw for Danielle was obvious. It is the biggest display of dinosaur fossil replicas that I have ever seen. I’ve never counted, but I’m certain that there are at least 20. In addition to Patty, there is a T Rex, a mammoth, a megalodon jaw, a giant armadillo, and a host of plesiosaurs and pterosaurs. There are fossilized tracks including a T Rex track - and even fossilized feces! (Dino poop that you CAN touch.)
Tellus takes its mission of teaching children very seriously. While most of the exhibits are clearly marked “Please Do Not Touch,” in every gallery there are items marked ”Please DO touch”. What a nice change for both children and adults! There are buttons to push, fossils to touch and things to explore everywhere, not just in the large children’s playroom, My Big Back Yard . Every weekend during the summer they host “Science Saturdays” with hands on learning stations throughout the museum.
The girls, of course, love the exploration area. I love that it’s a place where they can play together – not always easy for two such different children.
In addition to the My Big Back Yard Gallery there are two more wonderful hands on areas. Children (and adults!) can pan for semi-precious gems or uncover fossils. Both areas are designed to be wheelchair accessible. Even better – both of these activities offer free souvenirs! Each child is allowed to take home a small (1”) Ziploc bag of the gem chips they find and one real fossil.
What kid doesn't love to splash in the water? The Gem Panning area contains an authentic water wheel and a running sluice. It also has low, wheelchair accessible sections and an elevated area where young children can reach in to the running water to pan for gems.
In the Fossil Dig site you can uncover pretend skeletons as well as real fossils. The array of small fossils includes sharks' teeth, fossilized clams and sea urchins, crinoid stems and others. Danielle has been known to spend half an hour pretending to be "Paleontologist Danielle," discovering a new species. There is also a nice desk-like space where a wheelchair fits so the person can “dig” dinosaur bones.
There are two other galleries to explore. The Weinman Mineral Gallery houses the collection from the old Weinman Mineral Museum. We have touched petrified wood, banged on a drum head to create seismograph waves and stood near the "core" of the Earth. There is a very cool "glowing rocks" (fluorescent mineral ) display which both girls like.
The final area, The Science in Motion Gallery, includes antique cars and motorcycles as well as replicas of biplanes and space capsules. Kevin, Danielle & I have all had our pictures taken "wearing" a space suit (not accessible for those in wheelchairs.) While Kevin & I are both interested in space exploration this is probably the girls' least favorite area of the museum. Amanda did enjoy playing with the ship controls in the temporary At The Controls Exhibit.
My kids really love sliding pennies down either of the two Coin Vortex machines. The smaller one, located just outside of the Gem Panning area, has shoots that are easy for Amanda to manipulate coins into. The girls get so excited "racing" their coins. I know that we are literally throwing money down a hole, but as long as I load up on pennies before we go I don't mind if the girls have 50 races since it only costs me $1.00.
There is a great planetarium– one of only two digital planetariums in Georgia. They offer three or four different shows every day, including one suitable for young children (3 and up) and a "Live Tour of Tonight's Sky." The show for younger children currently features Sesame Street characters.
The theater shows free documentaries on Saturdays during the summer. Both the theater and the planetarium are accessible with ramps and include areas for wheelchairs with companion seating.
The Solar House is powered completely by alternative energy sources. The Observatory houses a 20" telescope and a seismograph used to detect earthquakes all over the world. The earthquake data can be viewed on an interactive monitor in the Weinman Mineral gallery. Both the Solar House and the Observatory are open only during limited times.
The Museum is on lovely grounds which are marked “No Picnicking on Grass.” That may be my only disappointment with the entire museum. There is a large covered picnic pavilion with accessible restrooms which would be great for a family gathering or field trips, but that lush green lawn just cries out to be played on!
The museum is all on one level with automatic doors, level walkways and clean, spacious restrooms both inside and out. There is plenty of permit parking and a call button near the parking lot for mobility impaired visitors who need to borrow a manual wheelchair to tour the museum.
For $95 we got a Family Membership good for admission for an entire year. The membership also included 4 planetarium passes and discounted admission to special events like Astronomy Workshops at the observatory.
So, no excuses, go to Tellus and tell me how it was!
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