True confessions: I’m a science nerd. So when my guy suggested we check out the Pacific Science Center, I was all for it! Let’s go get our geek on!
Naturally, this center is aimed at a much younger demographic, as it should be, but I didn’t care. I had fun. I learned stuff. And I’m glad there’s a venue whose main goal is to pique the interest of kids when it comes to science. We need much, much more of that, in my opinion.
Of course this center has a big display of animatronic dinosaurs. Every kid loves a dinosaur. I was fascinated with them as I grew up. Who am I kidding? I still am.
There are also laser light shows, and 3D IMAX movies. (I highly recommend the one about the ocean. I thought the waves were going to curl right over the top of me!) And oddly, there’s a very detailed and quite fascinating village of naked mole-rats, which, I learned, are neither moles nor rats. And of course there were a ton of interactive science displays.
But my favorite part, without a doubt, was the Tropical Butterfly House. It was a delight to walk around amongst these beautiful creatures as they went about their poignantly brief lives. Such color. Such delicacy. Such magic. The venue has to be kept hot and humid for its residents, though, so if you visit, I’d recommend going in the depth of winter if you can.
The center was part of the 1962 world’s fair, so there is a wonderful watery courtyard as well, with waterworks that allow you to get wet while learning about physics. We were able to roll a 4,000 pound ball on a pool of water. How many people can say that?
And I was thrilled to see that the Pacific Science Center hosts several science camps. If I had a kid, I’d be sure and sign him or her up for that experience. Science rocks!
I wrote an actual book, and you can own it! How cool is that? http://amzn.to/2mlPVh5
The View from a Drawbridge 
There is a bigger rolling ball in downtown Kent, just W of the library. After all these years the street names escape me, but I recall being amazed at how long it would keep spinning after I got it to move. And it’s made of beautiful material too–granite that looked quite nondescript when first excavated.