San Francisco Sights to See - Science and Nature
EXPLORATORIUM
Founded by Frank Oppenheimer (1912 - 1985), the brother of J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904 -1967), and himself a physicist on the Manhattan Project, the Exploratorium contains over 650 exhibits that can't be properly described - they have to be experienced...or explored!
Almost all the exhibits are interactive and hands-on.
There's the Tactile Dome,
where you make your way along a dark maze entirely by feeling the walls
made of various textures. There's a small "experiment" in which you can
find out what a tornado is like by feeling it.
Far from focusing only on touch, however, this unusual "museum" excites all the senses and the mind through a wide variety of original and interactive programs.
Kids can have fun blowing enormous bubbles and finding out how they
work. There are dozens of optical illusions and brain teasers as well.
Stand at one end of a room made of an uneven floor and crooked walls
and try to judge how close or far away things are.
You can create cloud rings and find out why a baseball curves, or have
fun with spatulas and eggbeaters while learning about the science of
mixing things. Scream down a huge tube and take a singing
"test", while exploring the science of sound. Sit in the indented
seating area on the upper floor far away from your friend. Speak in a
normal voice - and be heard with crystal clarity!
Then you can leave Earth for a trip to Mars and find out about wing
aerodynamics and chemistry. Come try out the 'shadow box' and imagine
what it would look and feel like to actually fly.
Gadgets of all kinds teach kids and adults alike about electricity and
energy while providing fun, interactive 'experiments' that entertain as
they educate.
The creativity of the designers is endless as you go from exploring a
San Francisco made of Jello to studying the effects of earthquakes. You
will rack your brain on some of the world's toughest mathematical
problems, as you try to see why a ribbon enclosed on itself has only
one side (moebus strip).
Located in the most unexpected of buildings - the classical-columned Palace of Fine Arts
(3601 Lyon Street, Phone: 415-561-0360), Exploratorium is a
wonder to behold inside and out. Near the Golden Gate Bridge
in Golden Gate Park,
the museum is open daily. Learn more at www.exploratorium.edu.
SAN FRANCISCO ZOO
Though smaller than some of the more well known zoos, such as those of San Diego or the Bronx, the San Francisco Zoo
(1 Zoo Rd., Phone: 415-753-7080) is well worth a visit the
next time you're in town.. Home to over 1,000 animals of 220 species,
there are excellent displays and the 100-acre grounds are cool and
easily walked over.
In the Primate Discovery
Center you'll find exotic and rare monkeys near several
gorillas in Gorilla World.
And check out the Lemur Forest, where there are different kinds of
these bug-eyed cousins-to-the-monkeys from Madagascar.
Unfortunately, they don't have my buddies, the Penguins of Madagascar.
Elsewhere, you can see Sumatran
tigers and a rare snow
leopard up close. There's an even more rare white tiger in the
collection.
The zoo recently acquired a couple of Grizzly bears from
Montana. Come see these fascinating bears and see for yourself some
behavior both fierce and gentle.
Head to the Australian
Walkabout to visit the wallabies
and kangaroos
and one or two koalas
in Koala Crossing.
Then slide over and see Penguin
Island where the world's funniest birds groom and play in
the 200-foot pool. But don't miss out on the recently born American Bald Eagle,
which is one of the very few born in captivity.
If you cannot find it by the address above, the Zoo is located at Sloat Blvd and 47th Street. For information visit: www.sfzoo.org
online.
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