RonnieAdventure #0115 - Museum of Natural Curiosity, Lehi, Utah County, Utah

When the Utah grandchildren said that they wanted to go on a RonnieAdventure, the first place that came to mind was the new Museum of Natural Curiosity at Thanksgiving Point. The Museum is a hands-on learning experience that exemplifies Albert Einstein's quote "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing." Although one of the grandchildren  had already been to the museum, all three were thrilled to go!

The museum is fun for kids of all ages, including senior citizens; or as the museum's spokesperson said, experiences for everyone from "cradle to grave."  There are over 400 different interactive experiences located in five different areas - Rainforest, Water Works, Kidopolis, Discovery Garden, and Traveling Exhibits. According to the spokesperson, the experiences "teach science, arts, history, and culture through a unique interdisciplinary approach to family learning."

The rainforest contains various rope bridges suspended above a maze of tunnels, reconstructed ancient ruins and chambers, a 45-foot-tall monkey head, slides, and other obstacles. One chamber that you have to crawl through is pitch black with numerous dead ends and the people on the outside get to monitor your clumsiness on heat sensory camera screens.

At Kidopolis you can be a sleuth and try to solve the library mystery using only five clues. Or, you can be a bank teller; but don't get locked in the vault. Some people even loose their head at the Magic Store.

The Exploratorium is adjacent to Kidopolis and has a wide variety of hands-on science experiences. You can learn about gravity, centrifugal force, and if you peddle a fast enough you can even light up a series of lights (but not for long at my age).

In addition to getting wet at Water Works, you can also stand inside of a tornado, suspend balls on fountains of water, and stand in a 85 miles per hour wind storm.

The Discovery Garden contains a large playground with some unique experiences, along with a zip line and other typical playground equipment. The gardens throughout the complex are beautiful, even in late summer!