We Loved the Hands-On Fun at the Kentucky Science Center

Louisville has several spectacular museums, perfect for tourists and locals alike. Our family loves acting as tourists in our city, often spending an afternoon checking out a museum. In recent months, we’ve visited the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, the Kentucky Derby Museum, and the Speed Art Museum. Recently, we visited the Kentucky Science Center to check out its family-friendly exhibits.

We arrived at the museum on a cloudy morning and were delighted by the giant mirror at its entrance. After seeing our many reflections in the mirror and snapping a few family photos, we headed inside.

The first floor of the museum had exhibits that the entire family enjoyed. There was a giant bubble station where the kids stood inside a gigantic bubble wand. After pulling up on a rope, a bubble formed around them. They squealed and laughed in disbelief that we could create a bubble so large.

There was also a large climbing structure with tunnels and platforms that the kids made their way through. After climbing for a while, we continued to the noodle forest, where colorful pool noodles hung from the ceiling. We could walk through the pool noodles, getting lost in a forest of soft-moving cylinders.

Next to the noodle forest was a collection of building pieces, large and small, where we could create structures to launch balls. We rearranged ramps, hills, and even bells to send balls from one side of the exhibit to the other.

My favorite exhibit was Awesome Air, a series of twisty, interconnected, clear tubes with fast-moving air flowing through them. When we put a colorful scarf into an opening in the knot of tubes, they raced around the structure and shot out of another tube. There were also water tables and a play area for young children on the first floor.

The museum’s second floor had even more exhibits to offer. At a bridge exhibition, we moved a car across a wooden bridge with moveable pieces. Another area lets visitors build with gears, prompting us to bring ideas to life and test their functionality.

We loved our visit to the Kentucky Science Center. There is such a wide variety of engaging exhibits that we could return again and again. I would recommend the museum to Louisville visitors, especially when the weather isn’t cooperating. I can’t think of a more enjoyable, family-friendly activity on a rainy, frigid, or sweltering day in the city.

For more information, visit the Kentucky Science Center website and the center's Facebook page.

There are many fun things to do in downtown Louisville. The Waterfront Botanical Gardens and the Muhammad Ali Museum are awesome attractions. Fantastic restaurants include Proof on Main and Feast BBQ.

Would you like to be a tourist in your city? Consider some of our unique staycation ideas for people who love to travel.