UKseries on tour: family fun at @Bristol

Today we were at @Bristol down at the harbourside region of the city of Bristol.

Our first stop was at the Planetarium up on the first floor where we learnt not only some basics about a few of the constellations seen from Earth, but also all kinds of interest facts such as how many galaxies there are in the Universe (hundreds of billions seems to be the perceived wisdom) and how long it would take for light to travel from one side of our galaxy to the other (100,000 years). The show was about 20-30 minutes long, and pitched at just the right level to maintain the interests of both children and adults alike.

After exploring a few exhibits, we had a short break at the café for a baked potato, and then returned to explore some more.  To be honest, it was hard to know where to start as there is just so much to look at and interact with… and it’s equally difficult to know where to start when it comes to describing what there was to see and do.  The beauty of @Bristol, though, is that you can just explore the exhibits at your leisure and in any order you wish.

So here’s just a handful of what we encountered:

- ‘freezing’ our own shadows against a plain backdrop
- presenting the weather in a TV studio
- watching our veins at work in our wrists
- listening to music through biting
- learning about how food runs through the human body
- making our own animation and learning about the making of Wallace and Gromit
- experiencing what it might be like to be in the womb of a pregnant lady
- discovering about how humans harness the power of nature

Some of the exhibits are personalised and allow you to scan your own barcode that you are given on a wristband on entry.

Towards the end of the afternoon we also attended a live show, where we learnt about how various parts of the human body works and even saw down into the lungs of a cow thanks to the use of a hand-held endescope camera.

Sound interesting?  We thought it was!  And here’s a YouTube video to give you a visual taster of what else you can expect:

Useful links:
Bristol hotels
Bristol B&Bs
Bristol self-catering
Bristol attractions