Planetarium at the University of Texas at Arlington, Texas, United States

4Sculpher 5:00 PM Aug 15, 2014

Read if you have young kids
Firstly this is ONLY a theater, so it is not to be confused with a Planetarium museum kind of thing. It is in the science department at the university, and we parked about 200 yards away (just before the parking garage) on the street at no cost as it was a Saturday. Make sure when going with kids you get there around when the show starts, and bring some extras (like a beverage or snacks), and pennies. We came in from Dallas and once you get off the exit there is virtually NOTHING between there and the school. AT&T stadium might be right there but that area is definitely lacking in infrastructure. When you enter the department (the doors are to the right of the planetarium) it is just the entryway to a large building. There are bathrooms, some tables. While waiting you can drop coins into those cool things they have at malls where you drop the penny down and it goes around and around. This kept the kids very occupied and I had NO pennies (hence the need for pennies) so I lost a bunch of dimes down that thing. There is a small astronaut cutout your kid can stick their head through for pictures, and a cool scale where you can see your weight on each different planet. Otherwise, there is NOTHING to occupy you until you are allowed into the theater. There is also no changing table in either bathroom, so plan ahead. (If you neglected to bring snacks, there is a snack machine just past the entrance to the theater. (It is hidden a bit in a little grotto). The stuff averages about $1.15 and it takes $1 & $5 bills. I had a $1 bill and $0.20 so I was able to grab a very welcome bag of pretzels which is just enough to keep a 17 month old occupied and quiet. Once you are allowed in, you show your tickets just at the door (I had a Groupon), you go in and the theater is pretty awesome. Dark, and they say no food or drink in the theater but I cannot say that was strictly enforced as people were walking in with all sorts of stuff. We went to the 1:00pm showing on Sunday (One World, One Sky), so everyone was there with children. I don't know if they have a microphone but I had wished the girl had used it. It was hard to hear her over several fussy children (I was there with kids too, so I'm not at all complaining). It started off with a roller coaster which was AMAZING. Then they showed you the planets and the stars in perspective which was outstanding. I'd never seen anything like it. Then it's Big Bird and Elmo talking to the kids featuring a trip to the moon. My 4 year old LOVED it. We paid $12 for a Groupon family of 4. Overall, a wonderful time to spend an hour on a hot day. But come prepared. If you intend to grab a bite to eat on the way, well, you'll end up eating afterwards.

3andreaxgau 5:00 PM Mar 14, 2014

Spacepark 360
We took our teens to the Spacepark 360 show yesterday as our son LOVES astronomy and just got his first "real" telescope. The first half of the show was very informative as the narrator pointed out where the planets and stars can be found in our (local) night sky. The second half was the Spacepark 360 show which takes the audience on virtual rides through the planets in our solar system. Warning for those who get motion sickness - we all felt sick after the show. It was very realistic and we "felt" it! I will say the music was good. It just wasn't what we expected. I think we were expecting a more informative session and not a virtual ride. At least it wasn't that expensive as we used a Groupon.