McKinley Museum and the new Fascination Station!

McKinley Museum....oh, how I love thee! Seriously, McKinley is one awesome museum! We have frequented McKinley for years and it's definitely our favorite museum!

 Recently our family had the opportunity to explore the all new Fascination Station set for grand opening on February 18th. I'll admit we were a little nervous to see what was new, because we had such a love for the old Space Station Earth exhibits. Let me say, we are THRILLED with the changes! Plus, some of our old favorites got to stick around!

One of our favorite "oldie, but goodie" was the Shadow Catcher. I promise your kids will spend a large part of their time posing and having their shadow "caught" of the green wall. We have laughed til we cried at some of our funny group poses. Previous exhibits that got to stay are the Bernoulli blower, a fun little science experiment that the small ones will have fun playing with different sized balls.  Also, the simulated tornado got to stay. It's pretty neat!

Now on to the new stuff! How about playing Tic Tac Toe with a robot? You can make your own "movie" with the green board and you get to choose your background. Lots of cool electric based exhibits are there to check out as well. I hope you are there when they have one of the electric show demonstrations. A funny and knowledgeable lady named Valerie hosted ours. It was very impressive and could definitely rival one of the big city museums! It's a "hair raising" experience....literally!

Fascination Station has so much to offer that everyone is sure to find something they like! But guess what? That's only one level of the museum. The first level (past admissions and the very cool giant pendulum) is an area with prehistoric exhibits and live animals! But you have to make it past the giant, roaring dinosaur first! You'll find a gift shop on this level, as well. The next level boasts a planetarium and offers shows throughout the day.

Head to the top floor for history related to President McKinley and the Canton area. There is a fun little "ride" (based on Timken wheel bearings, I think), that we've lovingly coined the S.S. Puke. You'll know exactly what I mean if you take a spin on it! Also, there is an area with rotating exhibits. Currently, it's "Life in Miniature", a collection of dollhouses and accessories. I was totally in love with every one of them!

Now, my personal favorite on the top floor-the Street of Shops! Take a step back in time to a life size replica of a historic town! A dentist, a doctor, a general store, a saloon and more! This "town" has it all! There is also a large area with running model trains. And our kids favorite spot on the top floor-the fire pole!

I hope my love for this local museum has come through in this blog piece. McKinley Museum truly is a gem in our community! I hope you take the time to check it out! On Monday, February 18 the McKinley Presidential Library & Museum will celebrate Presidents’ Day with activities throughout the Museum - open at 9 a.m. and close at 4 p.m.  There will be McKinley Gallery focus tours celebrating Canton’s own President William McKinley at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. There will be a special meet and greet from 11 a.m. to noon with Perry Brelish, an automotive instructor from Stark State College. He will talk about his time as a student building the Solar Clipper. There will be a scavenger hunt, take home craft and science demonstrations. The Planetarium Show is scheduled at 1:00….children need to be 5 years old to attend. Lunch will be available for purchase starting at 11:00.  There will be fun for the whole family at the McKinley Presidential Library & Museum!  Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for senior adults and $6 for children 3 to 18. (Although, I encourage you to purchase a family membership for just $52. It will get you in free to lots of great museums including Cosi, Carnegie and many other museums across the country! I promise the membership is totally worth it!)

The Museum is located at 800 McKinley Monument Dr. NW in Canton. For more information visit the website at www.mckinleymuseum.org.

a Rafflecopter giveaway