“I received a family pass to The Leonardo in exchange for my honest opinion on visiting it with my family.”
I love to take my kids to new places and help them develop a love of culture. Museums help me do just that. And what’s my favorite family friendly museum? The Leonardo in Salt Lake City.
USE MY LEONARDO MUSEUM MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT CODE: AB1319 to receive an extra month of membership for FREE.
My family can spend the whole day in this museum. I’m not kidding. The first time we went there, I thought we’d be there maybe an hour. We spent more than 3 hours and I had to force the kids to leave. They love it!
So what’s so great about the Leonardo? Uh, everything. Seriously. But let’s start on the main floor. Right now The Leonardo is featuring FLIGHT. Flight is a completely immersive experience into the world and ecosystem of flight. The exhibit features several interactive components and displays, sure to excite scientists of all ages.
Everyone is able to climb in, on and around a huge C-131 airplane that has been transformed into a slide and the cock pit is open for the kids to learn about how many buttons and controls it takes to fly an airplane.
My kids especially loved the original flight simulators that were made especially for the museum by Rockwell Collins. These fun simulators are the same ones that modern day pilots train with as they learn how to operate an airplane. They fly right over Salt Lake City in the simulator.
FLIGHT event is about the science, engineering and art that make flying possible. When you leave the museum the kids will have a greater appreciation and understanding for how flying works.
We had a lot of fun at the new Perception: The Illusion of Reality. There is a hallway of visual illusions that trick the eye.
Also hearing illusions. In this section, you can put on headphones and sit for a virtual haircut, a carefully soundscaped experience that eerily simulates a haircut in a barbershop. The kids thought the speech jammer was really funny!
My favorite exhibit was “Where Children Sleep”. And it’s only at The Leonardo for a limited time so you really need to get there soon. In this series of photographs, James Mollison introduces us into the diverse stories of children in different countries and circumstances.
Each portrait is accompanied by a detailed study of the child’s “bedroom,” which can range from elaborate sanctuaries to the barest spaces set aside for sleep. These photographs tug at your heart strings and really open you eyes to how kids live around the world. A great thing to think about during the Christmas season.
But even after all of these amazing exhibits, my kids favorite part of the museum are the hands on displays.
As soon as you walk into the museum there is a huge table filled with Lego bricks.
My 5 year old would stay at that table all day long if I let him. Also in the lobby are some fun computer stations with art software the kids can create with.
In the Think Math section your kids and you will exercise your visual logic with pentominoes, learn how math is based in your body, solve math riddles and even estimate with gumballs. We spent a lot of time in this room trying to figure out the trick questions.
You also won’t want to miss Leonardo’s Workshop, Science Lab, Pixel Playland and Leonardo’s Studio.
See what I mean about making it a whole day event. So many things to do and see, it’s so worth the trip. In fact, there is so much to do and see that you will want to visit it again and again. You’ll want to buy the Family pass for this museum.
USE MY LEONARDO MUSEUM MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT CODE: AB1319 to receive an extra month of membership for FREE.
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