Technorama has always been high on our list of day trip adventures, especially on a rainy day thanks to its indoor centre allowing kids to explore and experiment. With installations such as the room of mirrors, the earthquake simulator and a variety of simple machines, my young children love this hands-on museum. But now with the opening of the section “Technorama Draussen”, the swiss science centre located in Winterthur solves the problem of what to do on a sunny day too.
10 years in the planning and with a building phase of 2 years, “Technorama Draussen” (Technorama Outside), opened its doors in mid-April 2021. We, myself and my 6 and 3.5-year-olds, were there just before the doors opened to the public, a cool, cloudy afternoon, fully decked out in our rain gear (which I definitely recommend) to explore all the new things Technorama had to offer.
The new exhibits give visitors the chance to head outdoors, making Techonorama an all-weather, all seasons family-friendly destination as well as expanding the space in which guests are able to explore and experiment with a number of new, fascinating and exciting installations. The new outdoor area is located out the back of the main building set amongst a 15,000 square meter garden, with a small stream running through the middle of it (again rain gear recommendation), a pond (spare clothes needed) as well as multiple BBQ and picnic areas. Amazing on a warm sunny day.
Watch out! Water!
Photographer: Evelyn Wey (Provided by Technorama)
After doing a little research, I came not only prepared with a full kit of rain gear but also arrived early to watch the new feature, The Falling Water, from the car park, hoping to prepare my young kids before we headed in. The Falling Water, where 5 tonnes of water falls from a height of 10 metres into a large pond every 20 minutes, along with the 130 m long Wonder Bridge, is the main highlight of the Technorama upgrade. You can observe the water drop from multiple locations, up close in the soak zone, further back on the logs or stairs or you can climb to the top of the Wonder Bridge. While I found the world’s largest water drop spectacular, unfortunately, the loud splash was a little too much for Miss 3.5 (so much for the car park prepping), so we spent most of our time exploring the other end of the area, meaning we were unable to see and experience the close by “Dancing Stone”. But there will always be next time.
Trapped Cloud a big hit
We spent most of our time running in and out of the Trapped Cloud, especially enjoyed by Mr 6. Once you are in the middle you are completely surrounded by the cloud, so much so that you can barely see your own hand in front of you. You really feel what it is like to walk through the clouds.
Other Highlights
We also tested out our space legs on the moon jump and took a spin on the “Wie dur mir, soich dir” turntable. But look out for the water jets! (Yes, you will thank me for bringing that change of clothes!) Although she was a little short to be able to reach most of the exhibits, Miss 3.5 enjoyed making music with the different instruments in water and the large xylophone. Whilst they enjoyed those, I headed up to the stairs to the top of the Wonder Bridge to check out the view of the entire section including the gardens, pond and stage area right down to the wind machine and dancing stone at the front of the park.
After all these outdoor adventures and getting a little wet, even with the rain gear, we made good use of the dryer room just inside the main building.
The Verdict
Personally, I enjoyed the new outdoor space and think it is a great addition to an already great place for families to visit. While most of the exhibits in the outdoor area are targeted more towards children 7+, from both an academic point of view and also for being able to interact with the exhibits (height and weight wise), my two still thoroughly enjoyed exploring the area and we hope to go back to visit the area in Summer. Especially so we can make use of the grill and picnic area and spend some time hopefully exploring it a little more. And this time fingers crossed Miss 3.5 is a little more excited about the falling water, now knows what to expect.
IMPORTANT TIP:
If you want to check it out yourself, pre-purchase your tickets in advance to avoid disappointment. You can do this via the Technorama website! Also, don’t forget your rain gear or a change of clothes…. As the kids will definitely end up wet!
