Museum of Discovery & Science

Lonely Planet review

Fronted by the 52ft Great Gravity Clock, Florida's largest kinetic energy sculpture, this environmentally oriented museum is a treat for kids of all ages, with exhibits on topics including rocket ships, electricity and the Everglades restoration efforts. The admission price also includes one IMAX 3D show in the impressive five-story theater. Before leaving, check out the parabolic display across the street: two dishes face each other about 60ft apart.

Turn toward one dish and have a friend turn toward the other. Whisper into the dish and you'll hear each other perfectly.

The Florida Ecoscapes exhibit introduces visitors to Florida's 10 different ecosystems: you pass through a series of forests, swamps and sloughs - petting friendly stingrays, observing a fascinating synthetic beehive - all the while surrounded by appropriate animal noises. The museum also raises many endangered species, and several times a day the baby crocodile and sea turtle hatchlings are brought out for inspection.

Also on hand, the Manned Maneuvering Unit simulates weightlessness; you sit in a high-tech NASA chair and use air jets to launch up to a satellite and aim it correctly at earth - and then get scored in how you do. The Blockbuster IMAX 3-D theatre in house offers virtual-reality-type helmets and goggles (no more red and blue plastic glasses!) to compound the amazement of watching their five-storey movie screen.

The Discovery museum is in northwestern downtown Fort Lauderdale, north of the New River.