Wandering into WonderWorks Orlando

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When I first visited Orlando, FL (in 2005), Kuya Rendo and Ate Lori drove me around the tourist spots in their home city. I noticed an upside-down building; it was as if a tornado pulled it out and then dropped it with the roof on the ground where it now stands. It has intrigued me since then; when we had some free time between the airboat ride and the dinner at Kaya, I checked in with my parents, my sister, and my aunt to see if they wanted to see it. They all said yes, and so we drove to WonderWorks.

(Façade of WonderWorks. The rest of the family was not in the photo because I was taking the picture while Daddy was making sure Donan wasn't too close to the road.)

WonderWorks is where we can let our imaginations run wild (the company's motto). It is divided into zones crammed with hands-on exhibits. It was sensory overload.

Extreme Weather Zone

Anna and I were blown away by the 74-mph wind in the hurricane simulator. 

As if that wasn't chilly enough, we dunked our hands in 28-ºF water to feel how cold the Atlantic Ocean was when the HMS Titanic sank. 

Donan, Mommy, and Daddy joined us in experiencing a 5.3-magnitude earthquake in the earthquake simulator. 

I was scared to place my hand inside the steel armour mesh glove as 100 kV of electricity, despite understanding that the electricity travelling from the Tesla coil wouldn't hurt my hand (the enclosure the Tesla coil was in acted like a Faraday cage).

Physical Challenge Zone

We found huge loops, which we used to create bubbles the size of basketballs and people! It was so much fun that Daddy decided to join us, too. I wish the lighting in the bubble lab had been better so we could appreciate the light's reflections while the bubbles were formed. 

Donan and I tested our pulling power when lifting a weight (in this case, Donan) using an increasing number of pulleys. We learned that we gain a mechanical advantage using more pulleys (i.e., we need less force to lift the same weight). I wish this was how simple machines were introduced to me in third grade!

Light and Sound Zone

The whole family had a dance party in an enclosure where our shadows danced with us and turned into different colours.  In another enclosure, we had our photos taken, but instead of seeing our pictures, we saw our shadows frozen onto the wall. It was a fascinating exhibit.

There's a giant floor piano that we all enjoyed stepping on, too. The suggested piece was "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" (the music sheet was on the wall). However, Donan was content to walk on all the keys and listen to the notes being played out. Other visitors were more physically ready for this attraction: some played "The Celebrated Chop Waltz" (composed by Euphemia Allan in 1877, a.k.a. "Chopsticks"). It was reminiscent of the Tom Hanks floor piano scene in "Big" (1988).

Space Discovery Zone

Since I couldn't ride any simulators in the Disney World parks we had visited, I joined Anna in a rollercoaster simulator. This was my first simulator experience, and I enjoyed it. However, all the pitches and rolls still made it dizzying. After this ride, I questioned my fitness to drive because I felt sick; maybe the lack of wind on my face contributed to the nausea. 

Donan was also very excited about this zone. He clambered into the Mercury capsule replica, which is familiar to him because there is one at the Chabot Science and Space Museum. He was all smiles as his photo was taken with the extravehicular activity space suit. He watched landing simulations of one of the space shuttles. He felt instantly at home here.

(Donan in the Mercury capsule replica)

Imagination Zone

Donan was captivated by the sandbox because he could create different landscapes and the lighting change based on the topography made. According to WonderWorks, this exhibit uses augmented reality (overlaying computer-generated imagery on real objects).

There was a wall where we could insert coloured pegs to make artwork, but we didn't spend too much time there. A metal wall with magnetic gears generated interest in younger audiences, but Donan wasn't into it because we have something similar at home (magnetic gears on the fridge door).

WonderWorks has so many hands-on science-based exhibits that it reminded me of Mind Museum. It's not a place for social media photos (like Ripley's, Art in Island, or Museum of Ice Cream). Instead, visiting here is a time to experience a microcosm of the world in real time rather than virtually.

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