Good Interactive day out but remember to take a picnic! (Thinktank)

Member Name: evewidow

Product:	Thinktank
Date:	20/07/09 (27 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good for a rainy day , interactive , fun for all ages

Disadvantages: lack of food facilites , slightly pricey

We visited the thinktank with our two sons yesterday and i would recommend visiting on a Sunday as it was very quiet we could park right outside the front door and parking is cheaper on a Sunday ( £2.80 all day ) parking is normal Birmingham prices the rest of the time.
On arriving we were advised by friendly staff about a show starting in the planetarium and were given a schedule of activities and a map and were well informed .
I recommend the planetarium the film is shown in a dome so you sit slightly back and gaze at the ceiling and enjoy the 3d feature which was a good experience ( there is however an additional chanrge for watching shows in the planetarium approx £2 )
After that we went round the science museum , looking at the trains and trams and old machines that used to operate in Birmingham , most of the exhibits have interactive things like buttons to make the machines run or quizzes/information on computer screens so the kids enjoyed this rather than being told not to touch , however not all of these things worked.
We then went to the Childrens area which was the highlight of the day , there was waterplay to teach the children about how locks and canals etc work , the kids got really involved and really soaked i would advise you to take a spare change of trousers. They were able to dress up and play in an areas set out like Cafes , Hospitals and a car garage , whilst participating in fun educational activities , If you can drag your children away from this bit there is currently a walking with dinosaurs exhibit on , where you learn how they make the models for the series and see some of the original puppets whilst also learning about the dinosaurs themselves.
There is Plenty to see and keep you occupied for a good few hours at the Thinktank , there was a LEGO lab but this was not open so not sure what it was and there is a theatre show every few hours .
Inside the actual Thinktank there is one cafe which was very limited and quite pricey they had sandwiches , cornish pasty , sausage roll and jacket potatoes so i would advise you to take your own lunch and use one of the picnic areas , or visit 1st thing and get lunch somewhere in Birmingham.
In the same building as the thinktank is the IMAX 360 degree cinema so you could add that on to your visit to make more of a day of it this is priced at £7 - £9 per person.
All in all good place to visit on a rainy day but not somewhere you will want to go again and again.

Summary: Great fun on a rainy day