St. Louis Science Center
5050 Oakland Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63110

Where in St. Louis can you hop in a flight simulator, sleep under the stars and construct a (sort of) giant arch? In one afternoon? For free? The answer, of course, is the Science Center, conveniently located in the giant backyard we call Forest Park.

Named one of the top five science centers in the U.S., the St. Louis Science Center (SLSC) receives about 1.2 million visitors every year. Its state of the art OMNIMAX Theater both completely swallows visitors and allows them to travel through time and space to the Hubble Telescope, Mecca and, starting in January, the prehistoric ocean.

“The interactive exhibits are awesome—best if you sacrifice your dignity, get in line with the five-year-olds and build an arch, play with the laser harp, put your hand in a 10-foot-tall steam tornado and see what happens,” senior Kirsten Siebach said. “It’s a fantastic way to remember why you actually like science when you need a break from solving the Schrodinger equation.”

The SLSC will soon feature an exhibition on the science of climate change and its effects all over the world. The exhibition opens on Jan. 8—just in time for our return to St. Louis, as we walk to class against the frigid winds and wish that global warming would make an appearance.

Freshmen enjoy the St. Louis Science Center during this year’s new student orientation.