Around Town (sort of): Sci-Quest

Whit and I visited our friends Amanda and Pierce earlier this month in my sort-of hometown of Huntsville, Alabama and caught up before the holiday craziness. We could have a great time just talking for hours, but decided to get the boys out of the house for a bit. And we chose one of my old employers as the place to go: Sci-Quest. I was a tour guide for Sci-Quest for a couple of years after high school and it was such a fun job! I used to do shows for kids about boogers, set stuff on fire, played with liquid nitrogen... it was great work for someone who will always think of herself as a kid. So I loved the idea of talking to Whit about the exhibits like I used to do for older kids and seeing his reaction.

The boys checking out the tornado simulator. Bonus points if you find Ghost Ashley.

There wasn't a ton for kids their age, but there was a lot more than there used to be! That whole room in the background was blocked off for the younger ones with a lot of toys. And of course there's always the river table which is addictive to kids and adults. I could have stayed there a LOT longer.

Yeah, those boogers I was telling you about? Sci-Quest has a whole section of exhibits about Grossology, and we used to do shows based on it. It's based on a book about science of our bodies and can be really interesting... just not for people with weak stomachs!

And the earthquake simulator was a HUGE hit! 

So I have to honest it was a bit strange coming back to Sci-Quest as a visitor. Like visiting your old teachers from high school when you're in college. And to add to the strangeness, it's not in the same location as it used to be. And the new location is so sad compared to what it used to be. I just don't know what happened. I had heard a lot of people I worked with left, including the executive director, so maybe that has something to do with the sad state of affairs. (Although I think my ex-boyfriend still works there. Yikes!) 

Aaand, to pile on here as I was googling Sci-Quest to see if there was a good stock photo of the outside I could borrow I saw that they filed for bankruptcy this week. It sounds like they won't be closing their doors, just rearranging things. I really hope they can turn the place around. I know we did a lot of good twelve years ago and would hate for that to end.