Taipei Astronomical Museum

If your child loves science, space and astronomy, then this is the perfect for him/her to come immerse in the secret of the universe. The Taipei Astronomical Museum is the best place in the city to learn about the mysteries of the universe. The current facilities in the museum include exhibition halls that use virtual reality and augmented reality technologies to simulate actual space scenes, space exploration areas, cosmic theaters, 3D theaters , astronomy classrooms, and dome astronomical observation rooms. The entrance price for the exhibition is NT$40 adults, NT$20 kids and under 5 yrs old it is free. It has 3 floors of space themed exhibits, a Cosmic Adventure ride on the 4th floor, and even a IMAX and 3D theater. The seats are tilted 25 ~ 30 degrees to make you feel like you are floating with the stars.

The first floor is the Space Exploration Zone. The ring-shaped interactive projection presents the starry sky of the universe. While observing the changes on the screen beside it, the kids have a great time stepping on the stars on the ground to interact. There is also a space capsule you can walk in or sit in the gyro chair which is used for the training the astronauts. Kids can also sit in a moon buggy, see what astronauts have to eat in space, create a hurricane, and learn about rockets. The second floor has a simple but spacious children’s playroom and the opening hours are 10:00, 11:00, 13:30, 14:30, and 15:30. The game lasts 50 minutes and is limited to 60 people. Number plates will be issued at the children’s area service counter 20 minutes before admission.

There’s also exhibits on stars, the Milky Way, and the solar system, including several machines on site, and you can see the color, magnitude, and structure of stars by clicking on them. The 3rd floor has exhibits about galaxies, the universe, and search for life, though it is relatively difficult and suitable for children in 5th grade and above. There's a interactive game where kids can draw their versions of aliens. In addition to the exhibition, you must experience the "Cosmic Adventure"(NT$70 adults, NT$35 kids) on the 4th floor, which allows you to experience a 10-minute cosmic journey in a spacecraft that travel along a 200 meter track seeing various galaxies, the sun, black holes, and aliens along the way.The entrance to the IMAX dome theater is on the first floor, and the 3D theater is in the basement. The theaters play 30-50 minute movies (NT$100 adults, NT$50 kids), and can provide English-language headsets for most movies. All in all, this is a great museum to take kids to and explore for half day. Definitely a great option during a raining or cold day where you want to spend hours in doors for some educational fun