One of our favorite Portland destinations is the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, more often known by its initials OMSI. OMSI is geared toward the 6-12 crowd, but children of all ages will enjoy it. There are tons of hands-on displays demonstrated different aspects of science. Chemistry, physics, and computer labs are manned by professionals who help children explore their interests. Upstairs is a paleontology lab and reptile room (yucch!). There are static and changing displays to challenge and ignite your child’s mind.
My favorite permanent exhibit there is one on reproduction and fetal development. The babies are real. Before I went, I was appalled that they were using previously-alive children on display. After going, I changed my mind. It was done in a very solemn and respectful way. It’s set up so that if you don’t want your children to view the exhibit, you can easily bypass it. My boys always skip it, though my 15 year old is as fascinated as I am. The same thoughtfulness is given to the anatomically correct male and female; they’re tucked behind the fetal display so you need to purposely go in there. The fetuses are displayed from one week through 40 weeks. All of these babies died from natural causes, and their bodies were donated for education. It was fascinating to me to see this tiny eight-week old human with all its parts in miniature. The docents and museum staff won’t give a lot of information about who funds the display; they’ll tell you straight up that its purpose is education only, not to get into a debate about law (is that said delicately enough?). I don’t want to get into that discussion here, either. She did tell me that last year, over 12,000 high school girls had the opportunity to view the exhibit. For girls who may be getting conflicting information elsewhere, it’s a good opportunity for them to see just how babies develop in the womb.
There’s also a Russian submarine that you can tour for an additional charge. If you’ve never been around subs, it’s interesting. It probably won’t thrill kids who have grown up around military bases, but it’s a good thing to do once. You might also choose to fork over the extra $8 for an IMAX movie. These are typically feature-length and worth the cash if you have it. There’s also a planetarium show that’s worth doing once. When you get hungry, kids’ meals in the cafeteria are only $3.50. Lockers are available for only 50 cents if you want to bring your own sack lunch. There is, of course, the typical gift shop to spend whatever’s left in your pocket.
When you go, buy an annual pass. Because we are more than 100 miles away, it was only $45 with my dad’s senior discount. Most memberships are $75, with discounts for homeschoolers. The one time admission is $9; still a bargain, but the pass is better. OMSI has reciprocal agreements with over 275 other museums. We have used our pass at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle; Science World in Vancouver; and Happy Hollow, the Exploratorium, and Explorit in CA’s Bay Area. One annual price, as many admissions as you like. What a bargain!
OMSI is located across the Hawthorne Bridge on the northeast side of Portland. If you are coming from Amtrak, bus line 33 will get you the closest (get off before crossing the bridge to stay in the free zone.)