Special Events at the Carnegie Science Center?

What do most people know about the Carnegie Science Center?  It's a great place to learn about science stuff for kids and adults alike.  It has a bunch of cool exhibits... about science.  It's open almost every day of the year to see science and stuff.  It's on the North Shore by Heinz Field.  Oh and they have sciencey stuff.

But is that all there is to know about the Carnegie Science Center?  Not at all!  There are so many special events hosted throughout the year, and it's in your best interests to keep up to date on these awesome opportunities!!  You can even host your own special events for a wide variety of needs whether it's a corporate business meeting or a birthday party! 


So what are some of these events that you can attend?  Well, let me give some examples to whet your appetite for all things sciencey and awesome!  And make sure you bookmark the Carnegie Science Center website and Carnegie Science Center Facebook page, both on your home computer and your mobile device!!  Their mobile site even includes a current calendar of events, which is great when you are on the go!  They also have a Carnegie Museums Members Facebook page complete with lots of info!! 

Within the last year, we attended a few events that have been amazing for our family and I'll share my favorites with you!  Depending on what you and your kids love, you may want to attend them too!

Look, Daddy! Trains!

1) Trains, trains, and more trains...   Over the weekend of December 10 and 11, 2011 we went to the Carnegie Science Center because they had special exhibits and events all about trains in addition to their regular fare.  My 2-year-old son, Isaiah, LOVED it.  He is a train fanatic, and we must own more than a hundred and fifty pieces of track belonging to many different sizes of Thomas trains.  He loved the Lionel train exhibit!  And upstairs, he was able to be my little engineer driving his own remote controlled train with the train sets available for play!  It was a great time for our train obsessed youngster and mom and dad had fun too!  It's only once a year, and last year it was in December, so keep an eye on the Carnegie Science Center website for info!

My little engineer!!

2)  Steelers Lombardi trophy display -  Last December, my mom and I were able to go see all six of the Steelers' Lombardi trophies during a special event at the Carnegie Science Center.  This particular event was a free after hours event for members only, and it was awesome!!!  As a member, you receive emails about member only opportunities, and that is how we were able to sign up for a time slot to view the trophies.  We had to wait quite a while in line, which in retrospect, was a very bad idea with two small children, but we were able to see the trophies up close and get a picture too!  It was a neat opportunity, and we had a great time!  

I'm two months post partum, so don't hate, okay?

3)  The Fourth of July Fireworks display -  We had such a great time as a family watching the fireworks from the Carnegie Science Center, and I would highly recommend it to anyone!!  For more reasons why you should consider this event, please read my blog on the topic!!

 
Those are certainly not the extent of the special events available at the Science Center, but they are a few of our favorites.  Here are a few more that we are excited about and hope to take advantage of soon!  


USS Requin!  The USS Requin is an honest to goodness submarine moored in the Ohio River just for your touring pleasure.  You can learn about the submarine and it's crew every day in the summer between 10 am and 4:30 pm, and in the fall and winter tours begin at noon!  If you are really a submarine aficionado, you can get a Tech Tour, with behind the scenes access to un-restored compartments and in depth looks at her science and technology!  How cool?!?  And if that's not cool enough, some of her missions are still classified! 


RiverQuest's Saturday Sail!  Um, and if you are interested to learn about Marcellus Shale, you can go on a Saturday Sail with RiverQuest...  Three departure times on most Saturdays!!  I think this is an event that our whole family would love!  How many cool sights to see, and there is hardly any traffic!!
Stargazing!  Did you know that every Friday and Saturday night when the sky is clear they have stargazing from the Henry Buhl, Jr. Observatory for just $1??  And they have a SkyWatch Hotline that you can call for info the night of at 412.237.3327!!

Movies!!  The Carnegie Science Center may close at 5 pm Monday through Friday and 7 pm on Saturday, but they are open many other hours of the day just so you can watch some kickin' movies on their amazing big screen!  Biggest in Pittsburgh!  The Rangos Omnimax Theater is even showing the The Dark Knight Rises three or four times per day (four on weekends)!  But you better buy your tickets now, because it's only showing until August 19!  Also in rotation is Born to Be Wild and Tornado Alley! 



Laser light shows!  Also in the "after hours" category are Led Zepplin, Laser Gaga, Midnight Floyd, AC/DC, Jimi Hendrix, Van Halen, and the Spirit of America laser light shows.  They are only $2 if you are a member, $8 if you are not!  These really weren't my favorite, but that doesn't mean that they won't be amazing for you!

And if that's not enough, they have a Parent's Night Out, a Drop and Shop program, summer science camps for the kids, Preschool Adventures, sleepovers for older school age kids, and more!  Oh my!  And you thought the Carnegie Science Center was just a place with some sciencey exhibits for little kids...  :)


So....  What sounds most interesting to you?