What has Carmen Sandiego, Fangs, and Conny the Sperm whale have in common?

Well, at the moment you can see them all at the Science Center of Connecticut in West Hartford… I did with my family just today.

Looking for something to do on this President’s Day 2006, we stuffed ourselves into our Voyager, and headed out to Hartford – about a 90-minute journey from where we live in Eastern Massachusetts.

We bought a combination ticket, which let us into one of the Gengras Planetarium shows as well as the exhibits.

The show we took in was “Where in the Universe is Carmen Sandiego?” It turned out to be a fun, enjoyable, and interactive way of discovering all kinds of interesting facts about our solar system. And the announcers and hosts of the Planetarium really get into the spirit of the quest. You don’t just get a bunch of awesome facts thrown at you.

The other major draw at the moment inside is “The Fangs” display, which takes up the whole of a wing. Here you can see all types of snakes - many native to Connecticut. Yes, Connecticut has two rattlers native to the state. But there are many others to see, with experts available to answer questions and even take one or two out for you touch!

The Fangs exhibit runs from January 12, 2006 – June 18, 2006. Normal admission gets you into the exhibit.

Now a visit to the Science Center of Connecticut just isn’t complete until you take a look at Conny! Conny is a full size Sperm whale model near the entrance to the center. In fact I’ve posted a picture at the beginning of this article. You really have to see it yourself to appreciate just how enormous a Sperm whale is all about.

Other attractions at the Science Center of Connecticut include: Turtle Town – Don’t miss the snapping Turtle, Idea Zone with many masterpieces of Lego buildings, and the UTC Wildlife Sanctuary.

The Science Center is smaller and more intimate than the Museum of Science in Boston, but you won’t pay the same prices, and you can walk around and see everything in 2-3 hours. A nice morning or afternoon out.

The Science Center in Connecticut is easy to find and off exit 43 on Interstate 84 that goes right through he heart of Hartford.

The center is not normally open on Mondays but because of School vacation week it was. Rest of the week, Tuesday through Saturday you can visit 10:00am – 5:00pm, and on Sunday Noon – 5:00pm.

Give it a try.

If you’d like more ideas on things to do in the Hartford area then check out my Central Connecticut vacations page by clicking here.

Have a great week, and look out for my next post next weekend.

Cliff Calderwood
Executive Director,
Online Vacation Guide for New England