Science Center Hopes to Make Crowd Control an Art Form

It features a cube instead of Cubism, but Orange County’s newest museum is right up there with Los Angeles’ acclaimed Getty Center when it comes to crowd control.

People who want to visit the new Discovery Science Center, opening Dec. 19 in Santa Ana, will have to call ahead for reservations.

“Our goal is that people have a fantastic experience,” said Pam Shambra, vice president of marketing. “If there are too many people in the building and you can’t get to an exhibit, you won’t have a fantastic experience.

“The Getty,” she added, “does it every day.”

Starting Monday, the science center will begin taking reservations for visits through the end of January. Callers will have the option of booking admission times.

Depending on how many people use the center, the reservations system might become permanent.

So how many visitors would be “too many”? Officials think it might be from 500 to 1,000. To find out, Shambra said, a series of preopening events have been scheduled involving varying numbers of people.

The science center building features an eye-catching 108-foot cube that appears to balance on one point. Inside, it offers more than 100 hands-on scientific exhibits. Among them are a bed of nails to demonstrate the distribution of weight and the “shake shack,” which simulates vibrations like those of the San Francisco, Whittier and Northridge earthquakes.

Visitors also might spend time dancing on floors equipped with laser beams that trigger sound bites ranging from traffic noises to excerpts from “The Simpsons.”

Shambra said the science center will evaluate the reservation system at the end of January, then decide whether to make it permanent.

Meanwhile, she said, the rules will be strictly enforced: “People need to start calling Monday because when we’re booked, we’re booked.”

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Call Ahead

Expecting overflow crowds on opening day and beyond, the Discovery Science Center will require visitors to make reservations by phone. The 170-spot parking lot will convert to “valet only” on busy days, weekends and holidays--making room for 70 more cars. Overflow parking will be available at the Orange County Teachers Federal Credit Union, 2115 N. Broadway.

Science Center Information

(714) 542-CUBE (542-2823)

https://www.go2dsc.org

Reservations

Beginning Monday, call (714) 542-2823. Admission times are 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. The center will be open daily and close at 5 p.m. The center can hold 1,000 visitors, and the typical tour takes three to four hours, officials say. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for adults 55 and older and $6 for children 3 and older.

Parking: $2 in the center’s parking lot; no RVs or buses allowed