Science Museums Come in Threes

Here’s an experiment that apparently works: hands-on science museums. They’re popping up everywhere, including three in the Midwest that opened within a month of one another.

* Minnesota: The newest museum, the Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul, is to open Dec. 11, with the first convertible Imax theater in the U.S., able to project large-format movies on flat or domed screens. The nearly $100-million facility on the Mississippi River, which replaces a museum half its size six blocks away, also has a 3-D multimedia laser show and a Human Body Gallery. Adult admission is $11 to exhibits plus the Imax theater. Open daily. Tel. (651) 221-9444.

* Missouri: Earlier this month, Science City opened in the former Union Station in Kansas City, part of a $250-million renovation of the second-largest train station in the U.S. Spokesman Bill Musgrave calls the Science Center “more a theme park than a museum.” It includes a “space station” where visitors can “train” to be astronauts, a “crime lab” where they can solve whodunits and a 3-D theater. Adult admission is $12.50. Open daily. Tel. (816) 460-2222.

* Ohio: Four days before Science City opened, the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) Columbus debuted its eye-catching $125-million museum designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki. COSI is divided into seven “learning worlds” focusing on outer space, technology and biology. Visitors can disassemble machines and play computer arcade games. Adult admission is $8. Open daily. Tel. (614) 228-COSI.