Spent the day here to get out of the rain while on...

Spent the day here to get out of the rain while on a camping vacation. At first I thought the price was a little steep (we got the play all day passes-$35 for adults and $27 for kids), but as the prices included an Imax film and the planetarium show, by the time the day was over I felt it was money well spent. We took in both a film and did the planetarium. But the best part of the day was once we got inside the main part of the building. I expected something similar to the Toronto Science Centre-rammed full of kids, and line-ups to participate in stuff. I was pleasantly surprised that this wasn't the case! There was tons of interesting things to see and do-I felt that it was a cross between a science centre, a museum and a zoo! Not only were there science-based activities, there was a whole floor with animals, reptiles and insects. There were young people called "bluecoats" all around the building, who were very engaging and informative. I was so chuffed by their enthusiasm that I somehow momentarily forgot that I was terrified of spiders and held a tarantula! My 6 year-old niece loved the points program, in which science-based learning earns you points that you can use to pick items like rocks and shells to take home with you. What a great initiative for kids. My only negative about the experience was that we took a break for lunch, and the "cafeteria" looked like it hadn't been cleaned all day, the empty tables were piled with garbage and dirty. We had to wipe a table down before we could use it. But overall, a great place for kids and grown-ups alike!