Wow! Weiss Energy Hall!
Weiss Energy Hall 3.0 is here! Remember waaaaay back? In like, 1995 when you were writing a paper in Microsoft Word? And, there was a little animated paper clip who would pop out to make sure you were on track?! Yeah, that was the old Weiss Energy Hall at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. It was cute and helpful but nostalgic and in need of a makeover. The New energy hall is definitely Rachael Leigh Cook when she became “All That“.
The old Weiss Energy Hall was on the first floor just past the pendulum. It was nice. The new exhibit is on the 4th floor (that no one even knew existed!) and is about the size of a football field. It is expansive and awesome. We spent a few hours there and aside from an ironic energy surge that caused everything to go offline and need a reset it was great.
The way to go is to come in the first entrance of the museum, just past the gift shop. You go through the open area (don’t forget to stop and let your kids play with the interactive screen and visit the awesome Trains Over Texas Display). When you see the pendulum you hang a right, toward the dinosaurs. Take that elevator bank to the fourth floor.
When you step off the elevator you will first see an offshore drilling platform replica. Here is a great opportunity to take a bathroom break. And, let me note, that the designer in charge of bathroom renovations at HMNS is doing an amazing job. To the left are the restrooms and they are styled beautifully – very “on theme”. To the right, you enter the cavernous field of energy.
Immersive Experiences
The Geovator is still around. Excitingly, it has been updated to be more immersive (it reminded me of the elevator in the Haunted Mansion at Disney). There is also a “ride” through the Eagleford Shale. If you get motion sick then it may be one to pass on. My husband did okay and he could not do the ones in Universal and Disney that were similar so it is not too bad, but it does have those same elements of a moving room and a large wrap around screen.
Toward the back (if you turn to the right) is “Energy City.” This is a white model that uses projectors to “bring life to the city.”
The entire experience is very hands on. It is not dumbed down. “Kids” of all ages will enjoy it and there are still things for the little ones to see and touch. One of my kids’ favorite displays was the subsea robot. Where you can actually move the arm to flip a lever and climb inside a suit and use the buttons and robotic arms to turn things on and grab.
The new Weiss Energy Hall is part of the permanent exhibits – but do not wait to see it. The upgrade is money well spent in keeping Houston’s premier museum world class. You can get all the information HERE! And remember, the permanent exhibits are FREE every Thursday for everyone who enters between 2-5pm).
