We realized too late that we really should have brought the video camera. This snapshot doesn't do justice to the way she hunches her shoulders and waves her arms when she's really thrilled about something. She was doing it in each room we went to. And there is quite a variety of displays. There are some areas devoted to pioneer living, Native American culture, wildlife, the Oak Ridge atomic research facility during WWII, plus a World of Trains exhibit, the "Waterworks room" AND a child-sized doll house (!) I will spare you photos of each area and just hit the highlights.
This bobcat was pretty cool.
The castle-slide provided perfect climbing practice.
And that slide was fast.
Also a highlight for Anna: the globe in one of the classroom exhibits. The old-fashioned desks and chalkboard didn't mean much to her at this point, but the globe was amazing.
She just kept spinning it and saying "globe" over and over again. Yes, once again, she is making her grandfather proud!
Taking a break to admire the artwork from one of the museum's day camps. (I especially like the robot sitting on the chair).
And here is Anna in the doll-house living room. The house was quite impressive. I rarely wish to be two feet shorter.
It had two floors complete with furniture and props, such as dishes in the kitchen and food in the fridge. Anna was already tired by the time we got there, or I think she would've been more excited. She didn't venture upstairs, which is probably good since Ben and I couldn't go up, and she has not mastered going down stairs yet.
All in all, it was a great day trip, and it will be fun to go back as she gets older and can interact more with the exhibits. We decided to save the Waterworks room for another trip, so there is definitely still more to explore.
