We were in Bristol a couple of weeks ago to visit my sister and to check out some of the fun things there are for families to do in the area. Since my sister has bought a flat there, we will be in the area a lot more often – and she is trying to persuade us to move there too!
One of the places we really wanted to visit was At Bristol Science Centre. I’d heard great things about it, and we weren’t disappointed.
At Bristol is a fantastic science museum for kids, that is really interactive and has plenty to keep them entertained and learning. You can easily spend a good few hours there taking your time with each exhibit.
On the ground floor of At Bristol, there are interactive sections on “All About Us” “Food” and more, and upstairs there’s an exciting animation zone. There’s also a planetarium which we didn’t have time to visit on this trip – but hopefully next time!
We were really impressed with the quality of the exhibits at At-Bristol and how well the centre has been kept. Everything is modern and up to date, clean and spacious and the staff are friendly and helpful if you need anything from them.
Here are just a few of the exhibits and activities that the boys enjoyed at At-Bristol
Fitting the parts into the model body in ‘All About Us’
Here’s a short video of T checking his reaction times in the All About Us section.
Conducting sound through the teeth to listen to music
The food area was also a highlight of the downstairs exhibits, where the boys got to grind their own flour and interact with a robot who gives out recipes based on your body language!
Up in the animation area, R was really fascinated with this praxinoscope – an early machine used for animation. It is pretty entrancing, I could watch this for ages too!
There are lots of fun interactive exhibits for young children, like making mirror patterns (below) or making giant bubbles.
There’s also a building site exhibit which was a huge hit with my boys as they got their builders costumes on and moved around the giant lego bricks to build and break down walls.
At Bristol Science Centre is really central, so once you’re done with exploring you can easily find somewhere to eat just a couple of minutes walk away in the town centre. We went with our boys aged 4, 5 and 7 and I would definitely recommend it for this age group. Toddlers would find plenty to enjoy too, and there is lots to fascinate older children as well, particularly up in the animation zone where they can create their own animated movies on computers.
Find out more on the At-Bristol website
We were given entry as part of our trip with the Visit Bristol tourist board
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
Looks like you had a great day out!