by Susan Smalls

Created on: March 03, 2009   Last Updated: March 07, 2009

At the Maryland Science Center, you can see full-sized dinosaurs, practice Newton's theories of gravity, and travel through the human body. But this is not all that the Science Center has to offer. With three levels of exhibitions, a planetarium, observatory, and Imax theater, there is entirely too much to do in one day.

Located in the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, the Maryland Science Center is one of the Inner Harbor's main attractions. The building itself is over 200 years old, which makes it one of the oldest scientific centers in the United States. Originally, it was a meeting place for members of the scientific society to discuss topics relating to natural science. But don't let its age fool you. Its exhibits on earth science, physics, the human body, dinosaurs, and outer space are very modern. In fact the Center has won Baltimore's "Best Place to Take Kids" award and has been named one of the "10-Best Science Centers for Families."

My top five exhibits, in no particular order because I can't decide a favorite, include Dinosaur Mysteries, Newton's Alley, TerraLink, Follow the Blue Crab, and Your Body: Inside Story.

Dinosaur Mysteries not only has full scale models of dinosaurs, as well as live lizards and toads, but is also lets you become a paleontologist. You can dig for dinosaur bones and measure the length of a dinosaur leg with the actual tools used by paleontologists. You can also stand in a dinosaur footprint or sit in a nest of dinosaur eggs. And if you're lucky, you might even get to hear a dinosaur roar.

Newton's Alley is one of the most popular exhibits at the Science Center. It allows you to use a hands-on approach to actively explore the theories and principles of Sir Isaac Newton. Here, you can touch a cloud, actually see sound, win tug-of-war against a whole of people, and race against bubbles. In Newton's Alley, people create the power.

TerraLink combines technology and earth science. It is a newsroom, media center, and discovery room. You can see seismic activity being monitored in real time and watch the live crab-cam. And with the hand-on tornado vortex simulator, you can watch a tornado form and then disrupt it with you own hands.

Follow the Blue Crab is an exhibit devoted to one of Baltimore's most important residents: the blue crab. It houses live terrapins, crabs, and native fish, as well as a giant mechanical blue crab. It also allows you to take a walk in the bay, since the floor is a satellite imagery of the water ecosystems.

Your Body: Inside Story is the exhibit that allows you to travel through the human body and see what a day is like. You can stand inside the heart and lungs, listen to the sounds of digestion, and walk into a beating hart chamber. You can also see the muscle activity involved in a bike ride and see that you truly are what you eat.

This isn't even remotely close to everything the Science Center has to offer, and in my opinion, I didn't even do these exhibits justice. The Maryland Science Center offers so much to do and see that it is something everyone should experience first-hand.

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