Discovery Place: Went for the illusions, but watched snake petting

The Story

Discovery Place is debuting “ILLUSION: Nothing Is As It Seems” tomorrow (Saturday February 7). The exhibit features 20 mind-bending installations brought together by Science Gallery at Trinity College Dublin.

My Visit Experience

This was my first trip to Discovery Place. Honestly, it knocked my socks off. I was floored by the size of the place. Massive. And, all of the stuff seemed really cool to play with. I almost knocked some 8 year old out of the way so that I could play with this tennis ball launcher thing. I went to walk up the stairs and a snake handler tried to peer pressure me to pet this huge snake. No joke. I got scared and didn’t do it, but the girl I was walking with did.

Illusions Exhibit Facts & Tour

– Pricing info: “ILLUSION opens on Saturday, February 7 and is free with Museum admission. Discovery Place admission is $15 for adults (14-59); $12 for children (2-13) or seniors (60+); and free for Discovery Place Members and children younger than 2, plus tax.”

– The first illusion I experienced.

– You get a black light that you must use to get the info on each illusion. Nice touch.

– ILLUSIONS runs from February 7 – May 10, 2015. Oh, and here is some funky alien light show thing:

– Ready to be mentally illusioned? These are the same shades of grey. Boom!

– Ready to be mentally illusioned again? These yellow circles are the same size. Boom! This is called the Ebbinghaus Illusion for all my fellow illusion nerds out there.

Upon Exit

Discovery Place must be a frequent field trip destination. I almost got trampled by middle schoolers. Luckily I had on Nike sneakers with khakis and have quick moves.

This story was originally published February 6, 2015 at 1:09 AM with the headline "Discovery Place: Went for the illusions, but watched snake petting."