Malta’s Esplora Interactive Science Centre has won recognition from TripAdvisor.com in its 2024 Travellers’ Choice Awards. The award was based on Exceptional Quality, Global Recognition, and Visitor Satisfaction.
What is Esplora?
One of the many wonders of the Maltese Islands is its ancient and stately buildings, each with a fascinating heritage story of its own, one of which is Villa Bighi.
After an investment of roughly 30 million euros, the state-of-the-art Esplora Interactive Science Centre was opened in late October 2016 by then Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and the Malta Council for Science Technology and Development Chairman, Jeffrey Pullicino Orland.
Visitors will not only find a great contrast between architectural heritage and modern science but will also be wowed by 22,000 square metres of indoor and outdoor exhibit space designed to fascinate all.
Step Inside Esplora
The renovated Bighi building now consists of several buildings and outdoor spaces, all interconnected. The main exhibition halls and the landscaped gardens hold more than 200 exhibits and an Activity Centre with hands-on workshops and entertaining science shows that make science relevant to our daily lives. Here are some highlights:
Motion
One of the most popular (and loudest) galleries is Motion. Watch the faces of youngsters as they internalise Newton’s Laws of Motion. Linear motion, inertia, conservation of energy, volume displacement, friction, aerodynamics, gravity and mechanical advantage are all studied and shared.
Optics
Step into a world of light, and explore reflection, refraction, colour, vision, absorption, spectroscopy, and even peer into an invisible world.
Electricity and Magnetism
These can be tricky concepts to explain, but Esplora’s exhibits allow visitors to study them hands-on, letting learners can connect an intruder-alarm circuit, explore magnetic fields, convert electricity to magnetism, interact with the plasma globe and a lot more.
Human Body
This gallery is all about human life science where you can evaluate your diet, view your heart rate, put together a 3D heart, examine different body cells and trace your way through the digestive system.
Eco-Life
Take quizzes about product materials and energy use at home, build your dream home and play a waste-sorting game.
Earth
The Earth Gallery brings earthquakes, volcanoes and tornados to your fingertips and uses an amazing ‘Planet Earth’ exhibit to explore the surface of Earth as well as other planets.
Planetarium
The Planetarium is one of the biggest attractions found at Esplora, with a stunning 10.7 metre in diameter structure, and complete with a colour space 4K theatre system, allowing the planetarium to show both the best full-dome shows and live presenter-led visualizations of astronomy and other sciences.
Universe
An interactive exhibit in the Planetarium building focuses on the cosmos and invites visitors to explore the wonders of nebulae and black holes. Make sure to challenge yourself with the Solar System quiz. But be quick… to win, you need to run and be the first to stand on the correct answer!
Engineering and Telecom
Modern issues of hacking and privacy are raised whilst the engineering gallery is full of opportunities for building and creating. The ‘3-D Thinking’ exhibits get students to engage with geometry, topology, recursion, logic and spatial puzzles.
Nature of Matter
This gallery is all about chemistry and allows students to investigate materials science by constructing molecules (including DNA), to learn about smart materials, design their own fireworks display and explore an interactive digital periodic table.
Sound and Illusions
Create music and watch astounding waveforms on the screen
Living in Space
Understand what life is like for astronauts in space, such as how they use the toilet on the International Space Station, and identifying planets that may host extra-terrestrial life.
About Tripadvisor’s Travellers Choice Awards
Tripadvisor.com is the world’s largest travel platform with more than a billion reviews and contributions. It’s the go-to website for authentic and trusted reviews of travel experiences.
Each year, millions of travellers submit reviews of destinations, attractions, hotels and other services to the Tripadvisor.com website. The Travellers’ Choice Award, formerly the Certificate of Excellence, recognises businesses that consistently earn great reviews, thus earning their place among the top 10 percent of listings on Tripadvisor worldwide.
Read more here
A visit to Esplora is a scintillating day of learning and exploring scientific developments. If you are travelling to Malta with children, don’t miss it.
Plan your visit here: Esplora Interactive Science Centre
Tel: +356 2360 2300. Email Address: info@esplora.org.mt
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BeSeeingYou In: Malta
Good To Know: Esplora is a marvelous wonder for all but is particularly appealing to youngsters
WOW! Factor: More than 200 interactive indoor and outdoor exhibits and installations
Tip: Book entry beforehand
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Author bio: Albert Fenech
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