Imiloa Astronomy Center

golden101
First Reviewer
4 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
1
Review
4
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Cultural Museum with Great Planetarium

  • September 6, 2008
  • Rated 4 of 5 by golden101 from Honokaa, Hawaii
Cultural Museum with Great Planetarium

I have been going to the Imiloa Astronomy Center for the past 2 years now. Every spring I go with the preschool to the center for an educational excursion. It is a great facility that shows the link between the secrets of the stars and the ancient path of Hawaii's native culture. This $28-million facility is located on the campus of the University of Hawaii at Hilo, houses a state of art planetarium complex and an exhibition hall dedicated to Maunakea. It has many interactive exhibits with 3-D which is great for children (even young children). The exhibitions focuses on the skies that guided ancient Polynesians on their voyages of discovery. The 120 seat planetarium theater is constructed with a 52 foot planetarium done and features stereoscopic 3D theater technology. For the children, they get to watch a kid friendly movie about the different planets in our solar system. They love watching the movie about several children that blast off into space and visit the planets. The children also like to see the 3D movie about Mauna Kea and they love to wear the 3D glasses so they can "touch" the stars that seem to float off the movie screen. I would recommend families to visit this fascinating Astronomy Center. It is well worth the admission price of $17.50 for adults and $9.50 for children from 4 - 12 years old (children 3 and under are free). They are open from Tuesday through Sunday from 9:00am - 4:00pm. They have a gift shop near the entrance that sells educational toys and gifts. They also have a small restaurant (Imiloa Sky Garden Restaurant) that is open from open from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm. They serve sandwiches and light entrees. I would recommend eating in Hilo town at the numerous restaurants and drive ins which offer a better menu selection and offer better meal prices.

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