29.6.2022 | Estonia

A cozy day in the fascinating world of science

Text Susanna Poikela
Photos Science Center AHHAA

At the Science Center AHHAA, the exhibitions are interactive. The picture shows the science center's popular driving simulator.

The Science Center AHHAA has two main exhibitions, with the themes of technology and nature. In addition to the main exhibitions, the center also has exhibitions that change twice a year. “However, the main exhibitions are constantly updated with the most popular items and equipment from the changing exhibitions,” explains Kaisa Hansson, Marketing Director of the AHHAA Center.

The Technology Hall is the largest hall in the museum. The hall has a variety of things to do for the whole family. One attraction is the spaceship inside which you can experience what it feels like to drive a car on different planets in the solar system. “The driving simulator was added to the collections from our Gravity exhibition, and children always queue up for this device,” says Hansson.

In addition, the hall has classrooms with weekly workshops for schoolchildren and groups.

On the second floor, which opens up above the technology hall, the old collection of diseases of human bones, muscles, and internal organs of the Tartu Medical Faculty is currently on display. This exhibition is suitable for slightly older children as well as adults.

The nature hall contains all the elements and phenomena of nature, even tornados and earthquakes.

There is another permanent exhibition in the nature hall of the Science Center AHHAA. It presents the diverse life on our planet and various natural phenomena. In the hall, you will find, for example, an aquarium, a miniature tower, a water pump and a very popular earthquake room, where visitors can experience what a real earthquake feels like.

At AHHAA, Sport!, visitors can measure their own physical health by trying 15 different fun games. At the very beginning, your body fat percentage is measured in the red telephone booth. From there, you can head to a never ending moving climbing wall. How many metres will you climb?

The exhibition can be ended, for example, with a basketball match. “Dads often forget to throw the basketball here,” laughs Kaisa Hansson, who reveals that she enjoys playing basketball.

It is also good to rest and calm down during the day. The third-floor planetarium provides a suitable setting for this. The dome-shaped planetarium allows you to travel through the universe and time with the help of movies and presentations.

The AHHAA, Sport! exhibition is open to the public until the end of October this year. In this exhibition, the visitor can find out about their physical health.

All operating instructions for the AHHAA centre’s equipment are in English, so they are easy to use. The center also takes into account elderly and disabled visitors. The science center is barrier-free and bright, the floors are connected by a lift, and there are chairs and benches in the halls. There is also a café on the second floor.

The day ticket allows you to explore the center little by little. You can even visit the nearby Tasku shopping center for lunch or a little rest and then return to the wonderful world of science.

You can travel to Tartu by plane from Helsinki. Finnair flies directly from Helsinki to Tartu five times a week. From Tallinn it is possible to get to Tartu by bus or train, the journey time is just over two hours.

To learn more about this and similar topics
Ahhaa AHHAA Tartu Kaisa Hansson Science Science Center AHHAA Science Musem Tartu Science Museum Tartu