World of Wonders: From Earth to Outer Space, Science Rocks at Tellus Museum

A trip to Tellus Museum is well worth the drive up I-75 to Cartersville. Here, visitors will be rewarded with a scientific adventure like no other, from a prehistoric romp with dinosaurs to a galactic blast into space. Dazzling gems, blazing meteorites, vintage vehicles, digital planetarium, solar house. Think “Journey to the Center of the Earth” meets “Back to the Future.”

The sleekly styled, 120,000-square-foot museum, which boasts the proud distinction of being a Smithsonian Institution Affiliations Program, is a showcase of the marvels of nature and the ingenuity of mankind.

Got kids? Even better. In addition to the eye-popping exhibits, there’s a ton of hands-on fun, including fossil digging and gem panning, along with a sprawling “Backyard” playground, rigged with experiments and learning tools that set the stage for imaginative play.

Since opening in January 2009, Tellus Science Museum has welcomed 700,000 visitors, with newcomers arriving daily.

“Public support of the museum has been phenomenal, and the schools love our educational programs,” said marketing director Joe Schulman. “Tellus is unique because of the variety of science on display. With four galleries and a planetarium, there’s definitely something here for everyone, no matter their age or interests.”

Built on the former site of the Weinman Mineral Museum, Tellus now encompasses those earthly treasures, honoring the legacy of local mining entrepreneur William Weinman.

Rock hounds will delight in one of the best mineral exhibits in the country, with remarkable specimens from Georgia and around the world, as well as the Moon and beyond.

Among the “touch” pieces displayed out of cases are the Campo Del Cielo meteorite that plummeted down to Argentina more than 4,000 years ago, a hefty 4,950-pound float copper boulder, and a beautiful amethyst geode radiant with quartz crystals.

Along one wall, an expansive, color-coded Periodic Table offers a unique peek at the chemical elements, with illuminated windows revealing samples and examples of everyday uses – from potassium-powered bananas to aluminum cans and lead bullets.

“It’s a great way to reinforce something for kids or help those of us who have been out of school remember what we learned in chemistry,” Schulman said.

With the motto “Science Matters,” Tellus not only presents the who and the what, but also explains the how and the why, with illustrative exhibits throughout the museum. In the Weinman Mineral Gallery, guests can walk through the layers of Earth, see the continents in motion, and discover Georgia’s mining heritage.

From there, it’s a big leap back in time to the Fossil Gallery, where a rather fierce-looking Eremotherium (aka the giant ground sloth, a gentle herbivore) stands sentinel, ushering those who dare to enter into a prehistoric land of dinosaurs, supersized marine reptiles and mammoth mammals.

With a timeline that spans billions of years, from the start of life on Earth through the age of dinosaurs, the gallery spotlights the paleontology of the Southeast, with an impressive collection of bones and fossils. Joining in the skeletal procession: a saber-toothed cat, mastodon, armadillo, sea turtle, and, yes, of course, a T. rex. The 9-foot-wide jaw of a megalodon puts the underwater food chain in proper perspective.

Much more is in store in the museum’s third gallery, Science In Motion, stocked with a hangar full of engineering feats, including an 1896 Ford Quadricycle, a replica Wright Brothers Flyer, a 1948 Bell 47 helicopter and a jet cockpit. Chronicling a century of motorized transportation, the gallery features a fleet of vintage vehicles, cleverly mounted atop mirrored stands for a look under the floorboards.

The 1903 Orient Buckboard, billed as “the cheapest automobile in the world,” came with a $425 price tag – toss in an extra $22 to add a top. Rounding out the offerings are replicas of the Apollo I capsule, Mercury capsule and the Sputnik, all symbolizing the everyday application of science in transportation technology.

Just down the hall, adventure-seekers can relive the old days of mining at the Vulcan Materials Gem Panning, complete with sifting pans, a water wheel and a sprinkling of gems to find and keep.

Next it’s on to the Fossil Dig, where junior paleontologists can brush through troughs of “sand” to unearth sharks teeth, snail shells and other remnants of the past, and explore a walk-in excavation area, where a dinosaur or two is waiting to be discovered.

The fourth gallery, Collins Family My Big Backyard, is designed expressly for children, serving as a launching pad for the playful discovery of science through engaging experiments and interactive displays on everything from light and sound to electricity and the weather. Fortunately, the museum has a gift shop and café to lure the youngsters back out.

For stargazing, Tellus features a planetarium with four to five shows rotating daily, and an observatory (open at select times) housing a 20’ telescope and seismograph.

Also on the premises is Georgia Tech’s amazing Solar Decathlon House, which demonstrates how solar energy can be used to make homes energy efficient. The solar batteries can provide up to 2.5 to 3 days of backup power depending on usage. The “green” building materials include both soybean and chicken feather insulation. Seems birds have the right idea about feathering the nest.

TELLUS SCIENCE MUSEUM IN CARTERSVILLE IS OPEN FROM 10 AM-5 PM DAILY. 770/606-5700. TELLUSMUSEUM.ORG