Universeum

Today we took the kids to Universeum, a science museum for kids.  It's the sort of thing one would do if traveling around Europe with kids.  But this was just two tram stops away, so at any point we had the option of just going home.  Being Saturday it was pretty busy, but the kids had a great time and did well.  If you've ever been to the National Aquarium in Baltimore, it's kinda like that except they take you to the top first.

Having studied biology in college I was eager to know more about the native wildlife here.  Even on the drive in from the airport you notice the white birches punctuating the woods.  (For those of you who have been to our house in Virginia you may remember the birch tree that resided inside our house.  I loved that tree, but had to say goodbye for good when we moved, so I was comforted by all the native ones here to greet me upon arrival.)

The top section of the Universeum has different habitats, mostly from around Sweden.  It is like being outside but having all the interesting parts of nature right at your fingertips.  Plus there are bilingual signs to read, so that makes it more interesting as well.  The kids could crawl in habitats like a cougar cave and beaver dam.






Further down there are aquariums with fish and other creatures from all over, and a shallow ocean tank where kids are encouraged to feel the water and touch the stingrays.

Then you can descend the rest of the way back to the entry level in a hot, humid rain forest.  I see myself coming here a lot in the winter.  There was another half of the Universeum (hands-on) that we didn't even get to, so I'm excited to have annual passes.






Sweden: Very kid-friendly.