4. Progress
It’s pretty simple and obvious, but still brilliant to consider “progress” an element of science, as much as oceans or energy or gadgets. This exhibit is a really unique walkthrough experience. You enter into the tiny town of Progress, USA in 1898 (so, set a few years before Disney’s Main Street). The town of Progress is depicted as the corner of Hope Street and Fear Street – fitting since “progress” is, by its nature, made up of hope and fear. The town has a market, piano shop, livery, and telegraph office open for exploration.
A touch of a button at the entrance to any shop will bring to life a narration from a resident of Progress. Outside the Hope Street Market (its windows filled with fresh fruits and vegetables), a resident's voice discusses how easy and carefree life can be with the new invention of food right from a can! But, she's also heard of people getting sick from this "canned food." Hopes and fears.
But here's the brilliant part: what is Progress without seeing change?
Turning the corner, guests find themselves in the same town of Progress at the same intersection, but sixty-four years later in 1962. Now paved and glittering under neon lights, Progress is suddenly a sleek, retro town where train advertisements have been replaced with plane advertisements, appliances have sprung up, and the old livery has become a gasoline station. Brilliantly, the “hopes” and “fears” of 1898 have come to stunning life in a new world. The Hope Street Market's windows now are filled with (you guessed it) canned food. Times sure have changed, huh?
As you exit Progress, signs ask delightfully dazzling questions: “What would the streets of Progress look like today? What are YOUR hopes and fears? What would your grandchildren think if they saw your photo in Progress?” Think about it…
5. Life
Life at COSI is divided into three topics: Mind, Body, and Spirit. Mind is full of brainteasers and hands-on exhibits that prove that you can’t overpower your brain’s reflexes (an anechoic chamber, a mystifying heat grill, 3D audio exhibits, face blending, communication tests, etc). Spirit discusses life and death, our conception of both, and the way we remember those who have passed with compelling displays of real human cremation remains and a very real shrunken head from Ecuador.
The Body section is home to the glass-enclosed Labs in Life, powered by faculty at Ohio State University’s medical school. Body is filled with the obvious (surgical videos, fitness demonstrations in the OSU Labs, wild X-rays, and interactive body displays) and hands-on fitness tests that challenge guests to measure their resting and active heart rate, flexibility, and strength to compare to national averages.
6. Space
That giant golden cylinder on COSI’s exterior? It’s actually a 200-seat Planetarium. The Planetarium is the centerpiece of the museum’s Space exhibit, which is made up of unique experiments (air-controlled space capsules, RC moon rovers, pressurized bottle launches, etc) and a walk-through space capsules that depict life among the stars.
Ocean, Energy, Gadgets, Progress, Life, and Space… Though some are more obvious than others, it's a brilliant assertion that each is an equal slice; one piece of the large and indefinable concept of "science." But there's one more exhibit and one final piece of the pie chart, and it may be the most thoughtful and compelling idea yet. We’ve saved the best for last…
7. Adventure
Dateline, 1937. Led by the incomparable Dr. Eva Snodgras, the Explorer's Society has begun to unearth the mysterious Valley of the Unknown. This ancient tropical isle is home to a crumbling stone maze, a lush temple complex, and an cavernous catacomb. At the island's center, though, is the most magnificent find of all: the towering two-story stone Observatory (above), said to contain the ancient Treasure of Knowledge.
And wouldn't you know it? The Observatory is sealed shut. No one has been in or out in thousands of years. But, dearly departed Dr. Snodgrass did have a hypothesis for how to unlock the Observatory. The key, she imagined, rested in four giant stone statue guardians discovered on the island. Her team was able to relocate P'lunk, Spirit of Questions from the Well of Questions around the Observatory. Dr. Snodgrass believed that she'd found the secret to awakening him... and then, she vanished.
Even Disney's Indiana Jones Adventure would be green with envy during the Adventure pre-show in Outpost 41, in which a member of the Explorer's Society joins guests to decode Snodgrass' last journal entry and awaken P'lunk, the Spirit of Questions (above), who assures us that if you want an answer, you must always start with a question:
"The Observatory gate will open wide if you know the code for getting inside
It's made up of pieces, a total of four. Look here at the first. Now find three more.
If you wonder where to find the others, just look for my spirit sister and brothers.
They are somewhere waiting for you in the Maze, the Temple, and the Cavern, too.
Add their pieces to the one I've revealed and the Observatory will be unsealed!
You will enter through its doors and the Treasure of Knowledge will at last be yours!"
From there, guests are set loose with a paper island map (above), pencil, and flashlight to explore the ancient island (permanently under torch-lit night skies). By reasoning their way through the Maze of Reason, guests can awaken B'ra-zoa, Spirit of Reason. Only those who think outside the box can breathe life into L'lala, Spirit of Inspiration (below). In the dark Cavern of Perseverance, you may stumble a time or two. But keep trying and you'll have all you need to get the final piece of the code from T'em-poa, Spirit of Perserverance.
Only once you've collected all four pieces of the ancient code can you unlock the Observatory to find the Treasure of Knowledge. The 9,000 square foot exhibit is truly a self-guided adventure through the ancient temples, jungles, and caves of the island. But even once you've opened the gates, heed P'lunk's advice:
"The code we spirits gave you is clever as can be, but it has other meaning you are yet to see. So take what you've discovered and continue on your quest! Think of all you've found, then go and find the rest."
What he's alluding to is that Adventure also contains a secret "level 2" that requires between 15 and 20 hours of deciphering, decoding, and exploring, opening new chambers and awakening the spirits all over again to receive different clues and codes leading to new spots on the island. Level 2 of Adventure only amplifies the exhibit's already Disney-quality presentation by extending the story. "Level 1" is unlocking the Observatory. "Level 2" uncovers the history of the island and the culture that created and revered P'lunk, L'lala, B'ra-zoa, and T'em-poa...
And let's be honest - isn't it sort of brilliant that adventure could count as a piece of science, equal in standing with energy or oceans or space? And really, it is. What is science if not going into the unknown, finding answers, digging, and trying again? Don't tell your kids this, but the four Spirits of the island (Question, Reason, Inspiration, and Perseverence) just so happen to represent the steps of the Scientific Method or the Design Process. Ask a question, develop a hypothesis based on what you already know, think outside the box to develop and test an experiment, and try again! So incredible is this unassuming exhibit in an Ohio science museum, we wrote a whole in-depth feature on how Adventure might be the perfect 21st Century attraction. Check it out here.
Conclusion
So why take a break from roller coasters to talk about COSI when it's located in Ohio, far from the tropical mecca of Orlando or the oasis of Los Angeles? Put simply, COSI is a world-class science center that meets and even exceeds Disney's standards. Conceptually, it's a BRILLIANT, sleek, modern evolution of the Epcot formula, dividing into immersive and thoughtful themed "pavilions" of its own, each an isolated but complimentary piece of the whole. Whether you like themed environments, entertainment, storytelling, architecture, animatronics, or... you know... science, COSI has something for you. It's truly a theme-park-level experience, totally immersive from beginning to end.
Do yourself a favor. Put COSI on your bucket list. Located in Columbus, Ohio (directly in the center of the state) it's about an hour from both Cedar Point and Kings Island, and man is it worth the side trip.
Disclaimer: The author of this article is a Team Member at COSI. COSI did not review, endorse, or sponsor this feature. The views and opinions expressed by the author do not necessarily represent those of COSI, its team, or its leadership! The author was a big fan of COSI and posted this piece before joining the team.
Comments
I grew up in Cincinnati and COSI was a staple. I still loved old COSI as a kid, but I remember the first time we visited the new (and current) location. Absolutely incredible. Adventure is one of the coolest attractions outside of a theme park.