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Parque Explora is an award-winning hands-on museum in the Aranjuez district of Medellín near University Station (Estación Universidad). It’s a great place to take kids to learn about the human body, physics, and nature.
Visiting Parque Explora
Parque Explora is open daily except Mondays. All of the attractions are included in the admission ticket, which costs COP$48,000 for foreigners (as of April 2024). Kids under three years of age are admitted free of charge. Interpretive panels are in both Spanish and English, and enthusiastic staff members are always available to give talks on certain subjects.
The Human Brain
The museum is divided into different levels. You start at the top and work your way down. At the top level, we started with an exhibit about the human brain. There were all kinds of puzzles and optical illusions to try to trick your brain.
One of the illusions was a toilet but it could be used as a drinking fountain. The panel challenged visitors to take a drink from the toilet, which has never been used and has clean drinking water piped into it. With nobody daring to take a drink, it proved how our minds have strong emotional associations with certain objects.
The Human Body
Next was an exhibit on physics and the human body. Tests for strength, hand-eye coordination, hearing, resistance, and quickness occupied the two floors. Many of the visitors were groups of friends and family who were challenging each other at these tests.
Reptiles and Amphibians
We made our way down one level to the reptile house. Here, several species of reptiles and amphibians native to Colombia were on display.
Aquarium
The exhibit continued to an excellent aquarium. There were small tanks with tropical fish and some very large tanks with sharks, rays, and other ocean fish.
3D Film
Finally, the visit to the museum finished with a short 3D film. It was about fire ants from the Amazon and how they made their way to many parts of the world. Not only did the ants survive, but they have adapted and thrived in their new environments. It was a fascinating film.
Other Features of Parque Explora
If the exhibits aren’t enough, the museum has a gift shop, café, and many different physics experiments for children on the ground floor.
