While on our 2004 Pacific Northwest summer vacation, my family was privileged to be among this unique attraction's first visitors. Fervent sci-fi enthusiasts will be in heaven. Casual fans will enjoy it immensely. And kids will love the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame because of its far-out exhibits and colorful sensory blitz.

"The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible." -Arthur C. Clarke

I've been a science fiction fan for as long as I can remember. I remember watching first-run episodes of "Star Trek" at age four on our small black and white TV. I read John Christopher's "White Mountains" trilogy in sixth grade and today I find the concepts in "The Matrix" movies very intriguing. I've nearly memorized all of the dialogue from each original "Star Trek" episode, and I've been a loyal viewer of all Trek movies and TV series (except the latest). All that said... I'm certainly not the kind of guy who shows up at a convention sporting pointed ears and a phaser, but I've always been attracted to the escapism, fantasy and especially the ideas and possibilities presented to us by science fiction.

The Science Fiction Museum and Hall Of Fame is located in a refitted part of the Experience Music Project adjacent to the base of the Seattle Space Needle. The museum opened on June 18, 2004 and we visited just a week later. Clearly, the museum was heavily promoted locally (more on that later), but it was not crowded at all during our Friday afternoon visit. The museum has a linear layout... that is, the exhibits are arranged consecutively from entrance to exit (vs. several rooms or floors off of a central area). The museum is not large. My girls (ages 11 and 13) and I spent about 90 minutes in the museum, but we could have spent much more time thoroughly examining each exhibit had we not shoehorned this attraction into our already crazy itinerary.

The museum honors ALL sci-fi media and genres. Of course, books, TV and movies are thoroughly recognized. Visitors are also treated to a small art gallery with some awesome sci-fi paintings and prints. Sci-fi authors like H.G. Wells, Ray Bradbury and Isaac Asimov are honored. There's even an exhibit commemorating the contribution of sci-fi comic books... from cheesy to great.

My favorite room was the very first room. It is dimly lit and bordered by real-looking sparkling stars. This medium sized room is lined with bookcase style exhibits, giving the visitor a general overview of the relationship between science and pop culture. The very first prominent exhibit is Cap'n Kirk's command chair from the bridge of "Star Trek's" original Enterprise. George Takai (Mr. Sulu) narrates a very short introductory video called "What If?". However, the most fascinating element of this room is what I have dubbed the "VIDEO GLOBE"... a brightly lit, 8-foot diameter sphere which appears to be levitating in the dimly-lit room. The cables used to suspend the ball are visible only upon close scrutiny. It appears to be illuminated by television projections from within the sphere itself. The video globe projects images of sci-fi history and the exhibits found within the museum... but the coolest aspect of the video globe is when it "morphs" into a huge detailed image of a celestial body... the moon, the Earth, Jupiter, Mars, etc. It appeared as a bright, giant orb in an otherwise dark room.

An exhibit dedicated to robots has models of classic sci-fi robots like RoboCop, Twiki from Buck Rogers, R2D2 from "Star Wars", Robby the Robot from "Forbidden Planet" and of course, Dr. Smith's sarcastic robot from "Lost In Space". Another great exhibit is a giant video screen containing dozens of sci-fi spacecraft from TV and the movies flying about. Visitors may call up the specs on their favorite spacecraft, and their chosen craft will then fly across the screen. You'll see the Space:1999 ship, the Millennium Falcon, the Planet Express ship from "Futurama", the U.S.S Enterprise and many others... And there's a pretty neat exhibit on sci-fi weapons.

The museum contains many smaller themed exhibits. A miscellaneous sampling of the items on display includes the ugly mask from "Predator", some tribbles from the original "Star Trek", the alien queen from "Aliens" and a tribute to Hugo Gernsbeck's "Amazing Stories". Modern sci-fi such as "The Matrix" and "Independence Day" is also represented.

Hard-core Star Trek and Star Wars fans might be disappointed to discover that these two hugely popular franchises are not heavily represented. Despite their enormous success and cult status, Star Trek and Star Wars are proportionately represented within the entire sci-fi history. Sure, they receive their just due, but they are not placed upon a pedestal. This Trekker was horrified to learn that Gene Roddenberry has not yet been enshrined into the Hall Of Fame.

The gift shop is typical. It's small and expensive with $25 t-shirts and $40 golf shirts. Some of the items are fascinating.

Since the museum had open its doors just a week before our visit, they were still in the midst of promoting it. In order to do so, they placed a huge inflatable alien at the museum entrance and a gigantic, enormous inflatable alien on the side of the Space Needle's saucer and concocted some lame promotional story about the "mother alien" (atop the Space Needle) waiting for her "baby" (at the museum entrance) to arrive. The inflatable alien was so poorly built, that viewers couldn't even tell what it was supposed to be. Before we were told what it was, I thought it was a huge green tarp designed to shelter workers from the elements as they conducted some construction or maintenance project. I was irritated that I had traveled over 2000 miles to see and photograph one of the nation's most identifiable landmarks only to find this big, green cancerous blob hanging off its side. Presumably, it's gone by now.

Now it's time to talk about the cost... so brace yourself... Adults are $12.95. Kids (7-17) and seniors (64 ) are $8.95, Military is $10.95 and kids 6 and under are free. That's $44 for a family of 4 for a 2-3 hour visit. Combo tickets to visit both the Sci Fi Museum and the adjacent Experience Music Project (EMP) are $26.95 for adults, and $19.95 for kids, seniors and military. That's almost $100 for a family of 4. When you consider that the Sci-Fi Museum was carved out of part of the EMP... that's pretty steep. The cost is the only factor that prevented me from giving the attraction a five-star rating. Unfortunately, photography is not permitted, therefore there are no images of this attraction on my travel website. The museum is located on just one floor, so its handicap-friendly. I cannot comment much on parking because we walked from our nearby hotel, however this museum does not have its own parking lot and parking appears to be a challenge in Seattle (as is the case in the middle of many large cities). The Sci-Fi Museum and EMP are located in the Seattle Center at the site of the 1962 World's Fair. Many other great family-friendly attractions are within easy walking distance... the Space Needle, the Children's Museum, the Pacific Science Center, a small amusement park, Key Arena and plenty of shopping and restaurants. The Sci-Fi Museum and EMP are also situated at the north terminus of the Seattle Monorail, so access to the downtown shopping area and waterfront attractions is easy (Note: The monorail was not in operation at the time of our visit due to a fire, however the city provided free bus shuttle service).

The Science Fiction Museum and Hall Of Fame is a nice, quick family attraction in an area chock full of wonderful attractions. Again, the museum is not huge, but they cram quite a bit into a small space. Even if children don't recognize all of the sci-fi references, they'll be dazzled by the lights, colors, fantastic imagery and fast-paced atmosphere. It is a respectful homage to the sci-fi genre and is sure to be enjoyed by both casual and fervent science fiction enthusiasts.

Science Fiction Museum and Hall Of Fame Website:
www.sciencefictionexperience.com

TO SEE OUR FAMILY TRAVEL PHOTOS, PLEASE VISIT MY TRAVEL WEBSITE:
www.mikebechtol.com










Recommended: Yes

Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime