COSI (Center of Science and Industry) Toledo, Ohio Offers Fun for All Ages

COSI, The Center of Science and Industry in Toledo, Ohio offers fun for the whole family. The Science center has entertained our family may times, with little and big kids all finding something fun to do-and adults too! I would like to give you an overview of what to expect when you arrive and the specifics of the facility.

COSI Toledo opened its doors on March 1, 1997 to the public and has now welcomed nearly 3 million visitors to Downtown Toledo. The location is in the former Portside Festival Marketplace along the Maumee River. The Marketplace closed in 1990, leaving a large, vacant space that the Mayor and City Council decided was best filled by our Science Center. COSI Toledo is supported with resources from COSI Columbus, the first COSI in Ohio. In 2005, COSI Toledo received the Institute of Museum and Library Services "National Award" for community service, a very prestigious award for museums in the country. With over 300 displays, the science center offers a lot of choice for the family that visits.

When you first enter COSI, the bubble exhibit is sure to catch your family's attention. The large amount of bubble toys and wands, including a bubble wall and a bubble containment chamber that you can "put yourself in" a bubble offer a soapy good time! Also in this area are the individual tables with fun games ranging from barrels of monkeys to marble race towers. These offer a quiet chance to do an activity with a child without a bunch of other hands reaching in at the same time. Near this display is the giant image wall, which lets visitors press various objects, including your own body into it to make a projection of the large plastic "sticks" come out the front. Very entertaining.

Venturing further in, you will find the high wire bicycle. This bicycle, designed with a large weight suspended from the bottom of the bike, lets any large child or adult "bike" across a high wire strung over the 2 story part of the room. At first try, you are amazed that you don't flip right over, but this is definitely an experience not to miss!

The toddler play area is next, complete with a water play area, a tree house, and a sound room with lots of fun things to bang, smack and clang. A noisy room, but a lot of fun for little hands to explore not-so-little sounds! The area also contained kidscape, a room for little ones under the age of 1 to crawl, explore and not get run over by the bigger kids!

Going downstairs, you will find a sport area and an illusion area. The sports area offer a rock climb wall, a chance to throw and clock your pitching speed, a race track for the 10 meter dash, a"virtual" volleyball game and balance, jump and quickness tests. Learn about the way sportscasting occurs on TV and the insides to your favorite sports ball. Definitely an area more designed for dads and sons. The illusion area however is for all. This area has optical illusions, sensory illusions-including alternating hot/cold bars that when touched feels like you are getting burned-a real interesting play on the sense of touch! The leaning room in here is probably our favorite. The room offers a chance to see what things look like from a hard angle, where balls roll "up" the floor and "up" a shelf. Plays with your head a bit when you are in there, not for those with vestibular or general balance issues, that's for sure!

Also downstairs is the BOSU. This giant human Yo-Yo offers you a chance to launch up towards the peak in a fun and challenging event, this is fun for adults to try to out-jump their kids. Not to miss!

There are many other exhibits to check out, but these offer a few of the many choice there are to explore. Take the time, next time you are in the Toledo, Ohio area to explore COSI Toledo. You and your family will not be disappointed, and you may learn something along the way!