Science World (Vancouver)

Science World is Vancouver's landmark science centre, instantly recognisable by the geodesic dome that glints over the eastern end of False Creek. Built as the Expo Centre for the 1986 World's Fair, the great sphere was reborn as a hands-on museum in 1989 and has become one of the city's defining silhouettes, its faceted surface studded with lights that shimmer across the water after dark.

Inside, the emphasis is on doing rather than reading. Galleries invite visitors to launch air-powered rockets, build structures, explore the physics of sound and light, and handle live specimens in a natural-history space. The Ken Spencer Science Park outdoors focuses on sustainability and urban food systems, while a large-format OMNIMAX dome theatre, one of the biggest of its kind, screens immersive films beneath the sphere itself.

It is aimed squarely at families and the endlessly curious. Live demonstrations, from controlled combustion to giant bubbles and high-voltage electricity, run throughout the day, and rotating feature exhibitions cover everything from the human body to dinosaurs and outer space. Its position at the head of False Creek links it by seawall and passenger ferry to the rest of the waterfront, and the surrounding plaza is a popular gathering spot.

Practical notes: the centre sits directly at Main Street–Science World station on the SkyTrain, so it is very easy to reach without a car. Allow three to four hours with children. Weekday mornings during school terms are quietest; weekends and holidays can be busy. The dome is beautifully lit at night and makes a fine photograph from the seawall even if you do not go inside, though the interactive interior rewards a longer stay.