By Barbara Palmgren
This month we visit another of the nine museums in Okaloosa County.
Founded in 1989 by the Junior League of the Emerald Coast, the Emerald Coast Science Center was located at the Landing in Fort Walton. The City of Fort Walton Beach owned the building and rented it to the museum. In 2001, the museum became its own non-profit and the Board of Directors looked at several property options for bringing science to life for residents and visitors. In 2014 the museum purchased the current building from the city. Now, entering the Science Center, located off Memorial Drive close to Highway 98, one encounters scientific exhibits, live animals, exploration opportunities and education that inspires.
Constant vigilance is required for the care of the rescued and exotic animals. Other museums feature timeless artifacts and artistic and historic treasures, but none of them have a living collection of reptiles and animals that daily must be fed, cages cleaned, etc. Over $62,000 is spent annually for their support.
The museum is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission for adults and children ages 3+ is $15.00, Military and First Responders and residents in Okaloosa, Walton, and Santa Rosa get a 10% discount with a valid ID.
As you enter the museum the main room is filled with exciting science exhibits, many of which are hands-on. Bones, Legos, and robotics exhibits offer opportunities for children to create and understand science. My favorite is the hurricane machine where one can undergo winds gusts at a hurricane level 1 sustained wind speed. No danger of being lifted to the Land of Oz as this device keeps the participant inside the machine for a short but windy experience.
Outside adventures continue with boating exhibits and outside critters as well as a mural painted about the Florida Trail. Imagine walking along the trail as a hiker, learning about plants and animals you might encounter.
Impact 100 awarded the museum twice. Once to fund the SciPad Room where a series of activities using wands let children play games and solve puzzles. More recently an Impact grant helped build the new planetarium. The museum can now truly “reach for the stars” and all the wonders the science of astronomy offers.
Diane Fraser, Executive Director, has served over eleven years at the museum, focusing on funding for day-to-day operations. With a Masters Degree in Forensic Science, Diane moved from the science lab to a business model with its challenges and opportunities to share science with the community. I met Diane nine years ago when I was Chairman of the Heritage Museum of Northwest Florida and developing a local museum coalition that would support and promote each other. We are now an official museum coalition known as “Explore Okaloosa.” We meet quarterly and discuss our events and possible funding opportunities. Diane is the president of the museum coalition and her leadership is appreciated by all nine museums.
I asked Diane about choosing her favorite animal friend. After careful thought, she chose Lucy, a Hog Island Boa Constrictor. Yes, snakes are her favorites! Of course, a picture is worth a thousand words so enjoy these two best friends smiling as they greet a group of excited school children on a tour of the museum.
