Are you always on the look-out for fun, hands-on activities to do with the kids? Dynamikum is the perfect place for children to explore scientific concepts, and how fun it is for everyone!
Recently, we followed the road signs from Kaiserslautern to Pirmasens because it seemed like every yellow directional sign we came across listed Pirmasens. It must be a great place to visit, and spoiler alert…it is!
Our day started off at the ultra-fun Dynamikum Science Center. Of course, we were with AJ (and his parents), and we all had fun racing from experiment to experiment.
In this article:
- What is the Dynamikum?
- Reasons to Visit
- Rating Our Experience
- Dynamikum Visitor Information and Tips
- Where to Eat
- Things to Do Nearby
- How to Get There
- Approximate Driving Distance from Major Cities and Military Communities
What is the Dynamikum?
Just like the Exploratorium in San Francisco, the Dynamikum is a hands-on exploratory museum for kids (of all ages). It is a fantastic place for children to learn about science and technology while having fun. It’s an interactive learning environment that uses physical activities like experiments, puzzles, racing, and movement to teach kids about math, physics, mechanics, and other concepts. By getting their bodies involved in the learning process, children can better understand these subjects.
We’ve been cataloging all the experiential museums we can find in our area so we can take AJ places that will be all about making learning fun. We’ve already hit some amazing museums in Europe, including the Speyer Technik Museum, the Technoseum in Mannheim, and the Geoskop Museum in Lichtenberg Castle.
Reasons to Visit? This is What We Did
As we walked through the museum, we were immediately drawn to some of the interactive stations. We couldn’t wait to try them all out, but there were so many options that we knew we wouldn’t be able to try everything.
Some of the stations caught our attention more than others, and we spent a lot of time at those ones, trying to improve our skills. One of our favorites was a room with a film and racing apparatus where we could race different animals.
We all had a blast, especially when we beat the penguin, who was the slowest. However, we couldn’t beat the shark – it was just too fast! We spent a lot of time at this station, trying to race each animal at least three times.
We also enjoyed playing with the pendulums, vibrations, curves, rotation, reaction times, balance, and spinning tops. There was just so much to do, and we just can’t remember every single activity we tried.
One of the stations we loved was one of the very first ones we came across. It was an air hose that pushed balls around, and the goal was to try and make the ball go through a raised hoop. It was challenging, but we had so much fun trying to master it.
Another station we loved was all about spinning. We sat on a seat and tilted it back and forth, trying to keep our balance. It was harder than it looked, but we all managed to stay on the seat for a decent amount of time.
Rating Our Experience
The museum has a variety of exhibits spread over two floors. When we were there, only a couple of things were closed for maintenance, but most of the exhibits were up and running. The staff spoke English, and all the activities and exhibits had laminated placards explaining the science behind them and the activity itself.
The information was available in both German and English, which made it easy for us to understand what we were supposed to do. We could also learn about the science behind each activity if we were interested. To be honest, I didn’t read much about science as I was too busy having fun running the activities.
The Dynamikum Science Center is like a big indoor playground. There’s so much to do. One thing I really love is the long springs and big round springs, which go up to 10 meters away and create a sine wave or other waves. That’s my favorite thing, but it’s the lowest-tech thing they have there. I was amazed by the amount of technology they incorporated into their activities. The activities were fun and dynamic and involved electricity, hydraulics, movement, sound, and optical illusions. We had a lot of fun.
There was one thing I refused to do. I got in, but then I changed my mind. It was a little wooden house on a roll. The idea was that you were supposed to get in and feel like you’re upside down, but just the thought of rolling makes me a little nauseous even to this day. It’s just not my thing.
It wasn’t very busy on the morning we visited. There were a couple of small school groups that were passing through as we went along. However, since they were kids, they were just zooming around, so we hung out for a little while and then had the place to ourselves again. It was a lot of fun, and there were so many activities that we did that I can’t even remember them all.
There are a lot of fun things to do on-site, including a café and a place to eat your picnic lunch.
We saw many adults having a great time at the place, even without children. They were jumping on the bouncy structures, racing the animals, and building things. It was cool seeing the adults getting involved, but seeing the joy and excitement from the kids playing the activities was priceless. Overall, it was a great place for adults to enjoy with their children and we would love to go back again.
Dynamikum Visitor Information and Tips
I suggest going in the afternoon when the school groups have left. Depending on your interests, you’ll probably need around one to two hours to explore the museum. Afterward our morning visit, we grabbed some lunch and treated ourselves to some ice cream and cake downtown. There’s also a Wawa chocolate factory nearby that was tons of fun and included free chocolate samples, yummy! Overall, it was such a great day trip. I highly recommend it.
Address: Fröhnstraße 8, 66954 Pirmasens
Opening Hours: Closed Mondays! Tuesday through Friday: 9.00 am – 3.00 pm, Saturday and Sunday: 11.00 am – 5.00 pm
Cost: Adults 11 Euros, Children older than 5 is 9.50 Euros
Make sure to check out the Dynamikum website before going to make sure you get the latest info
Where to Eat
There is a small café on site, but better yet, there is a small park across the street, so you can bring a sack lunch for the kids if you’d like. It’s got colorful shapes for jumping around on and a few benches.
We didn’t eat at the museum. Instead, we went to downtown Pirmasens and ate at Kuchems Brauhaus. It was a perfect place to get in from the cold. We all had warm drinks and had a great lunch. I had the Cordon Bleu, a great way to warm up during the winter.
Things to Do Nearby
Pirmasens is a small city, but it’s easy to spend an entire day there. After the museum and lunch, we checked out the WAWA Chocolate factory and outlet store. Next time, we’ll visit the shoe museum.
Other Places Not Too Far Away
- Japanese Garden in Kaiserslautern
- Lichtenberg Castle (about 30 min. north of Ramstein)
- Trier, the Oldest City in Germany
How to Get to Dynamikum
Take Autobahn 62 towards Pirmasens and take the Turnstrasse exit, and follow the signs to Pirmasens/Centrum Messe. Follow this road until you take a right at Schachenstrasse.
If you want a more scenic route, take Highway B270 to Pirmasens. Once in the city, it will turn into Turnstrasse, follow that until you take a right turn on Schachenstrasse.
While it seems all roads in our area lead to Pirmasesn, the trains do not. There is no station there, so public transportation is only available by bus, with the closest station at Landstuhl.
Approximate Driving Distance from Major Cities and Military Communities
Pirmasens is not really a great place to try to take the train. It will add loads of time to your trip, but yes, it can be done.
We recommend you drive!
| Community | Driving Distance/Time | Time via Train |
|---|---|---|
| Kaiserslautern Area | 35 km / 40 min | 2 hrs |
| Wiesbaden | 141 km / 1.5 hrs | 3-4 hrs |
| Spangdahlem | 154 km / 1.75 hrs | N/A |
| Grafenwoehr | 380 km / 4.5 hrs | N/A |
| Stuttgart | 156 km / 2.5 hrs | 3-4 hrs |
| Brussels, Belgium | 378 km / 4.5 hrs | 7.5 hrs |
| Schinnen, Netherlands | 328 km / 3.75 hrs | N/A |
Conclusion
If you love educational, hands-on, and fun games, experiments, and demonstrations, go to Dynamikum. It’s great for kids of all ages. Our 3-year-old loved it, and so did we! It’s a perfect day out!
Author Bio – Corinne is an avid camper and traveler. She’s been to all 50 of the US states and has four more Canadian provinces to visit. However, she’s not stopping yet. There’s always more to see of this great continent! Corinne loves local foods, getting outdoors, landscape photography, and road trips.