Flashback to a time when big hair and fanny packs reigned supreme, when Run-D.M.C., Bon Jovi, and Tears for Fears were just getting their start; when the internet was starting to take shape; and cell phones were as big as your head. Are you ready to go back in time for a night of 80s-inspired science and pop culture? Get ready for a ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ as you prepare for August’s Music City Solar Eclipse on August 21, while enjoying some after-hours, adults-only fun in Nashville’s iconic Adventure Science Center this month.
Every few months they open the Center from 6:30 to 10 p.m. to adults-only for a night of science and fun. Each Way Late Play Date has a pop culture theme with specially devised unique cool science activities to take part in around the theme of the evening. All the Science Center’s exhibits are adult-friendly, so if the kids can climb it or slide down it, SO CAN YOU!
Tickets are $35 for not-yet-members and $25 for members and include admission to all exhibits and activities, three beverage tickets (beer, wine and soft drinks), a planetarium show and a souvenir cup. Planetarium shows begin at 7:45, 8:30, and 9:15.
Special Activities: TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART, I WANNA KNOW WHAT LAVA IS, OPEN YOUR HEART, SHE BLINDED ME WITH LIVE SCIENCE (Times TBA), SPACE INVADERS (6:30-7:30), and THE FINAL COUNTDOWN (Planetarium show / 7:45, 8:30 & 9:15)
Other Activities: Enjoy trivia with Hypericon in Jack Wood Hall before the Costume Contest judging begins at 9:15 p.m. Other special activities with our Community Partners throughout the night. Extra Charge Food trucks onsite: Boheme’s Banana Boat & Steaming Goat Make your own Way Late Play Date souvenir t-shirt with Hip Hues!
Please purchase your tickets in advance, as this event usually sells out ahead of time. Tickets are non-refundable, but transferable. 21+ ONLY, and valid photo ID is required at the door. All proceeds support Adventure Science Center’s interactive exhibits and hands-on science experiences. Program subject to change.
Mark your calendars now for the next Way Late Play Date, October 5: Pixar. 2018 Way Late Play Date Passports will be on sale starting Oct. 6. The Passport is is a great way to make sure you don’t forget to buy your ticket in time, and miss out when the event sells out. All tickets and more info at: www.adventuresci.org
Here are details of this month’s event’s Special Activities:
TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART
Turn around, bright eyes… a total solar eclipse is coming this August! Get prepared for totality in Nashville by learning all you can about this once in a lifetime event, including how to view the eclipse safely both directly and indirectly. Make your own pinhole viewer with a special twist – a heart shaped pinhole. That’s right… you can actually experience a total eclipse of the heart!
I WANNA KNOW WHAT LAVA IS
Through the clouds I see… smoke pluming and lava flowing! Throwing it back to a classic experiment you may have done in science class in the 80s – especially after the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington. Supported by their newest temporary exhibition, Nature Unleashed: Inside Natural Disasters, check out some fascinating facts about volcanic eruptions and make your own model of a volcano.
OPEN YOUR HEART
Nothing can stop me from trying… to innnovate in medical science! While there is no shortage of heart-themed lyrics in this era’s music, medical scientists in the 1980s were working with hearts in a more literal sense by transplanting the first permanent artificial heart. Since the first successful transplant in 1982, thousands of patients have benefited from this medical breakthrough. Get your hands on a real sheep heart to investigate how the heart functions and admire how an artificial transplant could work.
SHE BLINDED ME WITH LIVE SCIENCE
I can smell the chemicals… in our “blinding” live show inspired by some of your favorite 80s nostalgia products. A few cans of aerosol hairspray, a tube television, some made-in-the-80s-toys and a stack of CDs may not sound like much, but add a little science in the mix and things will get radical!
SPACE INVADERS (6:30-7:30)
Although the game hit the market in 1978, Space Invaders didn’t invade the U.S. until 1980 when it exploded in popularity in coin-operated arcades and on early personal gaming systems. Get a larger-than-life Space Invaders experience while trying your hand at the game or watching others attempt to play this classic game on the 63-foot Sudekum Planetarium dome! Open Play from 6:30–7:30 p.m.; first come, first served.
THE FINAL COUNTDOWN (7:45, 8:30 & 9:15)
Will things ever be the same again? With less than a month until totality sweeps across the nation for the first time since 1918, they’re taking the opportunity to showcase their newest Sudekum Planetarium produced show… ECLIPSE: The Sun Revealed. In this immersive program, you can learn about the history of eclipses, safe viewing techniques and even hear a first-hand account of experiencing totality.
