Do your children have a fascination for planes and rockets, space and scientific experiments? If so, charter a course for Toulouse for your next family vacation. While waiting to take off to the capital of Occitanie, here are some ideas for tours and remote activities to show the family the celestial sites of the Ville Rose.
Play astronaut at the Cité de l'Espace
How do you brush your teeth in space? Can you blow out the candles on a birthday cake? Is it true that you need a vacuum cleaner to cut your hair in a space station? The list goes on! Astronauts really don't have an easy life, confined up there, thousands of miles from Earth. The Cité de l'Espace in Toulouse invites your little sky cowboys to experience the astronaut's life with the very special missions of the "Astronaut at Home" program. Are you ready? The countdown has started...and you're going to love it.
Flying in the Concorde with Aeroscopia
From the pioneers of the Aeropostale to the Concorde supersonic: Toulouse and planes, a love story told by Aeroscopia, the museum of aeronautics. While waiting to sit at the controls of a jumbo jet or check out behind the scenes of a plane's assembly, young aspiring pilots can take flight with a simple sheet of paper. Fold it in half then in four, fold down the sides, once, twice. Then, point the nose, there, color the portholes—thanks to a clever tutorial, the most beautiful aircraft in history is ready for takeoff, with a family fleet in formation.
Invent an extraordinary machine on the Giants Trail
Fasten your seatbelts! A 14 meter (46 foot) high minotaur baptized the Guardian of the Temple and a giant spider named Ariane: these are the machines that roam the Piste des Géants (Giant's Trail) in Toulouse. While waiting to embark on their backs and visit the Machine Hall (where lots of other crazy machines come to life), it's your little designer's turn to imagine their own extraordinary machine. The beautiful, downloadable sketches by François Delarozière are sure inspire them. Make like Leonardo and create your own flying machines!
Think like a genius [and have fun] with the Quai des Savoirs
Make an air cannon, magic sand, inflate a balloon without blowing it up or measure the tension of water—even from a distance, the creative plateau of Quai des Savoirs, the mini-city of science in Toulouse, will make your brain explode. A pair of scissors, glue, a few simple utensils and a little imagination are all you need. With the tutorials and experiences, puzzles and challenges found online, little DIY enthusiasts and teenagers will be able to experiment with science at home. In La Ville Rose, your family could find their next passion!
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By Pascale Filliâtre
Journalist-traveller. I often voyage to the end of the world to explore what France offers... just next door. filliatre.pascale@orange.fr
