Tired of lying on a beach somewhere? Check out these science travel destinations instead!

Whether you wish to see the Large Hadron Collider in person, want insight into inventions that have changed our lives, or want to see what it looks like on Mars, Must See Places is here to present you with the world’s ultimate science travel destinations to learn and understand more about the many advances and discoveries made in our lifetime!

All these spots are places where real science happens. And the best part is that we’ve picked spots in areas that offer other not-so-sciencey attractions, as well, in case you need to please your non-science family members!

So if dinosaur footprints and ion colliders sound like more fun than swimming and sitting in the sun, check out these 7 science travel destinations options.

Check out the Galileo Museum:  Florence, Italy

As if a trip to Italy isn’t enough, this science travel destination offers everything from fantastic shopping opportunities to art museums, historical palazzos, churches, and much more.

For science geeks, visiting the Museo Galileo, a.k.a. the Galileo Museum, is reason enough to steer towards this Italian city.

Devoted to Galileo Galilei, one of the most prominent pioneers in scientific discovery and established by the University of Florence, it takes visitors on a journey to the past.

You’ll learn everything you’d wish to know about the famous physicist and his gifts to the scientific revolution. The museum features many scientific tools, such as telescopes and navigational instruments dating back to the 16th century.

Step into the footprints of dinosaurs: Morrison, Colorado

When you think of “dinosaurs,” the first spot that springs to mind is probably the Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado. But that remote park isn’t the only place where you can step into the past.

Near Denver sits Dinosaur Ridge, a humble-looking hill topped with scrubby trees. This science travel destination and its neighbors were the site of the first discoveries of some of the most famous dinosaurs ever found, including Allosaurus, Stegosaurus, and Apatosaurus.

While here, you can hike around the ridge on your own for free or take a shuttle bus tour for $5. The quick walk or ride will take you past fossil ripples and worm caves, dinosaur bones eroding out of rock, and, most strikingly, a hillside dotted with over 300 dinosaur tracks.

Close by, you’ll also find the small but welcoming Morrison Natural History Museum, which offers travelers the chance to get close to and even touch some real dinosaur fossils.

Volunteers are always around preparing fossils in the lab upstairs, and they’re always happy to answer any questions from guests.

Do some stargazing near the equator: Atacama Desert, Chile

Due to its ideal location near the Earth’s equator, Chile’s Atacama Desert is one of the best places for marveling at the Milky Way and stargazing.

This top science travel destination, that’s a 600-mile stretch of dry, secluded desert in Chile’s northern region, sits at a high altitude and almost always has crystal-clear skies and little rainfall that make for unmatched stargazing opportunities.

You’ll find various tours running stargazing excursions, and many hotels have special packages for exploring the desert at night. During the day, though, you can also check out out-of-this-world landscapes.

The desert is home to Calle de la Luna, signifying “Valley of the Moon.” The massive stone formations and dunes imitate the moon’s surface, hence its name. It’s the result of centuries upon centuries of winds and floods across the sand and stone in the territory.

The uniquely stunning color of the landscape is caused by the way the salt formations mirror the sun in an ever-changing spectrum of fiery red, green, yellow, and brilliant blue shades.

Explore interstellar travel: Houston, Texas

Houston is practically ground zero for human space travel, and Space Center Houston is the ideal place to get a taste of what it’s like to blast off into the sky. This museum offers exhibits, science shows, and tours of nearby Johnson Space Center.

Space lovers will treasure seeing artifacts like a fragment of the orbiter Skylab that endured its fall to Earth, suits worn in space and on the moon, and a lunar rock you can feel.

And while this science travel destination might have been overlooked in the parceling out of space shuttles, Space Center Houston has a full-scale replica shuttle parked outside.

See the Northern Lights: Longyearbyen, Norway

The Svalbard archipelago is located between the Greenland and Barents seas, 1,000 miles away from the North Pole, and roughly three hours by plane from Oslo.

The city of Longyearbyen is one of the best places worldwide to base yourself for witnessing this incredible spectacle known as the northern lights, with the best chance for viewing them between November and the end of January, when the sun never shows itself.

And if you’re okay with braving the chill, there are many outdoor adventures offered at this science travel destination so you can enjoy the natural light show and a few thrills.

This includes skiing, dog-sledding, and snowmobile safaris. Just imagine gliding along the snow while marveling at the dancing colored lights!

A December trip is generally your best bet if you want to see the aurora, with the skies not only completely dark but also this is the month that’s often relatively dry, decreasing the chance of cloudy skies blocking your view.

Check out the Large Hadron Collider: Meyrin, Switzerland

If you’ve ever pondered the creation of the universe and what it’s made of, you need to visit CERN on the Swiss/French border. CERN, a.k.a. the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is one of the planet’s leading centers for scientific research.

Scientists focus on the study of particle physics using the Large Hadron Collider, which is a 17-mile giant ring located in an underground tunnel under the facility.

The LHC, known for short, utilizes superconducting magnets to rev up particles so tiny you can’t even see them through a microscope.

Traveling close to the speed of light, two opposing particle beams collide together, causing an event that enables physicists to understand the universe better. The discovery of Higgs Boson in 2012 was the LHC’s most significant achievement.

If you wish to learn more, you can visit CERN, see the collider from above, and take a guided tour of the central research station, The Atlas Project.

There are numerous exhibitions to browse, and behind-the-scenes tours are available. Just remember to book this science travel destination in advance if you don’t want to be disappointed… And don’t forget to bring your camera!

Geek out at the Museum of Science and Industry: Chicago, Illinois

Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry was among the nation’s first and best of its kind. It showcases more than 35,000 artifacts and about 14 acres of hands-on exhibits focused on everything from robots to outer space.

Some of this science travel destination’s most noteworthy displays include the Science Storm exhibits, where you can watch a tornado vortex, step into a wind tunnel, and see how a million tiny pieces of matter can merge to form one giant avalanche.

The Fast Forward exhibit explores the possibilities and “what ifs” of the future, including “What if cars didn’t need gas?” and “What if people could live forever?”Visitors can also embark on a virtual voyage under the sea or to outer space in the five-story Omnimax Theater.

Have you ever been to any of these science travel destinations? Please feel free to share your experiences with our readers in the comments section below.

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