Our trip to Tromsø — Day 7

On our last full day in Tromsø, we went to the Nordnorsk Vitensenter and ended up staying there from they opened until near the closing time.

Nordnorsk Vitensenter and lunch

There were many different fascinating focus areas at the Nordnorsk Vitensenter. We started in the weather part, where there was a lot of written information about different kinds of snow, global winds, and other phenomena. There were also interactive exhibitions, although a few were unfortunately out of order. Some of the other areas we explored included one focusing on the body, both muscles, joints, the immune system, and interactive installations to test reflexes, strength, and a setup for three people to race with three different modes of transportation, including a row boat and dog sledding. Yet another corner provided a large variety of mind puzzles, along with educational displays relating to logic, geometry, and mathematics. Some of these displays are also described on the exhibitions section of the Nordnorsk Vitensenter webpage.

The logic corner on the lower floor of the Nordnorsk Vitensenter, with lots of different puzzles. The black oval was inserted to cover the people in the picture.

Even the stairs were decorated with STEM-related facts, such as the multiplication tables.

Although it was difficult to stop exploring all the interesting displays, our empty stomachs forced us to take a pause after a couple of hours. We went to the cafeteria area, where it is permitted to eat food brought in. The shop had a few long-duration food items available for purchase, such as dried oatmeal which they provide hot water for, and pre-packaged Wasa sandwiches. The tables in the cafeteria have different board games painted on them, and play pieces are available on shelves. The large windows in the cafeteria offer impressive views of the surrounding mountains.

Tables with board game patterns painted on them, and striking views of the surrounding mountains from the cafeteria area at the Nordnorsk Vitensenter.

After lunch, we went to the top floor, which focuses on astronomy and houses a dome cinema which, among other movies, shows a Northern Lights movies. We saw the Northern Lights movie in English, which was a captivating, beautiful, and educational experience.

We ended up staying until around 15, by which we were all tired and decided to return to our hotel.

Dinner at Raketten and Peppes Pizza

We had read impressive reviews of the hot dog place “Raketten” on TripAdvisor, and really wanted to try it. Every time we had planned on getting hot dogs at Raketten, there was a very long queue, and we decided on other options in the hopes of finding a time with a shorter line. As this was our last evening, it was our last chance to try these hot dogs. Again, the line was really long, and two of us decided to go to Peppes Pizza instead, and were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the pizzas. Two of us were stubborn and decided to wait in the line. Options for hot dogs included vegetarian, reindeer, and standard pork sausages. As stated in the reviews on TripAdvisor, the hot dogs were delicious, and the service very friendly.

Picture of “Raketten”, where different types of delicious hot dogs are served. The black oval was inserted to cover the people in the picture.

Summary

We spent our last whole day at the Nordnorsk Vitensenter, which is highly recommendable for a day time activity, especially with kids since there are many different types of exhibitions, including a variety of interactive installations. If you want to try the delicious hot dogs at Raketten, aiming for a snack outside of normal dining hours is probably a good strategy to minimize the wait in the usually very long line.

You might also be interested in going to the post giving an overview of our trip to Tromsø, which also includes links to more details of each day we were there.