Carasso Science Park, Beer Sheva – Visitors Guide

Carasso Science Park is an excellent science and technology museum in Beer Sheva. But it has one downside.

Science Museums in Israel

Carasso Science Park is one of the top Science Parks in Israel. Moreover, when we heard Dima would visit as part of The Last Mammoth exhibition, we purchased tickets and attended this science park.

I would add the Bloomfield Science Museum In Jerusalem, Madatech in Haifa, and the Garden of Science at Weizmann Institute to the list of Science Museums. For additional info, check out my overview of Science Museums in Israel.

The principles in all of them are similar. They are aimed at families with kids and offer many hands-on experiences. I visited all those places, and my experience was always positive. The only downside is the entrance fee.

A typical visit to any science museum will take several hours up to a half-day (or even a little more).

Also, besides the places I mentioned, there are about half a dozen smaller science-related attractions.

And since you are interested in science, check out my post about Researchers’ Night.

About Carasso Science Park

The Carasso Science Park is located in the heart of the old city of Beersheba. According to the official site, it is the largest and most modern science museum in Israel.

The Museum’s area, which covers 17 dunams, offers visitors a variety of interactive exhibits, an experiential facility for preschoolers, a scientific garden (outdoors) and an auditorium for conferences, events, and screening of films.

The museum offers the public an extraordinary experience that invites visitors to “play with science” and enjoy a practical experience in operating exhibits that explain and illustrate science experientially and fascinatingly.

“Tell me, and I will forget, show me and remember me.” (Confucius).

Note: unless stated otherwise, all quotes were taken from the official site.

Map

The park is located at 79 HaAtsmaut, Beer Sheva.

Directions for drivers: Link to Waze and Link to Google Maps
Directions for public transport: Link to Moovit

Interactive map of the area:

And here is the map of the park:

Also, though there is a suggested route since we arrived too early on a Saturday morning (before 10:00 and were allowed to enter), we did this route in the opposite direction.

Directions

You can reach Beersheba either by public transport or by car. If you choose public transportation, you can take a bus to Beersheba central bus station or ride the train to Beersheba center train station (located near the central bus station). Then you can walk 1.3 km or take one of the buses that will bring you closer (lines 5, 7, 8, 13, 18, 24, or 34 will suit).

You can also drive to Beersheba. The drive from Tel Aviv will take around 1 hour and 20 minutes (if you are using toll road #6 and there are no traffic jams).

Parking

There is a free parking lot for Carasso Science Park visitors. We parked there, and when I mentioned this at the cashier’s office, she put a sticker on the parking ticket. The label allowed us to exit for free without any time limitation.

Opening Hours

Sunday – Thursday: 10:00 – 17:00
Tuesday: 10:00 – 19:00
Closed on Friday.
Saturday: 10:00 – 17:00

Entrance Fee

As mentioned, the entrance fee is one of the main negative things at science parks. It is usually quite expensive, and Carasso Science Park is not an exclusion.

Adult – 59 NIS
Child – 59 NIS
Student – 39 NIS
Pensioner – 29.50 NIS

Notes:

• There are discounts for Beer Sheva residents.
• There is a 5% discount if you purchase tickets at the official site.
• Opening hours and entrance fees were updated in December 2022. In any case, recheck the official site before visiting.

Coupons

If you are a spontaneous user, you will pay the above prices. But if you read this before your visit, you can save money. You can find the least significant discount on the official site. An online purchase there will give you a 5% discount. But, if you search the net, then you will be able to find better deals. Many credit card companies offer opportunities. For example, I purchased multiple tickets for 49 NIS per person through Visa.

Currently, I found the following coupons:

• cpnclub.co.il – 48 NIS per ticket
• HTZone – starting from 31 NIS per ticket

Exhibitions

As in most museums, there are permanent changing exhibitions. According to the official site, at Carasso Science Park, there are 12 permanent exhibitions. And the trigger for us was the changing exhibition, “The Last Mammoth.” But we will get to it a little later.

The Turkish Building

We started our visit at the Turkish building, which is located on the left of the map.

This park is located in the old city of Beersheba. Thus, some buildings, like this one, are historical. That was the Sheikhs` son’s school.

The Ottoman Empire established an agriculture school to teach Sheikhs` sons and encourage them to settle permanently. The two-floor building was considered the largest and most beautiful of the Empire’s school buildings. With its red roof shingles and three arches in front, it resembles other Ottoman governmental structures.

During WWI, it served as a military hospital, and during the British Mandate, the building resumed its original function as a school. In the 1950s, it became a Beit Hachayal for IDF southern soldiers. Over time it was neglected, but then Rashi Foundation and Beersheba municipality restored it and turned it into an interactive youth science complex.

The Last Mammoth – A Fascinating Journey to the Ice Age

The Last Mammoth temporary exhibition will be held at Carasso Science Park till 24 March 2019. It tells the story of the Dima, the mammoth, and the ice age.

For the first time in Israel – a fascinating international exhibition that will take you on a journey in the Ice Age – from the time of the Mammoths and the Cave Bear to global warming!
As part of the exhibition, a frozen mammoth was brought to Israel, which was discovered in its entirety in Siberia: “Dima” – the most beautiful mammoth puppy in the world!

Throughout the exhibition, there will be huge robotic models of Ice Age animals from all over the world – the Shengrabi Tiger (the “Sword-Sword Tiger”), the Mithrium – a 6-meter-high lazy man; the huge cave bear, the Irish ram with a width of 3 meters, armored armadillo and more.

You are invited to view the huge murals of the Ice Age animals as discovered in caves in Europe, to operate the interactive touch tables, to watch original artifacts from the ice age that were discovered in the country, to feel, to caress, to operate and dig.

In front of the Turkish building and inside the museum, there were about a dozen models of animals from the ice age period. Each model moves and makes sounds. And you can also find signs in three languages with basic information.

In the photo above, you can see the Diprotodon, the world’s largest marsupial. He was the koala’s giant relative.

And this is the wooly rhinoceros. His horns are made of keratin – the same substance human nails and hair are made of.

Etya Tech

The first exhibition we visited inside the Turkish Building was Etya Tech. And the first question arises after hearing the name: who is Etya?

Etya Bachar

Forty-seven-year-old Atheer Bachar realized long ago that she would never have children. She learned to live with this pain, but only a few years ago she was struck by the realization that after a lifetime of work and work, nothing would be left of her after she had gone.

“It scared me to think that after everything I did, there would be nothing left when I closed my eyes,” she says. “I always wanted to raise a family, and to this day I do not know why I did not realize it, I was sure I would marry, and when it did not happen, I did not feel that the years were passing. The feeling that there was nothing left of me hurt. I tried to comfort myself by giving something to the children of others.”

Bachar went to the Carasso Science Park in Beersheba, where she once lived and offered to donate to the site. She refuses to specify the amount of the donation – “but I could buy an apartment in it.” Park residents accepted her proposal, and with it, an entire floor was planned and built for preschool children – “Etya Kidz.” After years of heartbreaking whenever others took pride in their children and grandchildren, now she too has something to be proud of. “It’s hard to describe what it does to me when I see the children playing in a place where I have a part in its establishment, and that is named after me,” Bachar says. “I became part of the team there, I get presents on holidays, they invite me to meals, this is my family, and I hope they never take it from me.”

Posted at Xnet in March 2017.

Etya Tech Exhibition

In this exhibition, young visitors are invited to be impressed by colorful visual illusions in a pool of balls with a smart wall that teaches colors, a special room where roles will be replaced and many more cool exhibits with a scientific twist for the little ones.

The complex was built aesthetically, full of visual, cognitive, sensory and movement stimuli, and of course – comfortable and safe.

My daughter enjoyed this exhibition. She touched, turned, and twisted everything. Here, for example, are optical illusion wheels.