Play tourist at the Museum of Science and Industry, where you'll battle hurricane force winds, a bed of nails and The Ultimate Wave

Bioworks Butterfly Garden, Back Woods Forest Preserve and the Richard T. Bowers Historic Tree Grove. Be sure to pick up a map when you get there and jot down the times of any shows or presentations you wish to see.

I started out by heading up to the second floor to catch the 11:15 a.m. showing of The Ultimate Wave Tahiti at the IMAX Dome. The hour long movie featured pro-surfer Kelly Slater's efforts to find the perfect wave. It was really cool to see the waves crashing on such a gigantic screen.

Another show playing at the IMAX Dome was Hubble, a film following a group of astronauts working on the Hubble telescope. Other full length films -- like Avatar and Ironman 2 -- are also shown at the Dome Theater, but at additional cost.

Next, I headed to the third floor to check out The Amazing You, an exhibit dedicated to promoting health and wellness. Visitors can get their sight and hearing tested, put on goggles and see what it is like to drive while intoxicated and view what goes on inside the body from the time of conception to adolescence. You can also view displays about diseases and learn how age plays a role in your ability to stay healthy.

[image-1]After checking out The Planets at the Saunders Planetarium, I decided to explore Kids in Charge, an area full of touchy-feely exhibits and displays designed to impress kids of all ages. Of course, I stumbled upon the chance to lie on a bed of nails and just had to test it out. By doing this, I learned about how the pressure of your body spreads out over all the nails, causing you to feel nothing but a gentle push, rather than tons of pointy nails colliding with your skin.

Other Exhibits:

I didn't get a chance to try riding the high wire bike this trip, but luckily I still had time to explore Disasterville, an exhibit on the second floor where guests are able to experience the fury of hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, wild fires, tsunamis, hail storms, earthquakes, lightning and volcanoes. Weatherquest offers guests a chance to see what it's like to be a meteorologist. Another fun exhibit to check out is Gulf Coast Hurricane, a room that is filled with hurricane force winds so strong you must wear goggles and headphones to experience them.

What's your favorite MOSI exhibit or experience?