Visiting Another Planet in Washington D.C.

Are you looking for an off the beaten path option when you visit Washington D.C.? Consider visiting another planet…Planet Word.

We were visiting Washington D.C. during the 4th of July, but we wanted to avoid the crowds. We visited the Museum of the Bible in the morning, and then my friend suggested we visit Planet Word in the afternoon. Our husbands were skeptical. Of course, their English major wives would enjoy it, but would they?

Yes, they did! This highly interactive museum is suitable for all ages!

Words from Different Languages

In the first section we encountered various video screens around a Lite-Brite type globe. You choose a language and a native speaker takes you through some of the words, explaining them, giving a history sometimes, and asking you to speak them into the microphone.

Magical Library

Prepare to be enchanted in the magical library.

You can choose any book in the library and put it on the special section where they come to life!

Notice the mirrors around the library walls. If you speak the line on the picture frame, the glass lights up and you hear the next few lines of the book.

Also, don’t miss the hidden poetry room! I listened to haiku about Harriet Tubman. My friend listened to Beowulf in Old English. I wouldn’t have known it was there until I saw someone coming out of it!

Painting with Words

Just outside the library, grab a “paintbrush,” dip it into a word, and paint the wall. Each word changes the picture to match its meaning. For example, if you dip your brush into autumnal, it changes the color of the trees to deep orange and yellow. I learned a new word in this section: crepuscular, which means relating to twilight.

Word Wall

Next we journeyed to a room with an entire wall full of three-dimensional words.

You sit down on benches in front of lighted microphones. The lights turn off, and a delightful interactive presentation explains where words come from, lighting them up as the narrator names them.

They often ask you to choose a word to say, and then they choose from those that are spoken. Also, inside this room are other displays explaining the etymology of specific words or how English developed.

Lexicon Lane

We didn’t have time to do this, but for twenty dollars, we could have solved a literary puzzle in Lexicon Lane. I probably would have lobbied to do the Jukebox Hero one. The description says, “Jump back in time and enjoy the tunes of yesteryear — but keep an eye and ear out for secrets hidden in the songs!”

Karoake

Speaking of songs, our group had a blast with karaoke. They have a wide selection of songs to choose from. Before you start the song, and also during the song, the screen explains some of the poetic devices the songwriters used. I will spare you the video of our group singing “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond and just share a screenshot instead.

Play on Words

Our next stop on our planetary adventure included having fun with words. In the first section, someone held up a prop, and we had to guess what word the picture represented. Want to try?

Are you ready for the answer???

Night Owl!

We also played the joke game. You had to tell the jokes and if you made the other team laugh, you got a point. I think we played to five points.

They have a photo booth where you can select one or two players. They pick an SAT word for you to act out. If you pick one player, then you get one word and one copy of the photo. If you pick two players, then you act out two words and get two photos.

First Floor: Advertising and Impact of Words

My pictures didn’t turn out very well for this section, so I will just briefly describe them. These interactive exhibits explain the types of techniques used in advertising, asking you to spot each use of the technique. Then you can design your own advertisement.

The other section discussing the effect of words, both good and bad.

Conclusions

Our entire group had so much fun at this museum and would highly recommend this, especially if you are looking for an off the beaten track kind of attraction or if you need a break from monuments and Smithsonian museums. So the next time you travel with the Father in Washington DC, consider visiting Planet Word.