Those who have a curiosity for outer space can be satisfied at the Coca Cola Space Science Center in Columbus, Ga.
"We're a great little attraction," said assistant manager Larry Pallotta. "We're not huge, but we're closer to Auburn than Atlanta, and there's nothing like this in Montgomery."
Texas native Rebecca Howard said she was making her first visit to the Space Science Center after moving to Columbus from Texas last year.
"My husband and I were driving by, and we just decided to go in and have a look," Howard said. "It's nice. It's nothing like the museum in Houston, but it's very informative."
The center's primary attraction is its planetarium, called the Omnisphere.
"The Omnisphere is probably the most popular thing here," Pallotta said. "It's a 50-foot dome, so the film is not just projected onto a flat screen; the video actually wraps around you."
The cost of one show at the planetarium is included in the ticket price. Additional shows are $3 apiece.
Shows begin every hour, and most of them are about astronomical themes, but on Friday and Saturday nights the planetarium features music laser concerts, including music from albums such as Pink Floyd's "The Wall."
The planetarium also plays a children's show Saturday afternoons.
The lobby of the Science Center contains interactive exhibits on outer space and space exploration.
Howard said the cyber fighters were her favorite attraction at the center.
"I've never been in one of those before," Howard said. "You're basically shooting other airplanes; it's a lot of fun."
The cabs are able to move up, down, left and right.
The four cabs are linked to each other so players are able to fly against each other.
"The cyber fighters are a really popular attraction," Howard said. "Whenever a group comes here the kids line up to play with these."
Brenda Talton of Chapel Hill, N.C., said she was most impressed by the 33-foot to-scale model of the nose of a space shuttle.
"It's impressive just to be able to see the tiles of the shuttle," Talton said. "I've always heard so much about them, and there they are."
Talton, who was visiting her grandson, visited the Space Science Center in a group of seven.
"We thought it would be a good place to learn a little, relax and have some fun, too," Talton said.
The lobby contains to-scale reproductions of other devices used in space exploration.
These include the Apollo Capsule and the Manned Maneuvering Unit, which is the backpack attached to a space suit that allows all astronauts to move in and throughout outer space.
"At least the models give you an impression of what it's like," Talton said. "The front of the shuttle is much bigger than I thought it was."
The Space Science Center also plays live footage from NASA in the lobby.
"If a shuttle launch happens during business hours, we get a crowd in here to watch," Pallotta said.
The Space Science Center is open Monday through Saturday.
Ticket prices for adults are $6, but discounts are offered for seniors, children and military.
"It's a really interesting place with a lot of cool things that a lot of people wouldn't get to see otherwise," Pallotta said.
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