OMSI After Dark

I attended the «Seed to Cider» event and hadn’t ever been to the OMSI After Dark before… boy was I in for a surprise. TONS of people everywhere, way more crowded than going during the day with kids around. I was pissed and annoyed at first and we had to wait in a very very long line for about 45 minutes just to get in. Of course after I started tasting cider I felt better and enjoyed myself more, but they really need to downsize the event to make it more enjoyable. I felt like I was stuck in a tourist trap with all these people that didn’t seem like they were from Portland.

You know, I wanted to like this… in fact, my hubby and I have talked about it for MONTHS. Every last day of the month, something else came up. At last, we were set to go to OMSI After Dark! Woop! The entire idea is awesome and there isn’t much better than kid-​free events.
We made our way through the museum back to Theory, which is actually pretty awesome — OMSI has really outdone themselves with this remodel. It takes me back to the days of middle school where I was at Z-​Dances in that same exact cafeteria. However cool it was, Theory was ANYTHING BUT organized. It was pure chaos. There were no rhyme or reasons to any of the lines for the overpriced beer & wine. Throughout the museum, they had different alcohol options but again, people were just crowded around them waiting and preventing anybody from actually enjoying any of the toys. It seems a lot like people didn’t even come to OMSI to enjoy a kid-​free nerd night, they just wanted to drink. Well, I can drink at a bar and not pay $ 13 to get in.
While OMSI makes every effort to provide something for everybody (vendors, samples, lots of options to drink, dancers, etc) this really just wasn’t my cup of tea. Truth be told, I wish that I paid the admission and went during normal hours with the kids. I think they would have been more well behaved and it would have been quieter. Specifically, I would have been able to move around freely.
NOTE: Make sure you show up somewhat early, parking gets pretty sparing during this time. Do NOT forget your ID, they’re very strict on this.

This review is for a company sponsored private event at OMSI. The event was science behind wine and chocolate and it was very well organized. The OMSI staff were great and the exhibits were very entertaining to say the least. Since I live walking distance away from OMSI, its sad that I haven’t been here more often. Definitely worth a visit for people of all ages, science never bores you!

I’m so sad that I didn’t love this event. I mean, c’mon. What’s not to love? A glass of wine, some good eats, and cool exhibits, right? All to support OMSI? Great! Unfortunately, what I imagined was strolling casually through the museum, enjoying the things that interested me most. What I got was fighting through crowds like I was at an amusement park, a concert, or a sporting event. No drinks for me, since I didn’t know I needed ID (before you give me a Duh! Im 50 years old). I guess it said it on the tickets, but my husband had printed them. No food either, since the lines were too long. I guess there are vendors offering samples, but I didn’t see any. The only activities that didn’t have long lines were banquet tables set up along the hallways, but no one was around much to explain what they were or what we should be doing or looking at. We stayed less than an hour. I ended up feeling like a chaperone at a junior high dance. Save the 13 bucks.
If you’re going, skip the OMSI parking lot entirely and head to he overflow lot to the north. That’ll save you about a 15 minute traffic loop. You can catch a pedi cab to the door if you’d like.

The price of the day time (with kids), and the night time (+18, and booze) is the same price $ 13 per person. Its in your opinion to see which crowd is better to fight with. I must say. there are quite a lot of BIG KIDS (adults) that take their sweet ass time with some exhibits. So maybe it’s down right equal, cept that some of the BIG KIDS (adults) often time don’t use their best judgement on where to place their cup of beer. Saw a few spills during my time there. The smell is unpleasant.
The only reason we came to the night time one. was we missed the day time hours :(Also don’t think the night time has the submarine available.
But overall, I love interactive museums such as this one, and the one in SF. The unique thing about the one in Portland, is they have a few «labs» (chemical/​laser. etc) that allows you to try different things hands on. A lot of the bigger exhibits and displays are exactly the same as the one in other interactive museums.
Just a tad bit run down. Hopefully they keep up with the maintenance. But definitely a good place to spend a good 4 – 5 hours, with big kids or little kids. All will enjoy :)

5 stars for kid-​less fun. For those who know me, I stay as far away from those little people as possible. They are are loud, they have runny snot, and hearing them cry or even laughing gives me anxiety. We just do not mix. So thank you OMSI for this opportunity for me to nerd out stress free!
Minus 1 star for broken everything! I get it, things break down and need fixing. However, it just seemed like a large number of stations had non-​working parts. The ones that were in working order were cool. Very fun and informative. It’s a great place to learn about fun facts about physics, chemistry, biology and more!
It was pretty busy last night, but it was Valentine’s day. I am unsure if that is the norm. Some stations were pretty busy and had a wait. Some of the smaller rooms felt like an inferno due to poor circulations and bodies packed in like sardines.
Plus, you can walk around with booooze. Yep. Nerd out while getting buzzed. What else could be more fun. :) Overall, it was a fun time. If you are hands-​on like I am, there is a lot of things to touch and mess with.

Probably the best date night in portland! Fun, affordable, and you learn a little something! The food area has been drastically improved in the last few years. Overall the vendors and event quality can depend on the theme, but Ive always enjoyed going with a date or group of friends.

We joined at the Patron level to get this perk, and I have to say I haven’t really been wowed by anything thus far. I like getting away from the kids, but I’m not a drinker at all so all of the beer and wine does nothing for me. I love the cupcake company that makes the periodic elements chart, that’s fun every time, not interested in makeup either so I pass that one up. With some of the titles I had just expected a more well rounded and thematic experience. Some of the highlights: Free mirror and keychain made by local artist who upcycles old skateboard decks, hula lesson, and trying drinking vinegars from Pok Pok — and that’s the whole list after attending the events in 2014. I am hoping this year may be better. Arrive early, the lines get long to get in.

If you haven’t been, it’s a fun event to check out. I’m not sure if I’d go back, but if you’re I to science and drinking this is your thing. It was a fun date night to interact with exhibits and enjoy lots of samples. And no kids!
There’s the theater where we watched a movie at the end and called it a night.
Parking is free, bonus!

Had a blast! I can’t believe it has taken me so long to make my way here. Not that I’m against visiting the OMSI or any museum at that during the day but alcohol and a kid free environment is a bit of a plus for me at the moment.
There were tons of things to do outside of the normal exhibits and great vendors that were more than generous with all their goodies!
Only gripe? The planetarium. We expected to be delighted but ended up sitting in the dark listening to a podcast. It wasn’t that the content wasn’t interesting-​it was but we just expected something a little different.
Can’t wait to visit, again. If you haven’t made you’re way to OMSI After Dark, you have to check it out! For $ 12 a pop it’s the best night out ever.

This is the best way as an adult to be able to enjoy OMSI. NO KIDS!!! BEER and WINE, good times. OMSI After Dark made for a great date night. I am usually not entertained by museums, but without the kids in my way I really enjoyed it. I am looking forward to next month already.

Alcohol and Science! (and music)
What could be better?
I had a great time and will probably make this a regular thing to go to whenever it happens.

My first time going to OMSI after dark. I paid the $ 13 admission, and the Sherlock Holmes exhibit which required an additional fee, was sold out. The place was pretty packed. I had seen most of the exhibits already. I mostly went to see friends that were going. I had a glass of wine, and meandered around. Saw people that I knew. Talked to strangers in a line to do a free wine tasting. There was also a distillery doing a tasting. Checked out some other vendors. Paul Mitchell reps were doing free make overs. I had a make over done, and that was fun. I’m not sure this was worth the $ 13, so don’t think I would go again.

I’ve been to similar after-​hours 21+ events at planetariums and museums before, to my thorough amusement, so I jumped at the chance to go last night. As expected, OMSI was a lot more enjoyable with the subtraction of screaming children and the addition of adult beverages. Of course, that could be said for virtually any public space, but I digress.
The good: it’s a museum, and if you like to nerd out on science and couple it with hands on activities, this is your own Shangri-​La.
The bad: poor planning for the crowds. There is only one bar (how hard would it be to set up an extra beer stand or two?), the line for the main attraction– the Sherlock Holmes Exhibit– was well over an hour long (though I suppose there’s not much to be done about that), and more than one vendor ran out of supplies (samples, cups, or both) well before the night was over.
All in all it was good, but better planning for a larger crowd (or a tighter cap on ticket sales) would make it great.

I’ve waited to attend this event for over two years and the anticipation may have caused my expectations to be a little unrealistic. We arrived about an hour after the start time and were surprised at how crowded the museum already was. At $ 12 a person, ticket prices aren’t too bad though it costs an additional $ 8 to go to the Mummy exhibit. We just stuck to the main exhibits. The theme was Blow Stuff Up, but my friend is not a huge fan of loud noises so after seeing one really cool demonstration of mega-​implosion, we avoided the rest of the demos.
My favorite two exhibits are still the prenatal exhibit and the hands-​on puzzles/​brainteasers. The rest of the museum for some reason seemed less impressive than I remembered and the occasional beer spilled on the floor did not help. Plus the loud music/​DJing in the main exhibit room made it hard to hear any conversation, let alone absorb science knowledge.
Overall though, it was still a fun night. Though I would have preferred more food samples, less alcohol spills, and better music, the event itself is still very creative and good for young to middle-​age adults. I really wish I could attend the International Foods themed OMSI After Dark next month — I’m sure that event will be even better!

OMSI After Dark nights can be a lot of fun and it’s a novel way to experience OMSI as a ‘big kid’. I’ve been to several of these events and I admit it’s a little hit and miss with the themed events, but overall, I’ve always enjoyed going and encourage everyone to check it out.
Check out the new swank-​ified cafeteria. It looks right over the water and they have fantastic Italian-​style pizza (it’s really thin, but not greasy like NY-​style). You can sit by the fireplace and look out over the river and see the new bridge being built, and watch the dragon boat teams paddling up and down the river aa the sun sets over the city. Pretty!

Every last Wednesday of the month, OMSI hosts OMSI After Dark, which is for adults only from 6−10pm.
I was really surprised by how enjoyable this was. My husband and I had wanted to check out the latest Mythbusters exhibit but that itself would not have been enough of a draw. I was impressed that they had a live demonstration within the exhibit that they did for us adults.
There were samples from local breweries, a juice company, Hot Lips soda (including two sugar-​free varieties, desserts, jerky, beans and more. There was a live band, loud music and dancing. Almost all of the general rooms were available to these beer-​toting adults primarily in their 20s and 30s.
I haven’t been to the exhibits since I was little. It was eerily nostalgic how many have remained the same. There have been some additions, as well, which makes the passing of time even more notable.
The auditorium was packed with local game companies and in a classroom there was Dungeons and Dragons going on.

Yeeeeeha!
OMSI After Dark is soooooooooooooooo great. I went for the very very very first one, about one million years ago (or was it 2008? I get it confused) and I had so much fun. There was beer and electricity and earthquakes and logic puzzles and snacks.
Fast forward to Halloween this year, and I had zero plans. Well, I planned on drinking a bottle of white wine and handing out vegan candy to kids who accidentally ended up at my front door.
But then a friend mentioned OMSI After Dark and I was all «Bam! Sold!». I dragged my date there and we sampled spirits, bought beer and wine, learned about quantum something-​something, rode a stationary bike, tested our blood pressure, played some weird logic games, and got our pictures taken at the ‘photo booth’ (photos posted to Facebook the next day).
I drank a lot, ate a lot of nothing, and had a blast. The only downfall was that the lines for the local booze were way too long toward the end, and I still have over half my tokens left. If I can use them at the next OMSI After Dark event I go to, I will be the happiest tipsiest little nerd you ever will see.

It was my first time…
I didn’t know what to expect…
Everyone says it’s a lot of fun once you try…
OMSI After Dark
Every LAST WEDNESDAY of every month, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) center holds a 21+ event showcasing samples of local beers or wines and food. If you enjoy adult-​only events + booze, this would cater to you.
I attended September’s Burger’s & Brew event. Non-​members $ 25 and Members $ 15 will give you a pint size glass and about 10 tokens to sample the various local breweries.
What breweries did I try?
+ Fish Brewery’s «Spire Dark & Dry Cider» (**my fave of the night that I came back multiple times**)
+ Double Mountain Brewery’s «The Vaporizer»
+ Buckman Botanical Brewery’s «Ginger Pale Ale»
+ Fort George Brewery’s «Sunrise Oatmeal Pale Ale»
What food samples did I devour?
+Nicky USA’s open-​faced «Bison Burger» (**my fave of the night**)
+SortaSausage’s «Hemp Burger» patty
+Stock & Barrel’s «Cheese Fondue + Bread»
Parking can be a bit difficult since this these events are pretty popular, so you may want to get there early. The events run from 6PM-​10PM.
My first time was amazing…
Now I know what the fuss is all about…
And I’m looking forward to attending the next event …
At OMSI After Dark

I can tote rate this and review this shiz like a boss. Why? I was at the original OMSI After Dark and can see how this event has evolved like mad.
In English — OMSI After Dark has gotten better and better. The first time was a cluster-​eff because OMSI didn’t realize how badly Portland adults wanted to A) experience OMSI b) without child and C) with beer. The lines were epic, the alcohol lines were brutal and it was just chaos. Chaos. Like an hour for beer.
Lesson learned. You can now buy your tickets online! They have multiple beer/​wine tables (cash only!). They have beer and liquor samples, along with many other food vendors.
Every other month or so, they have a different exhibit — which makes a large difference on your experience. My favorite was the vintage games exhibit in 2011 for example but in general it’s all fun times. So… go. And now.