It has been nearly two years since Asher and I were last able to travel out of the country. In lieu of that, we have been taking the notion of Rediscover Singapore very seriously. We have been making trips to various famed attractions in Singapore, as well as seeking out the various nooks and crannies in the heartlands to fill up our weekends and the school holidays.
Last week during the September school holidays, we rediscovered the Singapore Discovery Centre (SDC) as a fun place for families to visit, and would like to share the experience with everyone.
First established in 1996 over two and a half decades ago, the SDC was conceived and launched as an “edutainment” and tourist attraction located in Jurong West, Singapore. Since then, the exhibits and attractions in SDC have undergone several rounds of refurbishment, with the latest taking place last year to spruce up the tours and exhibits to reflect the current times and world affairs.
Journey Through Time and Learn About Singapore’s Nation-building History
The Permanent Exhibits Gallery – Through the Lens of Time at SDC is FREE for Singaporeans and Permanent Residents (PR). For foreigners, it is priced affordably too! It costs just $10 for adults, and $8 for children.
The exhibits seek to bring visitors on a journey through the lens of time in a gallery that features four distinct time periods in the history of Singapore’s journey as a growing nation: The Beginnings, The Turning Point, Against All Odds and Building Our Foundations.
We found the exhibits to be a wonderfully immersive experience; with the use of enhanced technology such as Augmented Reality and interactive multimedia tools, we were transported back in time. We saw Singapore during its pre-colonial era over 700 years ago, to more recent historical events such as the Japanese Occupation (1942-1945), the Konfrontasi (1963-1966) and the daring 1983 Sentosa cable car rescue mission.
If you prefer a guided experience while touring the exhibits, this is available daily at 2pm and 4pm. Each guided tour lasts between 45 to 60 minutes, and is priced at $4 for Singaporeans, PRs and foreigners.
Celebrate the Mid-autumn Festival at SDC
With the Mid-Autumn Festival just around the corner, SDC has also come up with a series of engaging activities that are on now till 26 September.
We made a free Rabbit Lantern at the Play Ground area and after which you can purchase a LED light at the retail area for a dollar. Light up your rabbit lantern and take it with you on a special outdoor Lantern Walk storytelling session by the Discovery Lake together with the SDC storytellers.
Other activities include Moonwalk trail activity, watercolour painting by the lake and brain-teasing traditional lantern riddles and table top games, just to name a few of the other fun activities. Some activities require booking, while slots last! Or you may try your luck and hop on last minute to see if there are any free slots!
If you have yet to order your mooncakes, check out SDC’s collaboration with MINDS on their Moon-LIT! Gift Sets at only $49.90! Each set comes with 2-piece traditional mooncakes from MINDS, 2 packets of Chinese Tea, Lantern Walk with storytelling elements for a family of 5 and 2 Rabbit Lantern crafts! SDC Members get 20% off upon order! Pre-order closes on 17 Sep.
Power Up Your Sustainability Commitment with SDC
For those into sustainability, SDC also offers a Living Green Eco Tour, taking place on the first and third Saturday of every month. The one-and-a-half-hour tour is priced at $10 per person for SDC members, and $12 per person for non-members.
During the tour, you get to learn about traditional and modern farming methods in our land-scarce and highly urbanised country. Plus, you can engage your sense of smell and touch to identify and learn more about commonly used herbs and greens.
The highlights include a solar panel exploration activity – you can stroll down the boardwalk to the heart of the Discovery Lake to check out the solar panels which are used to supply nearly 50% of the energy consumption for the whole centre.
SDC is working towards becoming a zero energy building and has installed a total of over 2,000 solar panels to date, spreading across three locations: within the centre itself, the roof, the lake and Singapore’s longest sheltered walkway fitted with solar panels.
The tour ends with a Microgreens Planting Workshop where you get to decorate a planter, and plant your own edible microgreens to bring home.
Much More Fun Stuff
In addition, there are a lot of other fun activities you can participate in at the SDC, including a 344-seater iWERKS Theatre screening the latest movies such as Marvel Studios’ blockbuster hit, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and Free Guy. Ticket prices range from $7 to $10 per person.
There are also the Black Lake Facility escape room, Black Lake Laser Battlefield laser tag arena, a XD Theatre for thrilling 4D simulation theatrical experiences as well as a SAFTI bus tour that will take you on an exclusive peek around the 88-hectare training ground for officers-to-be.
Family Explorers and Adventurer Membership
Enjoy more savings when you join SDC’s membership programmes which caters to both families and individuals.
The membership fee is just $50 a year for the individual Adventurer Membership and $120 for the Family Explorers Membership (up to a maximum of 4 persons made up of immediate family members, grandparents and domestic helpers).
Added benefits for each member includes free monthly redemption of FREE iWERKS blockbuster 2D/3D movie tickets every month, one FREE XD Ride ticket, three FREE game play of 1 x Escape Room, 1 x Laser Tag and 1 x Crossfire Paintball, among many other perks.
You also enjoy a 20% discount for additional XDTheatre Ride, Crossfire Paintball, Laser Tag, Escape Room, among others.
Location
Singapore Discovery Centre
510 Upper Jurong Rd, Singapore 638365
See here for directions.
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What is the cost of admission for foreigners to the Permanent Exhibits Gallery at the Singapore Discovery Centre? Telkom University