We embarked on an educational and interactive gourmet journey around the world of food and nutrition, with numerous layover activities to choose from. Amazing Museum !
As part of our visit to Vevey we planned to visit The Alimentarium last Sunday morning. It was a cold morning and since it was the fête des vignerons we had to drive around a bit before we eventually found somewhere to park by lake.
The Alimentarium enjoys an impressive position overlooking the water so it’s easy to combine a visit with a stroll around the town where there are lots of lovely little shops.
Inside, the building feels like a nice hotel and the thing that stood out the most was how interactive the museum is. At the ticket desk we were given a special key to open boxes placed around the rooms which contained extra puzzles for the children which they really enjoyed and Jude and Alba took turns at being the key keeper.
The Food Sector
The visit started beautifully as we began in a wonderful room with screens on all sides featuring motion sensor pictures which displayed further information when we swiped our hands in front of them.
We moved on from there following the direction of the tour and I have to say that is really well laid out with so much to see and do. We really liked the video which allows you to discover the journey food makes after it has been produced and the following room helps to understand how our food is manufactured, preserved and prepared and the traditional and industrial processes involved.
The Society Sector
There were lots of huge touch screens with games to play and Jude was really interested in learning about how our approaches to food have changed over time and it was a good chance to teach them more about the importance of a balanced diet and how our body manages the food we eat.
Jean was really impressed with the screen showcasing new social media phenomena such as the term ‘food porn’ or the use of hashtags. From the biggest cities in the world #food, #foodporn or #pasta reflect our culinary discoveries and cravings. However, as it says on the wall, the silence from certain parts of the world reveals other realities and food boundaries. It was a good reminder of how fortunate we are and that we should try to remember that in the way we treat (and waste) food in our own homes.
The Body Sector
The last part of the visit is upstairs and we arrived in a dark room where we wandered through the pathways of the brain dotted with giant neurons to discover how our five senses work. It was really fun to do the experiments like eating a sweet and analyse it with your eyes and mouth. The smell experiment was really fun too!
Unfortunately the Game Room was closed so we couldn't put into practice what we had learned during our visit. Next time!
We probably spent about 1.5hours there but we could have easily spent longer reading more thoroughly each of the displays.
At the exit there is a small café and play area so we stopped for a minute to re-group before we headed back to the car.
There is also an academy which offers an educational space for teachers, adults and children from 8-16.
It’s a really interesting, really fun way to spend a couple of hours in Vevey.
Information
Parking : "Panorama" or "Place du Marché" (10 min walks)
Toilets : Yes
Baby Change Facilities : Yes
Accessibility : Yes suitable for pushchairs
Extra : Cloak room area and lockers
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