It’s time to get charged up! The Spark Museum of Electrical Invention is one of Whatcom County’s most popular indoor tourist attractions and they couldn’t be more excited to open their doors to the public.
“We are thrilled to be once again serving our community,” says director of operations, Tana Granack. “We’ve missed our visitors—especially the kids!”
Washington State’s “Safe Start” plan has been revised to allow Museums to reopen at 25% occupancy in Phase 2 counties, which includes Bellingham and Whatcom County. Most museums and galleries are now open, including SPARK. Masks and social distancing are required. Most museums offer large indoor spaces, with plenty of room for guests to stay 6 feet apart.
Insider Tip: In 2018, the SPARK Museum won Bellingham’s 2018 Tourism Business of the year.
Located in Downtown Bellingham, SPARK reopened to the general public in September with new safety procedures in place. Like other museums in Whatcom County, and Washington State, SPARK had to temporarily close their doors during the initial stages of the pandemic and Stay Safe order.
Insider Tip: The SPARK Museum is currently open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. General Admission is $8 for adults and $5 for kids.
“The COVID virus has been a challenge everyone’s had to face,” says Granack. “It’s given us time to reassess our place in the community, regroup, and develop an enhanced safety and sanitation policy, one that meets or surpasses Washington State Department of Health guidelines.”
SPARK has limited the number of visitors inside the museum, all employees and visitors are required to wear a mask, and hand sanitizer will be available at the entrance and throughout the museum.
“We’ve done some additional reconfiguring, to take full advantage of our amazing space, and maximize everyone’s ability to safely distance” says Granack referring to the newly modified front desk area, complete with a new protective transaction shield. “We want our visitors to be as comfortable as possible with these necessary safety measures, and so far everyone’s been great.”
But what about the MegaZapper show? The SPARK Museum is still doing their signature demonstration involving the biggest lightning machine in the country, a Tesla coil called The MegaZapper. MegaZapper shows currently take place every Saturday and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
Insider Tip: SPARK has reduced the number of people inside the show and the museum is working hard to do as many shows as possible while following all of the required safety guidelines. If you are interested in seeing the show, please call ahead to purchase your ticket in advance. MegaZapper show & general admission is $12 for adults and $8 for kids.
According to John Jenkins, co-founder of SPARK, the show is out of this world. “It is sort of Franklin meets Frankenstein – science reality meets science fiction fun.”
The centerpiece for the MegaZappr show for example, is the fantastic ‘Cage of Doom’ designed and built by world-renowned sculptor Ric Allen, and looks like something from Frankenstein’s laboratory!
Some of the must-see items in the museum include one of the first 26 of Thomas Edison’s first successful electric lamps made in 1879, one of the first color television sets ever made, the first telephone to make a transcontinental call and the Titanic Marconi Room, which includes the exact radio equipment currently in the ship’s radio room at the bottom of the ocean.
